Quote Originally Posted by Ironside View Post
I'll give you a hint: Godfearing is related to fear (the loving kind of fear but still). Mass punishment of a people because you do as He says, because you reject what He says, is good? The Old testament God is not good.

A less personal note, wouldn't Good=God mean that no human can be good without knowing God?
Two interesting points. The first is dealt with early in Genesis 18 when God promises he will not destroy Sodom and Gomorrah if ten righteous men are found within the cities and the plane, the cities and the plane are destroyed.

The second point has two answers, either those without God lack goodness, or no one is truly without God. Anecdotal evidence would point to the latter, that even those who wholly reject God are not wholly apart from him in this life.

Quote Originally Posted by The Wizard View Post
A friend of mine once posited an interesting question: is the God of Jesus, all-forgiving as he is, just? Do you want to forgive someone like Stalin, Hitler or Mao? Do they belong in Heaven, do they deserve compassion?

He was of the opinion that such a God was just. I was not. Adonai, "the God of the Old Testament", is a just god. Harsh, but just. There must be consequences for your actions. Truly evil men deserve to burn.
Well, in order to be forgiven you have to be truly penitent, and not merely afraid for your soul. Imagine the amount of penitence appropriate to Hitler's, Stalin's, or Mao's crimes. Imagine the amount of mental suffering that would produce.

Quote Originally Posted by Strike For The South View Post
How so? To truly be one of the flock you must follow these teachings as well. We are still held accountable here on earth and to God all sins are equaled because in the next life they are of no consequnece if you accepted Jesus and lived up to his teachings to the best of your abilities.
Quite so, but the way you put it the first time makes hummanity sound like a collection of pieces on a draughts board.