why the God of the Bible is not an immoral god

The issue of the very moral goodness of God has been brought into question by the New Atheist movement, notably by one of its leading proponents, Richard Dawkins. Dawkins claims that the massacre of the Canaanites in the Old Testament proves God is immoral and guilty of genocidal murder. This is an incredibly serious accusation to place against the God of Christianity, especially since Christianity teaches that God is love. How do we reconcile then a bloody event in human history supposedly by divine command with the nature and character of a God of love and a God of morality and justice? The following 45 minute lecture by Peter J Williams on the Old Testament and the character of God is a very helpful starting point in addressing this big objection.

Williams outlines the weaknesses of the New Atheist's arguments against the God of the Old Testament and provides the correct framework for contextualizing the events of the Old Testament.

I also want to address with some considerations and thoughts of my own a further objection to the God of the Old Testament, that God is responsible for the evil and sin in the world. The creation of the Garden of Eden and then God's decision to plant the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil would seem to imply that God is therefore responsible for Adam and Eve's disobedience - after all why put it there in the first place if God didn't want Adam and Eve to eat of its fruit? I have taken some quotes by a person on the internet that I think articulate this objection:

"Adam and Eve didn't have the proper cognitive functions, they didn't know what "good" or "evil" were. God didn't demonstrate it, but again leaving a doom tree in your garden where your perfect creation is...well just plain stupid. Also knowing everything means you know what those humans will do which makes this a setup."

Adam and Eve were made in the “image” of God after His likeness (Genesis 1:26, 27). God gave humanity dominion over nature and Adam named each animal (Genesis 2:20). Therefore Adam and Eve did possess proper cognitive functions in the respect that they were relational (God is triune and therefore relational – notice Genesis says let us make man in “our” image, not “my” image). Relationships imply morality as we make conscious choices about how to treat, respond and interact with one another and our environment. As God is good and there is no evil within Him, Adam and Eve’s pre-fall nature was one of moral purity, harmony and unity – in respect of their relationship to God, their environment and each other. Secondly, God gave humanity dominion over nature, which again implies cognition as dominion is an assertion of the will and mind. It also implies morality as dominion can have negative connotations of oppression, persecution, violence and abuse of power. Before the Fall humanity did not abuse the natural world like we do today through deforestation, chemical pollution of the atmosphere and oceans and intensive mining. Adam and Eve exercised their God given nature to ensure their dominion protected God’s creation not destroy it.

Knowing everything does not make planting the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil a setup for omniscience also means God knows all possibilities not just realities. God conceived of Adam and Eve obeying His command as well as disobeying; God knew the logical consequences of all potential actions by Adam and Eve. Moreover through the laws of nature causality ensues, for every action there is a reaction – cause and effect. God thus knew the effect Adam and Eve’s disobedience would have and so initiated the appropriate response in line with free will; God established the sacrificial system of the Old Testament to make atonement for that sin, which found its fulfilment in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The Tree of Knowledge and Good and Evil in the Garden of Eden does not negate free will it, it affirms it. Free will cannot exist without choice. Though Adam and Eve were not omniscient like God, they did possess part of His nature in His goodness. By giving Adam and Eve a solitary command not to eat of the fruit of the Tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil, God was allowing Adam and Eve to make the decision to exercise that God-given moral goodness in obedience.

 

"You can't have both free will and know the future or future events/prophecies. God placing the possibility of "sin" makes his agency responsible for it, and this destroys any chance of benevolence. This consequence was also a set up, no one in their right mind would place a tree that would harm the whole of humanity in a paradise with a deceitful snake either. Also not knowing what good/evil is, makes their "choice" not a choice, God would be at fault and responsible for all evil."

God as an agent is free – God freely created the universe and all life within it. However, God is transcendent over His creation and therefore is not bound by its laws as we are. If God were bound by the laws that govern the universe then He could not have created it; if God were inseparable from His creation than He would no longer be God, for the universe is finite and God by essence is infinite for God is uncreated and must be to be the agent of creation. Time is a dimension of this universe. But God is not bound by time or space and therefore is eternal. Therefore God does not view time sequentially as we do, who are bound by the dimension of time. But just as God as agent created the universe with the dimensions of time and space, He is also still an active agent within it – His revelation to ancient Israel, through the person of Jesus Christ and through the on-going activity of the Holy Spirit within His Church.

The existence of sin or even the possibility of sin does not make God the responsible agent for sin. Sin literally means falling short of the mark, like an arrow missing the bulls-eye by falling several metres short of the target; the mark or target in this case being the Holiness of God. It is logically impossible for God to act against His own nature – God in essence is good therefore He can do no evil – He cannot sin. Nor can God tempt anyone to commit evil and thus sin, for this would also be a contradiction of God’s nature. When God created the universe, the earth and Adam and Eve He did not create with the intention of causing evil – God is a conscious moral agent and therefore His motive for creating life is important to our understanding of sin. God cannot create sin it is logically impossible. The possibility of evil must exist for us to make moral choices. We choose to do right or wrong and therefore we are responsible for our actions. Just because God knew the possibility that Adam and Eve would make morally evil choices does not make Him responsible for those choices because they are moral agents by virtue of free will and it is impossible for God to tempt or force them to sin. The very fact that God chose to create humanity with the knowledge that this must entail the possibility of evil for us to be able to be free agents proves His benevolence rather than destroys it! God acted in His nature – everything God made was good (Genesis 1:31). God’s choice in creating human beings with free will must be judged benevolent because He acted for good in contradistinction to evil – He created a universe in which sustains life; He created a natural paradise for which Adam and Eve could call home and He had a special relationship with them in the Garden of Eden that was separate and distinct from His relationship to the rest of the created order after we were made in His image. Adam and Eve knew intimately the love of their creator and the invitation by Him to obey Him and continue to enjoy the presence and goodness of God.

Superhero Musings

So with the epic conclusion to Christopher Nolan’s the Dark Knight trilogy last summer coupled with the rebirth of Superman this summer in the origin story of Man of Steel, I have been thinking about superheroes a lot over the past few months. Ever since I was a child I have been fascinated by superheroes; maybe it appealed to my boyhood imagination or possibly it was the testosterone fuelled action sequences or even the innate sense of justice or morality we all have deep within our subconscious. Whatever triggered my love of superheroes and comic books they have remained a part of me ever since.

Now I am a huge DC fan, Marvel has its moments but I find DC characters far more compelling and the stories far more satisfying. I want to talk about two of my favourite all time superheroes: Batman and Superman, two characters that are the complete antithesis of one another but also epitomise what superheroes are.

Batman is my all-time favourite superhero. Batman, otherwise known as the Dark Knight is a complex individual but at one and the same time accessible and relatable. As a man with no superpowers he is the antithesis of Superman, whose very name suggests someone extraordinary and super-human. However, Batman’s strength lies exactly in his humanity. Batman is the archetypal human in many ways: intelligent, rational – yet with great emotional depth – a physical specimen of a man who is strong, athletic and agile, tenacious, successful and accomplished, stoical and yet practical; a natural born leader. But notwithstanding all of these amazing attributes he is also vulnerable, a man who has suffered pain and loss, an orphan whose eyes were opened to the harsh realities and evil within society from a very young age; his upbringing thus an oxymoron of privilege and loss. It is this juxtaposition, the son and heir of the Wayne billion dollar empire who despite inheriting such enormous wealth and status did so at the cost of losing his parents to a desperate gunman, having to come to terms with a life without the love and support of his family and effectively being adopted by the family Butler Alfred Pennyworth that makes Batman both someone to aspire to and someone to pity.

Batman is a character with tremendous emotional depth and an innate sense of and passion for justice. Batman is a character who can honestly and sincerely empathise with other victims of crime and the less fortunate and vulnerable in society. One of the most fascinating aspects of Bruce Wayne/Batman’s character is the irony that his alter-ego of Batman is a symbol of fear and justice born from Bruce Wayne’s very own phobia. As a child Bruce Wayne developed a paralysing phobia of bats. Bats haunted Bruce’s dreams as his parents’ murders were the subject of his nightmares. There was created a connection between his fear and his tragedy; a fear that would eventually evolve into his source of strength and become the inspiration for the very armour he would wear to protect both his body and his identity. Batman the hero is a symbol designed to strike fear into those who prey on the fearful. As such Batman is also a symbol of victory over one’s fear.

Another of Batman’s myriad qualities and virtues is his razor sharp intelligence. Batman is first and foremost a detective before he is a warrior. Many of Batman’s villains such as the Riddler, the Joker, the Court of Owls and Hush wage not just a physical war with the Dark Knight but a psychological one as well. Batman stories are replete with elements of detection, the science of deduction, the science of forensic examination and criminology thus making for intellectual as well as visceral gratification. Batman is an analyst, a detective and a strategist. His gadgets and technologies are always extensions of his penetrating intellect and mind and always serve him as tools in his investigation, unlike in James Bond where gadgetry takes on a more superficial role of gimmickry.

Batman’s intellectual prowess is matched superbly by his physical superiority. Batman endures much pain and suffering in his duels with evil and his physical conditioning is a vital part to his success. Batman is a master in the martial arts, athletic, tough and with great cardiovascular and isometric strength. Batman’s sagas are often violent and bloody and his body is literally scarred from his altercations and wars with evil.

Perhaps my favourite aspect of Batman is the fact that despite his superhero allies and friends such as Commissioner Gordon and Alfred, Batman is a lone wolf. Batman is fiercely independent and guards his relationships very carefully, keeping practically everyone at arm’s length. Batman isn’t afraid to dwell in the shadows and enter into the viper’s nest. Batman’s psychological resilience to insanity and his fierce sense of morality that protects him from the temptation of evil are the result of the personal responsibility he feels to pursue justice and fight crime. Batman doesn’t look to another to save the day; he doesn’t pass the buck or responsibility; he doesn’t make excuses or shrink back because there are other superheroes more supernatural than him. Batman shoulder’s the burden of justice on himself. He takes every act of injustice and crime in Gotham City as a personal assault on him, as it once was when his parents were murdered. Batman understands the qualities he has - some very unique to him - and therefore believes it is his duty to protect the vulnerable and the innocent. There is a profound truth to this – we should all take responsibility for our actions and do what is in our capability and capacity to in order to improve this world and care for our fellow human beings.

On to Superman, Superman is a very different character to Batman. Yet Superman also possesses the same juxtaposed qualities as Batman – extraordinary strength and weakness. Although an alien from the planet Krypton with super-human abilities; Superman is also an orphan who growing up did not know his real identity or heritage. Thus Superman has very real human qualities to him as well. He is an outsider, an intergalactic immigrant who must deal with and comes to term with rejection, hostility, paranoia and suspicion. Superman must also choose to do what is right in the face of xenophobic resistance and hatred towards him. Kal-El otherwise known as Clark Kent grew up in Smallville, a small town outside of the bustling city of Metropolis, one of the greatest cities in the DC America. As a teenager and student Clark Kent deliberately underachieved in order to mask his extraordinary abilities. He shunned the spotlight and shrunk back from popularity. But in his adult life Clark also had to learn what it means to be human – to love, to form friendships and professional relationships and to make a career for himself. Clark Kent has many of the same struggles as ordinary, everyday humans do. In this respect Superman is an utterly intriguing character; orphaned, estranged from his birth-right, outcast, conflicted, feared and hated, resented and envied. Superman becomes super in the very act of protecting and serving the very people that fear and hate him.

Superman’s extraordinary physical capabilities seem to defy the laws of physics and nature. His powers come from the yellow sun at the centre of our solar system. But though Superman’s powers have their limitations in relation to his exposure to the sun it is his powers – super-speed, super-strength, space flight, super-sonic flight, x-ray vision and laser sight that make him arguably the most messianic of all superheroes. Like Jesus, Superman has a godlike duality. On the one hand Clark Kent and even Kal-El are very human but Superman is almost divine. Like Jesus, Superman is a product of two worlds – Superman came from the stars as Jesus came from Heaven. Joseph was only Jesus’ step-father as Jonathan Kent, Clark’s. Superman’s personality is also much more similar to Jesus’ than Batman’s. Superman’s bright red and royal blue costume with the golden \S/ emblem speaks far more of light and goodness (on the surface) than the silhouette of Batman’s cape and cowl. Superman’s face is exposed not masked, symbolic that Superman is at one with himself and his duty as a man with superpowers to save the world from evil and destruction.  Superman embraces his superpowers as Jesus embraced his divine mission as the Son of God as saviour of humanity. Jesus and Superman transcend normalcy and ordinary humanity.

Superman is an extension of the human psyche that recognises the divine and humanity's inability to redeem itself. The world needs Superman, even when it doesn’t want to admit to it. Superman is the personification of moral goodness. Superman can do what humans cannot. But Superman is also accessible – he lives on earth, he can be contacted and spoken to. Superman is a manifestation of our need for a messiah. When earth is in jeopardy and danger, the world turns to Superman. It is an implicit confession and acknowledgement of our sinfulness and our powerlessness to earn our salvation.  

Jesus the boy who changed the world

There have been many events and people who have changed the world: the creation of fire, the invention of the wheel, the invention of gun-powder; the discovery of Penicillin, the splitting of the atom and the decoding of the DNA double helix, not to mention to the invention of the internet that heralded a new digital age of technology. These events and many others like them have all had a profound and important impact upon humanity, technological progress and the advancement of civilization as we know it.

But there is one event – a birth – that changed the world forever and that is no hyperbole. The birth of Jesus is the single greatest event in human history. Luke’s Gospel tells of what a monumental event the birth of Jesus was and would be to the world:

“And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:10-11

The angel was speaking to shepherds as they watched their flock at night. The significance of this visitation would not have been lost on Jewish audiences as the shepherds were caring for the very lambs that would have been used in the Passover Festival, the annual commemoration of the Passover in Egypt, where God passed over the first born of Israel sparing their lives for the sacrifice of the lamb made in their place. The Passover Lamb therefore was by nature a sacrificial lamb, an innocent life killed in place of the guilty in order to bring salvation for the people of Israel.

The parallelism here between Jesus’ birth and the lambs crazing on the hills awaiting the Passover is no coincidence: Jesus was born to die as the Lamb of God, the One and ultimate, atoning sacrifice for the sin of humanity. Yet this is only part of the reason why Jesus’ birth was the greatest event in human history. Matthew’s Gospel focusses on another aspect of the importance of Jesus’ birth, namely his sovereignty as long-foretold and prophesised Messiah and King of Israel:

“Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.” Matthew 2:1-3

Jesus’ birth was fulfilment not just of Messianic prophecies that spoke of salvation but also of Messianic prophecies that spoke of Davidic Kingship. ‘Messiah’ in Hebrew means “anointed” or “chosen” one of God. The kings of ancient Israel, such as David and Solomon were anointed ones of God and Israel had long been expecting God to fulfil His covenant (promise) with David to raise up an heir to reign over his thrown and kingdom forever. Bethlehem, the small village roughly 6 miles south of Jerusalem, was called the city of David as this was where David was born. Any heir and potential Messiah must therefore have been born in Bethlehem, just as the scribes confirmed to Herod when he inquired of where the Messiah would be born:

“And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.” Micah 5:2

Jesus then was no ordinary person, He was no mere infant. Jesus was God’s chosen King and sacrificial Messiah to His people. Through Jesus would come salvation and eternal life as well as kingship, justice and peace. John’s Gospel elaborates on the divine nature of Jesus calling Him the Word (of God) made flesh (John 1:14). Jesus is the personification of God’s revelation and Law. The apostle Paul, who encountered the risen Jesus on his journey to Damascus also wrote of Jesus’ unique identity and personhood explaining that in Jesus the fullness of the deity (God) dwells bodily (Colossians 2:9). Jesus, as Scripture tells us, was none other than God incarnate.

Jesus changed the course of human history. Jesus’ birth marked a new way of dating chronology, we still talk today of CE (Common Era) and BCE (before Common Era) referring to His birth. Jesus inaugurated a new religion – Christianity – that would go on to become at this point of writing the world’s largest religion. Jesus has been the focal point of inspiration and influence from the high art of the Renaissance to the pop culture of the 20^th and 21^st centuries as indicated by characters such as Superman and Harry Potter. Jesus has influenced social revolution, theological reformation, religious iconoclasm as well as civil rights. Mahatma Ghandi, leader of Indian independence from the British Empire and devout Hindu once said of Jesus:

“What then does Jesus mean to me? He was one of the greatest teachers humanity has ever had.”

Albert Einstein, physicist and discoverer of the Theory of Relativity famously said of Jesus:

“No man can deny the fact that Jesus existed, nor that his sayings are beautiful…I am a Jew but I am enthralled by the aluminous figure of the Nazarene.”

Again let us return to what the Bible teaches of Jesus, He was given the name Jesus because in Hebrew it means “God saves”; His name was to foreshadow His atoning sacrifice upon the cross. But Jesus was also given a title Immanuel (Matthew 1:23), meaning “God with us”. Jesus who is Immanuel, the Son of David, the Son of God, Messiah and God’s chosen One to be King. Israel was pregnant with hope and expectation for the coming of their Messiah at the time of Jesus’ first coming. Two thousand years later and Christians across the world await patiently with expectation His second coming, not as baby wrapped in swaddling clothes, but as King the rider upon the white horse (Revelation 19:11) who will bring judgement upon Satan and the world.

Do not neglect the birth of Jesus this Christmas, nor underestimate its phenomenal importance to human history and to your very own life; a birth of cosmic proportions that has changed the shape of life as we know it altogether. Jesus is the bridge between heaven and earth.

 David Crowder Band 'O Come O Come Emmanuel'

Zao top 10

My passion for metal music has waxed and waned over the last few years. As my musical taste has broadened to encompass more genres and artists I have found myself desiring to listen to heavy music far less. Yet there are some musical experiences and bands that leave such a profound effect that they become imprinted onto your dna. Zao are one of those bands.

Originally formed as a evangelistic hardcore band, Zao's career took an earth shattering change of direction when current vocalist and soul of the band Dan Weyandt joined in 1997 with 'Where Blood and Fire Bring Rest'. Shortly after 'where blood and fire...' Scott Mellinger joined the band as lead guitarist who soon formed a strong musical partnership with then drummer Jesse Smith and Dan Weyandt that has come to define Zao's sound even to this day. Dan Weyandt is my favourite all time metal vocalist and his poignent lyrics have profoundly impacted me.

Here is my top 10 Zao songs from their 'second era' onwards:

10. Praise the War Machine (album The Funeral of God)

9. Truly, truly this is the end (album Funeral of God)

8. 5 year Winter (album Zao)

7. It's hard not to shake with a gun in your mouth (album The Fear is what keeps us here)

6. Savannah (album Liberate te ex infernis)

5. Skin like Winter (album Liberate te ex infernis)

4. Lies of Serpents, a river of tears (album Where Blood and Fire Bring Rest)

3. Desire the End (album Liberate te ex infernis)

2. A last time for everything (album The fear is what keeps us here)

1. The Latter Rain (album Where Blood and Fire bring rest)

Unfortunately there are no videos live or album version of the Latter Rain on youtube so you will have to listen to the album 'Where Blood and Fire...' on spotify or something to hear it. The song is about the Latter Rain of the Holy Spirit prophesized in the book of Joel. The song is basically in two acts, the first is sung in Dan Weyandt's extraordinary metal growls and the second is him speaking far more calmly. I love the journey the song takes the listener on and the spiritual overtones to the lyrics. It is at one and the same time an empowering song about the victory of God over evil and a lament to the spiritual blindness that shrouds modern society, hence the cry to send the Latter Rain. While not all of Zao's songs contain such a strong Biblical message to them, especially with Dan Weyandt's own changing views on faith and religion over the years nevertheless this song will forever be to me one of the greatest all time Christian metal songs.