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From: speaker@umcp-cs.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.religion
Subject: Re: Premises for the morals of God
Message-ID: <4793@umcp-cs.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 17-Jan-84 21:18:18 EST
Article-I.D.: umcp-cs.4793
Posted: Tue Jan 17 21:18:18 1984
Date-Received: Thu, 19-Jan-84 01:28:10 EST
References: <491@ihuxn.UUCP> <1669@utcsstat.UUCP>
Organization: Univ. of Maryland, Computer Science Dept.
Lines: 55


	Look -- assume that there is only one God, and it is the Biblical one.
	now  -- assume that God is good, by definition.

	Therefore the killing of the Midianites are good by definition, and the
	argument ends.

	*BUT* -- I know that the killing of the Middianites was not good.
		 Therefore my definition of good is independent of
		 the Biblical God.  Therefore, this is my God (even
		 if I don't choose to call it that, which I don't
		 because most people think of the old guy with the
		 beard and the throne in the clouds) as in the most
		 fundamental thing around. "The Good" if you will.

	This is implicit in any arguing I could do about the
	"morality of Yahweh".  What I would need to be shown to
	demonstrate the I should worship Yahweh is that He/She/It
	is Good. If there is an equivalence relation then I am
	fine.  If killing the Middianites is actually good, then
	I am justified in worshipping Yahweh. But I do not think
	that this can be done. You can all try to convince me of
	this.

Your train of logic mystifies me.

All you can conclude at this point is that your definitons of
good are different.  The fact that your belief system is independent
of God's does not show him to be "The Good."  No, it only
displays the fact that you have differing belief systems.
From here you may conclude that either...

	1)	God is "The Good" and your good is lacking.  or...

	2)	Both definitions describe valid belief systems.
		God is good, but not the ultimate good.  or...

	3)	Laura Creighton is the ultimate good which we can
		say is false for the purpose of argument.

It is not sufficient to show that God is good for
you to start worshiping him... you must be shown that he
is "The Good."  An equivelence relation is not sufficient...
you might as well worship yourself in this case.

You said it yourself a few articles back, if you can't love
this God then you can't worship him.  I would equate both
love and worship as the same thing.  To show the
the justice of this one act neither excuses your love or
worship of this God.
-- 

					- Speaker
					speaker@umcp-cs
					speaker.umcp-cs@CSnet-Relay