Ok, I have a question (pertaining to religion; specifically Christianity)

So, it says in 1 John 4:8 that God is love. Then in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7it describes what love is:

"Love is kind and patient,

never jealous, boastful,

proud, orrude.

Love isn't selfish

or quick tempered.

It doesn't keep a record

of wrongs that others do.

Love rejoices in the truth,

but not in evil.

Love is always supportive,

loyal, hopeful,

and trusting."

Now, my question to you is the following: Why does God, throughout the bible, appear to behave in a manner in which love is not, and yet the bible goes on to define God as being what love is?

Let me cite a few examples:

Love is defined as never being jealous, and doesn't keep a record of the wrongs that others do, and yet in Exodus 20:5 it reads "You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am ajealous God,visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me," and it states that God is jealous and God does keep a record of the wrongs that others do.

Love is also defined as not being boastful, proud, or rude, and yet from Job 38 to the end of Job 41 God is rudely boasting about how magnificent He is.

And finally, love is defined as always being supportive, loyal, hopeful, and trusting. Yet in Genesis 6:7 it reads "The LORD said, 'I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made them.'" Here he is shown as very unsupportive, very unloyal, absolutely hopeless, and not placing very much trust in man.

So I'll restate my question: Why does God, throughout the bible, appear to behave in a manner in which love is not,and yet the bible goes on to define God as being what love is?

I still don't understand why the Old Testament was included in the Bible at all.

God always acts with love. He knows what's best for us, even if it doesn't seem good to us. He only acts out of love.Maddy_K

I still don't understand why the Old Testament was included in the Bible at all.

foxhound_fox

[QUOTE="Harshvardhan666"]Its called continuity errors.NerdEmperor

Yeah that happens often in fiction.

The usual suspects will soon show up and attempt to wriggle out of this, but I can't imagine how they will do so, it seems pretty open and shut.

Its called continuity errors.Harshvardhan666

Because it's all bull****? But +1 for the original argument, this is a good thread. MrPraline

The Bible is probably one of the most difficult things to understand. It would really take a religious scholar to answer your question. And dont forget that the bible has undergone several translations and has been edited by rulers throughout history, the bible as we know it now is not the Bible as it originally was.

Yep. Plot holes, too. MrPraline

[QUOTE="Harshvardhan666"]Its called continuity errors.Funky_Llama

[QUOTE="MrPraline"] Yep. Plot holes, too. foxhound_fox

[QUOTE="Maddy_K"]God always acts with love. He knows what's best for us, even if it doesn't seem good to us. He only acts out of love.-Sun_Tzu-

I still don't understand why the Old Testament was included in the Bible at all.

foxhound_fox

[QUOTE="-Sun_Tzu-"][QUOTE="Maddy_K"]God always acts with love. He knows what's best for us, even if it doesn't seem good to us. He only acts out of love.Maddy_K

[QUOTE="MrPraline"] Yep. Plot holes, too. foxhound_fox

[QUOTE="-Sun_Tzu-"][QUOTE="Maddy_K"]God always acts with love. He knows what's best for us, even if it doesn't seem good to us. He only acts out of love.Maddy_K

Well, Christianity is pretty much built on the premise that Jesus was the messiah that wasprophesied in the Old Testament.

-Sun_Tzu-

[QUOTE="Maddy_K"][QUOTE="-Sun_Tzu-"] But he doesn't act in the manner in which the bible defines as love.MrPraline

[QUOTE="-Sun_Tzu-"]Well, Christianity is pretty much built on the premise that Jesus was the messiah that wasprophesied in the Old Testament.

foxhound_fox

[QUOTE="-Sun_Tzu-"]Well, Christianity is pretty much built on the premise that Jesus was the messiah that wasprophesied in the Old Testament.

foxhound_fox

God is a jealous god and God is a god of wrath.

Wrath and Jealousy are two of the capital sins.

Connundrum?

I still don't understand why the Old Testament was included in the Bible at all.

foxhound_fox

I still don't understand why the Bible was included in the Bible.

God is a jealous god and God is a god of wrath.

Wrath and Jealousy are two of the capital sins.

Connundrum?

cu_be_cie

I'd imagine Christians would claim that those are only bad qualities when we exhibit them, God's a completely different kettle of fish.

[QUOTE="cu_be_cie"]

God is a jealous god and God is a god of wrath.

Wrath and Jealousy are two of the capital sins.

Connundrum?

_glatisant_

I'd imagine Christians would claim that those are only bad qualities when we exhibit them, God's a completely different kettle of fish.

[QUOTE="cu_be_cie"]

God is a jealous god and God is a god of wrath.

Wrath and Jealousy are two of the capital sins.

Connundrum?

_glatisant_

I'd imagine Christians would claim that those are only bad qualities when we exhibit them, God's a completely different kettle of fish.

I still don't understand why the Old Testament was included in the Bible at all.

foxhound_fox

This quote is sig-worthy.

[QUOTE="foxhound_fox"]

I still don't understand why the Old Testament was included in the Bible at all.

cu_be_cie

This quote is sig-worthy.

[QUOTE="_glatisant_"]

[QUOTE="cu_be_cie"]

God is a jealous god and God is a god of wrath.

Wrath and Jealousy are two of the capital sins.

Connundrum?

MrPraline

I'd imagine Christians would claim that those are only bad qualities when we exhibit them, God's a completely different kettle of fish.

It's scary how people can sincerely believe the actions God performs in the OT are justified, but somehow they manage it, and when normal human empathy is subjugated in such a way it makes a crazy sort of sense, if God is morally perfect.We think differently, because we don't over-rule our empathy (quite rightly) in such a manner.

Harshvardhan666

This is off the topic, but that is one of the best sigs I have ever seen.

[QUOTE="MrPraline"]

[QUOTE="_glatisant_"]

I'd imagine Christians would claim that those are only bad qualities when we exhibit them, God's a completely different kettle of fish.

_glatisant_

It's scary how people can sincerely believe the actions God performs in the OT are justified, but somehow they manage it, and when normal human empathy is subjugated in such a way it makes a crazy sort of sense, if God is morally perfect.We think differently, because we don't over-rule our empathy (quite rightly) in such a manner.

[QUOTE="Harshvardhan666"]cu_be_cie

This is off the topic, but that is one of the best sigs I have ever seen.

The Bible is probably one of the most difficult things to understand. It would really take a religious scholar to answer your question. And dont forget that the bible has undergone several translations and has been edited by rulers throughout history, the bible as we know it now is not the Bible as it originally was.

JSDempsey

I too have wondered the same thing. But remember that god is not just love. He's also just, wisdom, and power. Still though, his love doesn't seem to show as much as his power.

Idk, the old and new testaments should be basically taken as different books though, with different sets of rules for god, because he changed his covenant in the new testament.

[QUOTE="foxhound_fox"]

I still don't understand why the Old Testament was included in the Bible at all.

-Sun_Tzu-

religion is poisonnimatoad2000

To be honest, I don't really know. The Old Testament God has certainly kind of struck me as being kind of a jerk. Perhaps it's just yet another indication that the stories therein are to be taken as parables with a message rather than a true account of historical fact. Perhaps the language used was not correctly translated (as I've said before, the word "hate" is not used as we understand it today), although that would not completely account for things like the Great Flood. I imagine that many would special-case God, saying that since he is all knowing and all powerful, he can do things while still being pure love - although I find this a massive cop-out.

Or, perhaps it's just a collection of ravings of delusional men who saw things that weren't there are wrote things that weren't true.

To be honest, I'm really not too concerned with the factual nature of things in this area. As far as my life goes, it would change nothing.