God is Love?

[_KevinSim]

When it was over, I mentioned to a couple of high priests my heretical thought that we diminish God when we restrict his attributes to only the one that we find most positive, and suggested that maybe God has all attributes, both "negative" and "positive" in their perfection.

How, then, do we determine who we should worship and who we shouldn't? If we can't conclude that God only has positive attributes, and no negative attributes, then how do we tell the difference between a good supernaturally powerful being and an evil one, like Satan, for example? Do we just worship anything we can't understand?

[_KevinSim]

Do you think God's Justice is an attribute of God's Love?

Madeleine, what exactly is God's justice?

[_CaliforniaKid]

I hate it when some upstart grabs my really cool ideas ahead of me.

It's been a long time since I read it, but I seem to recall him arguing that classical Trinitarian theology has tended to occlude the dark, embodied, and feminine aspects of God, even though these are part of both the biblical tradition and the structure of the unconscious. I don't think he goes so far as to say that God encompasses all dualisms (though there've been plenty of philosophers and theologians who've made that argument, too, at least in the abstract), but the particular aspects he highlighted may be of special interest to you.

[_Themis]

Do we just worship anything we can't understand?

You are for the LDS God. Are you really saying you understand God, and can know God only has what you define as positive traits and no negative ones. It's interesting that so many have to have one as all good and the other as all evil. Does this really sound like reality?

[_madeleine]

Do you think God's Justice is an attribute of God's Love?

Madeleine, what exactly is God's justice?

Justice is an attribute of God, as is love. One is not greater than the other and one does not override the other.

Justice refers to the nature of God that vindicates righteousness. In the Old Testament and New Testament translations, the literal translation is "equal" or "straight", but the moral sense of both is "right". So passages will be translated into English using "just" or "righteous".

If God is infinitely pure and infinitely just then he must be opposed to sin, or, what isn't just/righteous. If God is infinite love, then his justice cannot be opposed to love.

There are many thoughts on what God's justice is, and many scripture passages that describe God's justice. Usually in the form of exacting punishment for sin, and/or accountability for injustice. This is because of God's nature.

But, because God is love, he offered a sacrifice for the sins, injustices, unrighteousness of all. Meaning, for Christians, the ultimate definition of God's justice and mercy is found in Jesus Christ.

'The justice of God has been manifested through faith in Jesus Christ' (Romans 3:21-22, paraphrased)

God so loved the world that he sent his only son, Jesus Christ.

That's your basic Christian teaching. If you want to get all Catholic, there is this approach from Pope Benedict XVI, that equates God's justice and mercy to divine charity.

http://www.catholic.org/international/i ... 355&page=1

[_bcspace]

When it was over, I mentioned to a couple of high priests my heretical thought that we diminish God when we restrict his attributes to only the one that we find most positive, and suggested that maybe God has all attributes, both "negative" and "positive" in their perfection.

Sure. This is why many Christians, especially liberal ones, don't know God at all. He does get angry. He hates things. He destroys and pronounces doom on people. Etc. All that in combination with, as you say, the positive attributes.

[_CaliforniaKid]

Sure. This is why many Christians, especially liberal ones, don't know God at all. He does get angry. He hates things. He destroys and pronounces doom on people. Etc. All that in combination with, as you say, the positive attributes.

This is also why many secularists, especially liberal ones, are tremendously relieved that there isn't any God to know. Who wants to know a God that isn't worth knowing?

[_Bond James Bond]

If God loved us he'd give us universal health care.

[_bcspace]

If God loved us he'd give us universal health care.

No, God loved us so He sent his Son in opposition to the removal of agency such as is the case with universal healthcare.

[_why me]

If God loved us he'd give us universal health care.

God loved the West Europeans and gave them universal health care. But something went wrong because it is now disappearing. What happened? God needs to re-embrace his socialist principles.