….there were gods.
1.Perhaps God was tired out from creating the world, or didn’t feel it necessary to intermingle with the kids, so he didn’t ….until Moses, in 1313 BCE. That’s when he offered the contract, the Ten Commandments, acceptance of which sent mankind off to the races, producing the greatest culture ever known: Western Civilization.
BTW, even before the events on Sinai, there were rules for humanity.
2.Before Sinai and the Ten Commandments, there were the rules called the Noahide Laws, based on reason and a desire to be able to live with other people, laws against bad behavior, the idea that these injured society: bans on murder, theft, idolatry, sexual immorality, animal cruelty, cursing God, and the need to set up courts to punish the infractions. They are incumbent on everyone, whether one respects the Bible or not, because they are so obvious.
The benefit of the Bible is that it tells society how to be good.
“Noahide Laws, also called Noachian Laws, a Jewish Talmudic designation for seven biblical laws given to Adam and to Noah before the revelation to Moses on Mt. Sinai and consequently binding on all mankind.” Noahide Laws | Judaism
“According to Jewish tradition, non-Jews who adhere to these laws …are said to be followers of Noahidism and regarded as righteous gentiles, who are assured of a place in …the world to come, the final reward of the righteous.” Seven Laws of Noah - Wikipedia
3. Now for the idea that the rational, the common sense method is better than specific rules of religious morality. Can a human being be good without reference to God? As the saying goes, ‘Going to church doesn’t make you a good Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.’ Sure….there could be good pagans….or bad religious folks. While it is true that one can be moral and good and not religious, the idea does not work for all or even most, and certainly not for entire societies, not in the long term.
Why? Because there is no force behind reason. Take slavery as an example. There is no rational way to convince the slaveholder that he shouldn’t own and sell his fellow man: it makes a great profit, makes his life easier. He can even claim that his slaves live longer and better than many free men.
Or, take as an example, a sadist who gets satisfaction from murdering children. If there is no God who declares that such an act is wrong, then my arguing such is simply my opinion versus that of the murderer. Without God, good and evil are a matter of taste.
And, there is the obvious case today: the Democrat Party actually favors infanticide….and have convinced many to still vote for this….paganism. Abortion up to actual birth, and allowing one born in this manner to die.....is human sacrifice.
No coincidence that the same party eschews religion.
1.Perhaps God was tired out from creating the world, or didn’t feel it necessary to intermingle with the kids, so he didn’t ….until Moses, in 1313 BCE. That’s when he offered the contract, the Ten Commandments, acceptance of which sent mankind off to the races, producing the greatest culture ever known: Western Civilization.
BTW, even before the events on Sinai, there were rules for humanity.
2.Before Sinai and the Ten Commandments, there were the rules called the Noahide Laws, based on reason and a desire to be able to live with other people, laws against bad behavior, the idea that these injured society: bans on murder, theft, idolatry, sexual immorality, animal cruelty, cursing God, and the need to set up courts to punish the infractions. They are incumbent on everyone, whether one respects the Bible or not, because they are so obvious.
The benefit of the Bible is that it tells society how to be good.
“Noahide Laws, also called Noachian Laws, a Jewish Talmudic designation for seven biblical laws given to Adam and to Noah before the revelation to Moses on Mt. Sinai and consequently binding on all mankind.” Noahide Laws | Judaism
“According to Jewish tradition, non-Jews who adhere to these laws …are said to be followers of Noahidism and regarded as righteous gentiles, who are assured of a place in …the world to come, the final reward of the righteous.” Seven Laws of Noah - Wikipedia
3. Now for the idea that the rational, the common sense method is better than specific rules of religious morality. Can a human being be good without reference to God? As the saying goes, ‘Going to church doesn’t make you a good Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.’ Sure….there could be good pagans….or bad religious folks. While it is true that one can be moral and good and not religious, the idea does not work for all or even most, and certainly not for entire societies, not in the long term.
Why? Because there is no force behind reason. Take slavery as an example. There is no rational way to convince the slaveholder that he shouldn’t own and sell his fellow man: it makes a great profit, makes his life easier. He can even claim that his slaves live longer and better than many free men.
Or, take as an example, a sadist who gets satisfaction from murdering children. If there is no God who declares that such an act is wrong, then my arguing such is simply my opinion versus that of the murderer. Without God, good and evil are a matter of taste.
And, there is the obvious case today: the Democrat Party actually favors infanticide….and have convinced many to still vote for this….paganism. Abortion up to actual birth, and allowing one born in this manner to die.....is human sacrifice.
No coincidence that the same party eschews religion.
