Why Would God Care?

I've always said that the Commandments were intended for our benefit, not God's.Our actions come with their own built-in consequences. If you sleep with your neighbour's wife, he'll kill you. Then your brother will kill him back, and so on....I don't see any reason for God to pile more punishment on top of the inherent consequences. And I don't see any reason for God to concern Himself with actions that have no negative consequences.The bigger God is, the less our actions can "hurt" Him.The bigger God is, the more it's all about us.

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What does it mean to "worship" God?Is it just mindless repetitions?

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Chaplain: Let us praise God. O Lord...
Congregation: O Lord...
Chaplain: ...Ooh, You are so big...
Congregation: ...ooh, You are so big...
Chaplain: ...So absolutely huge.
Congregation: ...So absolutely huge.
Chaplain: Gosh, we're all really impressed down here, I can tell You.
Congregation: Gosh, we're all really impressed down here, I can tell You.
Chaplain: Forgive us, O Lord, for this, our dreadful toadying, and...
Congregation: And barefaced flattery.
Chaplain: But You are so strong and, well, just so super.
Congregation: Fantastic.
Humphrey: Amen.
Congregation: Amen. link

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Or is it doing what he wants us to do? Well... no."Our benefit" means loving thy neighbour as thyself.
"Our benefit" means our benefit, not "my benefit".We can not benefit God. We can only benefit ourselves (including our neighbours).God might care if Jimmy is rich while his neighbours are poor, but He doesn't care about anything Jimmy does that doesn't effect his neighbours.

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Without being toooo graphic, can you tell us how Jimmy touching himself effects his neighbours?And if Jimmy likes to eat shrimp, doesn't that effect his neighbour, the shrimp-hunter, in a good way?

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So he's helping out his neighbour, Larry Flynt. What's the difference if he buys Car and Driver or Christianity Today? That's the focus of this thread: Why would God care what the focus is, as long as the focus benefits Jimmy's neighbours? And God (Jesus) said specifically that the way to be passionate toward Him is to take care of our neighbours. "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." Nobody's suggesting that we should be "selfless ambassadors for the universe" - just our own neighbourhood.And "selfless" is overstating it too. Love thy neighbour as thyself. You don't have to sacrifice yourself for your neighbour - just equalize. "Survival of the fittest" doesn't even apply at the individual level.It's not about selfishness, it's about what's good for our species/society.

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Jesus was talking about interpersonal relationships, not intrapersonal relationships.

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You're assuming that imagining God takes "more" intelligence rather than "less".How do you know that the ability to imagine God (or any other superstition) isn't just a primitive knee-jerk reptillian reaction that has vestigialized in most of us? More in the direction of the topic, how do you know that the ability to imagine God isn't just a rationalization for sticking-our-big-noses-in-other-people's-business? In other words, if sticking-our-big-noses-in-other-people's-business was once a survival instinct, but is now counter-productive, wouldn't the primitive corners of our brains still try to justify it? Might not that primitive justification come in the form of a strong belief in a Giant Flying Spook?

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I don't find your concert analogy very satisfying.I'm more familiar with painting and sculpture, where sometimes you look at a piece and say, "Hmm... it's finished. There's nothing more I can do."In music, you might be playing the same piece again and again, so you can micromanage what you'll change next time. "Real art" (no offense) isn't like that - it's a one-off. There's no getting it "right" or "wrong". You get what you get - and sometimes it's "better" than what you aimed for.I think of the universe as a unique sculpture, not one performance in a series of concerts. I think of God as standing back and looking at the big picture and saying, "Hmm... interesting." - not worrying about a few rough spots.You're thinking, "lots of details = lots of worries".
I'm thinking, "bigger intellect = less worries". Edited by Ringo, : Removed repeated phrase repeated phrase.

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I've been toying with the idea of an artist who creates an "image" that is capable of damaging itself (Bad Science Fiction Warning!).That seems like an ill-conceived design feature - but the question remains: why would he "care" if that design feature was utilized? Do we normally put "Do Not Use" stickers on our creations?

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Well, Professor Higgins "cared" about Eliza *ahem* - but his motivations were largely selfish.That seems to fit the "jealous God" scenario - He wants us to bask in His glory instead of "enjoying ourselves" without Him. Seems a tad insecure, too.I don't think believers will want to go there.

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Your own examples make a distinction between lust and sin.

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Jam 1:15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin....

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A seed bringeth forth a tree, but a seed is not a tree.

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Gal 5:16 [This] I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

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Here again, lust is the (as yet unfulfilled) potential for "wrong", not the sin itself.

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Rom 7:7 .... for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.

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Interesting here that lust is associated with covetousness and not with adultery. Lust/envy/greed are not all that different then. One wonders why they merited three separate "deadly sins".I'd say that lust is just a symptom of the disease (sin), not the disease itself. A cough can be a symptom of a lot of diseases, but it isn't a disease per se.Edited by Ringo, : Insertedspacesbetweenwordsforimprovedreadability.

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Speeding is against the law, not because it is inherently bad but because it can have bad consequences - accidents. Similarly, covetousness is not inherently bad, but it can lead to bad actions - adultery, theft, etc.In a way, the law is a supplement to common sense (and it's necessary because some people don't have any.)Give me a second while I reread purpledawn's mind.... Okay. Yeah, I think she's saying (sorta) that nobody has shown that God does issue tickets to everybody who goes one klick over the limit.[/purpledawn-mind-meld]The law is a guideline (yes, the Ten Suggestions) that we have the free-will to interpret in our own way and God will give us some leeway. As I said early in the thread, God doesn't "care" what we do unless it does have negative consequences for us or for our neighbours. And as I said later in the thread, He cares about that for the same reasons that an artist cares if his painting spontaneously combusts.

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I'm thinking beyond Christianity, really. On the contrary, there doesn't seem to be any sense to free will if the Commandments are carved in stone. ( ) The words of men about the Word of God could stand to be tightened up. The answer is: So we won't hurt ourselves.

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I am outside that realm. I'm just sticking my head in the door to discuss it with you. I don't make collective assumptions. As far as I know, the only assumption of this thread is that there is a God who somewhat resembles the Biblical God. I have said nothing that violates that assumption. Yup. Or the neighbour splitting the adulterer's skull with a cleaver. Or the child who gets a whack from a bully, or the bully who gets a whack from the principal or the principal who gets fired by the School Board.Show us something we are told not to do that is arbitrary, that has no personal consequences.

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As I said, the Artist puts a lot of effort (and a lot of Himself) into his creation. He doesn't want it to self-destruct.Other than that, He doesn't care.

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That doesn't even remotely approach the neighbourhood of what I said.Where's the jealousy? Where's the insecurity? Are they part of His "completeness"? What's the point of free will if we're not free to choose the second-best way?And how does touching Jimmy deviate from the "best way" anyway?

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