Brian Leftow - How Good is God?

What does it mean for God to be 'good'? God can never be bad, do evil, sin? Sure, but what about positive things that God can do? What are those things that best express God's goodness? Moreover, if something is good, must God do it. Does God have a choice in doing good, or must God always do the 'best' (assuming there is a best for any particular action)?

[smartrecords]

God is not bound by anything because he is the author of all goodness and holiness and morality and justice and Mercy and judgement and forgiveness and blessing and is the law giver. So whatever he does is right, just and holy and full of wisdom and his wisdom is pure .

[smartrecords]

God's promises are conditional for the human or creature part, God is always faithful .

[totalfreedom]

*_1 Why does God_* talk to people, scold them, reward them, and punish them *_only_* in holy books, *_none of them_* (over 200) written by a woman?


*_2_* God apologists resort to the myths of fallen angels and Adam and Eve to fight these solid logical arguments:
_Is God willing to stop evil but unable?_
_Then he is not almighty._
_Is he able but unwilling?_
_Then he is unkind._
_Is he both able and willing?_
_Then where does evil come from?_
_Is he neither able nor willing?_
_Then why call him God?_
—Attributed to Epicurus


*_3 The Tetrapharmakos_* (τετραφάρμακος), *_The Four-part Remedy, _* as expressed by Epicurean Philodemus of Gadara and preserved in _Herculaneum Papyrus_ 1005, 4.9–14, is a great philosophy to live by:
_Don’t fear god._
_Don’t fear death._
_The good is easy to get._
_The bad is easy to bear._


*_4 God_* is a human invention. _It is hard to find a black cat in a dark room, especially if the cat does not exist._ —Confucius 💕 ☮ 🌎 🌌

[billnorris]

Sooo, if we THINK God is not being good or benevolent THEN it's a problem with OUR lack of understanding??.. sounds like an ancient cop out.

[jjnan]

This comment section is a dumpster fire

[enoktamang]

At the end of the day
keeping aside all atheists, materialistics, naturalistics,
GOD is Good itself
Good isn't good enough if GOD isn't Good.

[ADBCSH-jeuj]

It's clear there is a dichotomy between the prescribed God of religion and what is called "God" in an ultimate sense. While one is artificial, the other is supremely natural and obviously beyond human comprehension. So, we as humans can only speculate and infer about the REALITY that remains a MYSTERY. Let it BE. There is no God when there's nothing but GOD! But who knows?

[koopsjunta]

Even an intellectual discussion on God quickly deteriorates to contradiction and nonsense.

[restorationofidentity]

Lol it's all a game if semantics. No one knows who or what god is.. the nature of something which entirely is beyond any of us primates. 😀😃

[NlHILIST]

It is wrong to use the common standards of science in order to understand this theological perspective. It is more like talking about literature.

[gilbertengler]

How is it possible that seemingly intelligent people still loose their time to discuss this matter! First of all, based on what you can read in the bible, God is not so lovely and good, in fact he is not a nice being at all! In nature, good or bad does not exist! We human beings have to create a moral that fits with our time scale! What was considered normal and good many years ago (like slavery) is bad nowadays! I could give many many examples of this kind but I am getting tired that people cannot finally give up these old fashion ideas about god!
God does not exist or at least he hides himself perfect! I do not like his behaveour! Do more science, be logic, enjoy biology and physics but stop loosing your time discussing things that have no meaning!

[sparhopper]

"God can't feel Fear", or "God can't have for example, courage"? He Has *_no idea._* This Man claims to *_know_* what God can & can't do, stated with such authority and conviction you'd think he somehow "knows the Mind of God" For believers, he is someone you should steer well clear of, no matter how "beautiful" you may find his message. Only Imams and Popes (falsely) claim to know the mind (or Powers) of God as much as he. Either Egotistical, Deluded, or both. He doesn't *know!*

[ferdinandkraft]

"God could legislate obligations for Himself". I had to stop watching at this point.

[WESTPRINGLE]

How odd how we decide how god is, its just his opinion, there is no rule book written by god that we refer too. its total nonsense. Does he really believe what he is saying? Doubt it.

[firstnamesurname]

Apes,


First,


If You want to 'aspire' (just to aspire, aspire is not to achieve) and/or want to nurture the ambition of becoming eternal entities in God's Presence ...


Then, You must deploy Total Detachment to Sensory Dynamics and Physicality, break one by one all the notions that nurture an identification about Your Self and The Body ...
Once, The Self disappears, then, The Physical Manifestation continues to exist but without a Self ...
Then, If what remains can overcome The Fear to The Noumen, The Absolute Absence of Self-Existence ...
Then, Maybe, God can think that 'The remain' deserve His Attention ... and Tell to 'The Remain', 'I really enjoy the Sacrifice that You had already did for Me' but It doesn't matter at All ...
Let us start again from Zero ... or Whatever He decide ...


Then, The self can return but as an Eternal God's Bona Fide Server ... ( not an ignorant mortal believer who believes that he/she are serving a Literary and/or a game of Language Imaginary Character, as The Apes on earth tends to perform ) ...


Then, The realize the detached state is not 'My' Issue ... but You are fated by Me to detach of Your Self aspire to meet My Lord ...


ROFL.


Of Course, To aspire to meet My Lord is - absolutely -Not required ...


That Aspiration comes from The Lord on Itself ... and He Doesn't aspire to meet somebody that he Already knows ...


Therefore, The Aspiration must be Your Wills Sacrifice for The Sake of God.


... and because I am not God ...


... I can not tell to You that You Don't Have to fear that ...


... Because, to perform that sacrifice could be The Scariest thing to Try while one is manifested as an Ape ...


... To Renounce to Your Self just For The Sake of Transcend The Self from Itself ...


... Of course, The Legend tells that God says 'Don't fear, Only Totally Surrender to Me without a Second' ...


... But I know that what He said is rejected as something scary for The Self ...


... Where are The Selves that wants to get - forever and ever - dissolved in God's Presence ?? ...


Instead, what we observe are Apes expecting to God's must to nurture Their Self because they want to believe in That ...


The Apes wants that God's will must to be to nurture their Self-deception ...


Fucking Apes,


Just Death can bring to them, Peace of Their Self ...

[bradb]

Well? He myt be? Or he myt not be? Yada yada bla bla bla Pyur Codswallop 👍😎

[davidusnazarus]

He never claimed to be benevolent. At least not in abrahamic scriptures.

[TheDoxa]

Islam claims that God have 99 virtues.

[jmorris]

Why is this guy speaking all of this silly nonsense? It's always weird to see a fully formed adult talk about the fairy tales they believe in.

[ingenuity]

Don't speak as if you know God.
There might not even be a God.