How can we trust God's ability to judge, if He doesn't even see the difference between various sins ?

Question

If i don't kill my brother, but i say that i did, then i commit the sin of lying
if i kill my brother, then i commit the sin of murder.

To God they are equally bad. Any sane creature knows they are are not equaly bad. How can i trust His ability to judge me?

Answer 1

Fantastic question! Take the Christian belief that each of the 10 commandments are all equally as bad as the other and that all you have to do to get to heaven is repent for all of these sins. That would mean that if people like Charles Manson on their death bed simply prayed for forgiveness and truly felt that what they did was wrong, then he would go to heaven. Yet if a person disliked their parents who beat them and called the police, got them thrown in jail and never had contact with them again, even if the parents tried to apologize, and the person never felt bad about it, they would be denied entry into heaven because they weren't sorry or repentant for breaking the commandment of "Honor thy Father and thy Mother..." This, by the way, is the same god that a good chunk of Christians believe will not allow a child into heaven if the parents did not have him/her baptized. I think at some point we have to ask ourselves if there is a God, is he simply ticked off that somewhere, someone made up rules and stories of things they claim he said to do and that to this day millions of people hold those beliefs and spread them, that perhaps he's allowing the world to suffer a bit to get them to stop being sheep, following blindly, spreading hate and intolerance for others (I'm talking here about those like the "Christians" who protest at private funerals for our millitary personnel killed in Iraq by saying that God is punishing us for allowing homosexuality).

Think about this: The 21st ecumenical council was announced by Pope John XXIII on January 25, 1959. This council said that
it was acceptable for woman to pursue pastorate positions because there was a shortage of priests at the time. Many parishes then allowed female pastorates and they rapidly gained popularity. However in 1994, the Pope John Paul II wrote a letter of decree banning further talk of ordaining women as priests. Many women took demotions to comply with the writings of one man, who with one letter simply changed what had been acceptable for nearly 40 years.

History is full of "rules" that have changed in the Roman Catholic church, simply on the whim of the Pope and changing societal beliefs. Who knows, next thing, maybe there will be degrees of heaven and hell and we'll all have to pay money to improve our lot in life. In that case, the consequences for lying might be 3 hours a day in hell, the rest in heaven....

So, I'm thinking if there is a God, he's just ticked off that everyone is missing the basic message of be good to each other and do your best to be a good person. And until people stop interpreting supposed facts and happenings in ways that suit them at the time, we're all in big trouble.

Answer 2

The reason the rule in the Bible is that all sins are equal is because if it didn't people would commit the lesser sins and say as long as there are murderers they would be ok. You have to realize that religion isn't about a checklist of rules, the point is what was in your heart when you did something. The Death Dr. won't necessarily go to Hell, why??? Because he was actually helping people. Yes, it is murder, but he was trying to help someone out when he did it... I've seen people in pain like that before, it brings tears to my eyes and joy for their souls when they pass.

Think about a young Catholic couple that has sex and gets pregnant before marriage. What's the first thing that goes through their minds??? We need to get married so we aren't having a child out of wedlock. This is stupid! What's the point of getting married AFTER you had sex? It is still a sin to have had sex however many times you did. If you were ready to get married you would have already done it. But people look at it as if the sin is HAVING the baby not having sex to make the baby.

Stop thinking about religion as rules, think of it as intentions; what's in your heart when you make a decision to do something? And as far as Heaven and Hell, think about it as a state of mind not a place. If you have no body, why does it matter where you are? How can you ever see your dead relatives??? You have no eyes. Why is fire and brimstone scary? You have no nerves. You need to totally change your idea of what religion is, things will really come into place for you then.

Where do you think an infant that dies in their first week goes? They didn't commit any sins, but they also didn't say Jesus Christ was their Savior. They never believed in God, they never did anything to deserve Heaven - or Hell. How about a person that lives a full life retarded? Again, they might have committed some sins as stated in the Bible, and again, they never professed that there is a God or they believe or maybe they didn't have the mental capacity to believe, do they go to Hell? Only if they were ill-intentioned when they sinned.

Think about it, if God was what most religions say He is, would he allow things like the Tsunami to kill over 100,000 people? How many of those were Christians or at least good people? How about 9/11? Katrina? Also, if Christianity was the "right" religion does that mean the billion Muslims our there are going to Hell?

I'm not saying religion shouldn't exist, I am saying that people are so strong in their views of religion but are so wrong it is a shame. I wouldn't want to switch over to anything because few have answers for my questions and even fewer have answers that COULD be correct.

Good job for questioning things, keep it up as this is how God's TRUE followers got their, by seeing religion for what it is, not a set of rules on a checklist.

Answer 3

I don't agree with your question. God clearly does see the difference between various sins.

Exodus 21:12 "Anyone who strikes a man and kills him shall surely be put to death."

Exodus 22:1 "If a man steals an ox or a sheep and slaughters it or sells it, he must pay back five head of cattle for the ox and four sheep for the sheep."

Murder and theft, respectively. Both are sins. Yet different punishments are decreed.

I think the most coherent way to think of God's view on sin is that He is morally perfect, therefore any sin IS a terrible offense to Him. Let me elaborate. The average human being has never murdered anyone else. So they feel justified in looking down on a murderer. Judging them. Concurrently, the average human being HAS lied, so they feel less comfortable with judging a fellow liar. It would be hypocritical to do so.

But God has NEVER lied, or stolen, or murderered or sinned at all. So He feels (and is) justified in judging all sin. Sin is an affront to someone as pure as Him. So His reaction of "you deserve punishment for that sin" is quite reasonable. But I do not agree--and there is no evidence--that He punishes all sin the same.

Answer 4

All sin isn't equal in God's eyes but all sin is sin. He judges accordingly. No one gets away with anything. Jesus can tell the difference between a big sin and a small sin, the big sin is obviously worse and will be dealt with so will the lesser sins. He is a righteous judge.

Answer 5

Well, if we define sin as that which separates us from God and from others, then to kill your brother will bring the greater separation between you and God, and obviously your brother. So what difference does God's judgement make when the consequences of your actions will only bring you alienation?
Just for thought: where did the idea originate that God doesn't disinguish between sins?

Answer 6

God doesn't judge, humans do. The whole concept of sin and judgment and condemnation was created by early early church leaders to control the masses through fear. Sin, hell, satan don't exist.

And God isn't an old guy with a beard sitting in a throne in the sky, in judgment. God is the formless, genderless, ominipresent, eternal energy source of life. God is the process of life itself. God is pure love.

Answer 7

Pertaining to God's judgement

Isaiah 55:9
"As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Deut. 32:4 He is the Rock, His works are perfect, and all His ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is He.

John 8
14Jesus answered, "Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid, for I know where I came from and where I am going. But you have no idea where I come from or where I am going. 15You judge by human standards; I pass judgment on no one. 16But if I do judge, my decisions are right, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent me. 17In your own Law it is written that the testimony of two men is valid. 18I am one who testifies for myself; my other witness is the Father, who sent me."

To God if you think it, you've commited it and therefore are condemned of it.

Matthew 5:28
But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

1 John 3:15 Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him.

You aren't God, it is not our place to judge, man sees differently than God.

Matthew 7
1"Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

Luke 6
37"Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. 38Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."

1 Samuel 16:7
But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

Answer 8

His judgement is not based on your sin, but your goodness. Even though murder is not the same as lying to us on earth, in God's eyes they are both equal and the same. Saying you murdered your brother is about the same thing as murdering your brother, even if it is lying also. It's not a matter of how "big" the sin is, it's how big you intend for it to be. God judges us for who we are, and when we commit sins, we can ask for forgiveness.

Answer 9

The commandment is "Thou shall not bear false witness against thy neighbor" it only refers to lying about others no where does it say lying about yourself is a sin. The 7 deadly sins were not what god gave to Moses. Therefore to god they are NOT equally bad only to the sanctimonious who presume to know what god is thinking and is a ruse in which the elite maintain power. Of course I am only guessing that you are referring to the Christian deity. I don't believe the Christian god judges us at all if we are to believe in that system we have the ability to choose our choices are neither good nor bad but simply choices. It is only a smug selfrighteous humanity that judges others supposedly the Christian god accepts us as he made us, if we are to believe he created everything then the evil in the world is man made by our choices

Answer 10

ONLY IN GOD WE TRUST,A SIN IS A SIN ,BUT THERE ARE DIFFERENT LEVELS OF SIN,AND THERE IS ONE THAT TAKES YOUR NAME, OUT OF THE BOOK OF LIFE.Re:19:1: And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God:
Re:19:2: For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand.

Answer 11

Its about faith, dont question God. Why is it so hard to understand that all he asks is to live a good simple life. Put others before Yourself. You dont have to be like the Pope. You really only have three choices. Believe You are going to Heaven, Hell, or nothing. Decide what works best for You and go with it.