Why are theists not content to let their deities enforce the deities' laws?

Question

This is a serious question for theists, be you Christian, Jew, Muslim or any other denomination. It's particularly directed at the fundamentalist, evangelical and paternalistic sects within any given religion. If you are a theist and don't engage in any form of interventionism (including shaping of legal codes) in the lives of others, I applaud you.

I'm seriously asking you to answer this after giving it your OWN thought, not referring to something another human wrote.

What I don't understand is why theists will in one breath ascribe omnipotence and all sorts of powers to deities ... then turn around and invalidate these claims by interceding on behalf of their gods in EARTHLY mattters.

Even if man's law conflicts with your particular god's laws, do you not think your god can administrate his laws on his own in the afterlife?

Why are paternalists only willing to define "absolute morality" as "do as I tell you" rather than "live and let live"? It is the latter that allows you to be a Christian, versus what someone else wants you to be. The fundamentalists appear to practice their own version of relativism. Forcing your desires onto someone else, when they aren't even affecting you, seems quite IMMORAL. It's one thing to defend yourself if someone else is affecting you, it's quite another to engage in an unprovoked offensive.

Stephen, if I were to enforce ~my~ my god's law on ~you~, would that still be just and fair to you?

All you and I actually need to coexist on ~earth~ is a limited set of laws to deal with me ~if~ I actually impose myself into your life. Your god should be able to punish me for any personal choices I make that ~you~ don't agree with, but which in no way affect you.

Did you ever stop to think that perhaps one reason for the existence of ~man's~ law to prevent every interventionist, whatever his motivation, from forcing himself onto others?

But bwjordan, do you not understand that it isn't your place to "help" me? I never authorized your intervention into my life. It's cliche and a shame that it has to be repeated over and over, but my life is mine, not yours --- it's none of your business. I'd appreciate the "helpers" staying out of it without my having to violently defend against them. I know for a fact the "helpers" would not like being on the receiving end of "help" from a religion they don't ascribe to. The same principle goes both ways. I should think a just god would send the "helpers" to hell for being paternalistic, meddlesome and nosey.

Answer 1

Gosh, beautiful question and so intelligently and well put. I wish you good luck on getting a really good answer. Being agnostic, I can't.

Answer 2

Great question, I wish more people on yahoo were as intelligent as you seem to be. Anyway, I know one of your criteria is that I be a theist. Well, I'm more of an agnostic but I did used to be quite the staunch religious person a few years ago. I think the basic answer you're going to get time and again to your question is there are rules and guidelines that God gave us and there are certain things that humans have to implement based on God's instruction.

Essentially theists (mainly Jews, Christians and Muslims) believe that God is omnipotent but that he gave humanity free will and that he's not here to dictate everything to us which is why we have free will and thus commit good or evil leading to hell and heaven etc. Then of course come the paradoxes of if God knows everything and when things will happen before they do what are we to understand about free will? These are questions that are thousands of years old with no simple answers... good luck :)

Answer 3

I only answer after giving thought and time to the matter at hand. I am content to let the Ancestors, my patron deities, and karma enforce their own codes. The laws of Spirit are higher than those of man; good things happen to bad people, whose bad has not yet matured. Mine enemy in mind will suffer his fates because he caused them. But not until the time is right. I would not intercede in any way, for to do so is bending that which is none of my business. He is creating hell for himself, I don't have to do that. And the cops can't find him. But they will one day.
And I think we need to clear up the fact that all Gods and Goddessess are only facets of the All, they are real and separate entities, but on the larger scale, they are One. Just as we humans are. So to say that this god should rule over this, and this other one should rule over that, in the afterworld (Home) is ludicrous because we have no need for that sort of religious structure there. We are close and are not confused. Hope I haven't run on too long. Blessed Be.
P.S. The one thing that could turn this all around is something that cannot be done on the world scale, there are too many that could not... But it sorts out everything. "And it harm NONE, do what you will." Then we wouldn't need laws. We would know how to treat people. But anarchy in it's truest form cannot be set into motion. Too many people making their wealth off of laws.

Answer 4

Interesting question. But most likely answer is that almost every religious person has a little bit of doubt somewhere inside of them whether God actually exists or not. Just like there is some open-mindedness in me so that I would become a theist if God made himself evident to me. But I'm NOT going to SEARCH. I shouldn't have to and don't want to.

Answer 5

While God certainly will administer justice on that day, it doesn't mean we should neglect it now. As a Christian, I love justice and always want to see the guilty punished for their crimes. As Edmund Burke said to the effect of, "all that is necessary for the triumph of evil, is for good men to do nothing."

I will not do nothing, I must oppose evil at every turn, bc God does, and I am to emulate Him. Why should I allow others to do evil bc they want to? Just bc they don't have the wisdom to accept God's Law doesn't mean it shouldn't be enforced on them. It is still just and fair. Sadly, not enough ppl understand the need for an absolute morality, and so morals decline and crime continues to rise. Congratulations(?) relativism!

Answer 6

Well, you know how God gets...

Last time he enforced a law... we had to dry everything out and start all over!

Answer 7

Amen

Answer 8

Because when my deity enforces his laws, it will be after you die and cannot change your past actions. We are trying to help.

Answer 9

Maybe their God is sleeping.

Answer 10

we should pass a law