I see you reaching for a hot stove. I warn you, you ignore me. I could grab your hand and stop you, but...?

Question

am I morally required to?

If I stop you, I have violated your self-determination.

If I do not stop you, however, you will be severely burned, possibly disfigured or maimed.

Stopping you will cost me nothing except a few calories to lift my arm and physically stop you.

So considering the cost is trivial to stop you, and the consequences of not stopping your are as good as allowing you to maim or harm yourself...

Should I stop you?


(And if so, how is this God fellow any different who would allow us to supposedly choose to go to Hell when he could stop us at no cost to himself...?)

Heathen:

You're arguing the question.

So I'll be more clear -- I see you are reacing for the burner which is glowing hot and you will be burned if I allow you to touch it.

shaolt:

An infinitely powerful deity could have forgiven all of humanity without a blood sacrifice.

It made the rules, not me. If it wanted to choose to require blood, that's on its own head, not mine.

moddy:

You have it entirely backwards.

I'm pointing out how rediculous Christianity's description of a deity is.

Answer 1

The moral thing to do is stop you. Especially if it's, say, a small child, who has been told numerous times that the stove is hot but just can't resist the impulse to see for himself.

I'd stop him. It would never cross my mind to do otherwise, and if he got burned, it would be my fault, because I knew better and he didn't (being told is not the same thing as knowing something empirically).

Answer 2

Depends on your situation, personality and the nature of the attack. If it were for work then it's company policy, if it was personal and wrong then swing away. The only advice I can give is don't make it personal in response, if someone attacks you your defending your position and the integrity of that is what counts. Then again if your position is comfortable and you couldn't be bothered, then ignore it.

Answer 3

in a black and white situation with all the known facts clearly sitting in front of us, we are expected as well as obligated to intercede. And those known facts are as simple as concern for another. However, take this same situation and apply it to God being the rescuer and you have to take many things into consideration since He operates on more than just concern for the moment. Remembering that He sees all we just see the moment.

Answer 4

If I understand your question correctly, you want God to forgive everyone and keep them from going to hell, right?
First, this presumes that human beings have no personal responsibility but are just puppets.
Second, you want God to forgive everyone and forget being JUST.

He has made a way to satisfy His justice by Jesus dying in your and my place and so showed His love toward us. Now your responsibility is to accept the gift of redemption. Is that asked too much of you?

"Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin. But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." Rom. 3:20-24


Imagine someone brutally murdering one of your family members and the judge just forgives the criminal and lets him go free. Who would you shoot first in your anger against this injustice, the judge or the criminal?

Answer 5

Anyone with half a brain would see that the moral imperative in such a situation would be to stop someone from doing that, unless they clearly explained to you that they understood the consequences and chose to do it anyway.

Answer 6

Or you could assume that as a grown adult I know what I'm doing and realize that I'm reaching for the knob to turn the stove off....
Just a thought

Answer 7

Ah, a metaphore for converting nonbelievers?

Your metaphore is flawed in that there is tangible (literally!) proof that I will burn my hand if I touch that burner. There is NO proof of any afterlife..... thus keep your calories, thanks.

Answer 8

Basically, your question is your way of expressing your opinion. A poor argument though.

Answer 9

Why should He?

All He said to do is to accept Christ and be saved

He does not send those that are not mature enough to make the decision

You spend your whole life telling Him where to go

Then ask why He sends you there

Answer 10

Dont think to hard. Don't dig too deep it will just make your head hurt. Don't stir up trouble. Just believe what you have been told. Don't ask these questions. Okay now?...

"Who wants ice cream?"