h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

It is impossible for me to commit a crime against YHWH.

Either I am a person to him, who is capable of understanding his motives and reasons, or I am a mere animal, so inferior to him that I cannot do so. Either way, I cannot commit any crime against him.

If I am a mere animal, than I can commit no crime--if I sin because it is in my nature, than that is no more a crime than if a lion kills a gazelle because that is in its nature. YHWH may destroy me if he wishes, but he has no right to tourcher me or sentence me to eternal hellfire, or to otherwise allow my eternal torture for what is not a crime. Remember, if he created me and claims to own/rule me, than he has a duty to protect my rights.

If I am a person to him, one who can be expected to understand the situation and their actions, than I may be held acountable for my actions. But if I am a person, than creating me does not give him the right to own me or control me absolutely. If I do him no harm, he cannot punish me for my actions. And, if he is omniscient and omnipotent, I can do him no real harm because I can do nothing unless he choses to allow it. If he allows me to do something he could easily stop, he can not then accuse me of harming him. Thus, he has no right to punish me, or sentence me to hell for what he may define as sin. My sins cannot harm him or his property unless he allows them to, so they cannot be a crime against him.


Creating something does not give him absolute rights over it. He must still respect more general rules of conduct that govern him and all beings that have free will.

Ah, there's that pesky thing called "logic" again, that irritating thorn in the side that Justin refuses to subscribe to.

You cannot reason with him because he does not have this capacity.

Justin is a very interesting example of what can happen to a person's brain after a traumatic episode. I'd love to take a look at his temporal lobes.

Ste

It shall be interesting to see what Justin says, and whether he proves you right or wrong.

Lemon,

Very interesting.

J.

hi Lemon,

That response was a variation of Justin's other one - 'I see' - that he tends to use when he neither understands nor sees the logic being presented to him.

az

Personally I think he DOES understand. I *think* he's trying to be patronising, patting the ignorant pagan/heathen on the head and going "there there", all the while smirking inwardly at the thought of them being tortured.

God can do whatever he likes to anyone. He has no obligations, duties, or any of those things. You, even though you are a human with free will, have no rights whatever. You are a chattel, an owned thing. You don't like to be told that, obviously, but that is Justin's take on the world - we are cattle. Self-aware cattle, it's true - but cattle nevertheless. The farmer is going to save some of us to be pets, the rest he's going to torture for fun in a slaughterhouse where not even the release of death mitigates the suffering. He's going to choose his pets not based on their behaviour, or appearance, or value, but, it appears, at random. He can do this because he owns the cattle and owes them nothing and cares nothing for them, except for his pets.

Is it any wonder Justin is so miserable? His world view consists of him regarding himself as a randomly chosen pet drawn from a herd of doomed cattle. Cheery...

Ste
"I'd like to take at look at HIS temporal lobes..."
Sounds oddly like a chat-up line !

That's because it was

Aw. We all love the big J. What would we do without him, I wonder.

(Booming deep voice from the clouds:
"WHO'S MY SUGARSNAP?"
Justin:
"...I am...")