@Electric_Banana Said 
A lot of what is written in the bible sounds as if being passed down from a tyrannical ruler.
Yes a lot of the morals and principles are sound but I'm sure that Hitler and Charles Manson had some philosophies and moralistic principles to add as well.
I think you put it well when you said it "sounds as if being passed down from a tyrannical ruler",and I can understand what you are saying, and why you see things that way, however you are missing a couple of extremely important points.
Firstly, as for Hitler and Manson, I cannot speak for what their intentions were, but good as they may have been they were highly flawed. They only included their own kind in their plans.
At this stage, and certainly earlier God has included everyone in His plan. Some because they had reduced chances to learn, some because the issue was still far from proved. All of those who die before Armageddon are to get a second chance, and when they are brought back for that second chance they will no longer be imperfect, but will come back into perfect human bodies, as enjoyed by Adam and Eve.
Secondly, though many humans have felt they knew the best way to live, and that may well include Hitler and Manson, they were imperfect humans and were working from a distinct lack of foresight and knowledge. God has 20/20 foresight. He knows how patterns are going to develop, which is why He has been able to inspire such accurate, long range, prophecy. What this means in the main is that whilst so many think they know what is best, God truly does.
@Electric_Banana Said
As for not serving God without some sort of reward - I would assume that is assumption of the integrity of humans themselves to claim that none of them will offer without being compensated back.
To some degree there will always have to be some sort of compensation for our efforts because if no one ever rewards us back for them, we would simply die.
There is a big difference between compensation and reward. To go back to my example of Shadrach and co., they looked for no reward, but were happy with the compensation of the resurrection. That can hardly be called a reward because it is going to be available to all who die before Armageddon, or at least before the current "Ark" door is closed. Again that is purely to compensate all for the lack of knowledge and opportunity many have been under.
God endlessly provides all that we need, and as scripture tells us, He lets His sun shine on righteous and unrighteous alike, so really that is neither reward or compensation it is simply what we need to survive. However He does leave some of that to Governments to administer, and they will be judged on how fairly they have done so, and for humans to assist in producing as was always the plan from the beginning. He believes very much in the old saying "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him to fish and you feed him for life". He provides for us, He doesn't spoon feed us.
@Electric_Banana Said
There are necessities that we need rather we work for them or not but no one, in respect of themselves, is going to waste all of their rations happily on someone else only to let themselves drop dead slowly and painful because they now have to go without.
God asks that of no-one. The principle there was distilled by Jesus when he said "let he who has two outer garments give one to he who has none". God appreciates better than we do that unless we care for ourselves we cannot care for others. It is the motivation behind caring for ourselves that is important, it should not be purely from self interest. We should keep ourselves strong so that we can support those that are not so strong.
@Electric_Banana Said
Likewise, looking people as a collective - If someone is always treated like a cast aside or a burden and none ever allow those people to feel as if they belong - Well not many will stick around in a home where they never quite feel like they are appreciated.
Now in the sense of greedy people who live in excess and still pull the rug out from under others so they can take even more they don't need and let those others suffer and die without - That is a true crime, a common crime, and a crime that many upon many never stop and analyze things long enough to see past the noses on their faces to realize they are doing.
Again I agree with you, and so does God. He asks people to join in with the right way of living, and spurns none that are willing to do so. He only spurns those who have no intention of fitting in because they are too selfish. Why does He spurn them? Because as this current word shows clearly, those who refuse to follow God's teachings make it difficult for those who do.
People, children, are starving throughout the world because too many won't share their excess with those without anything. In the west we have far more than we need in many ways, and refuse to change our ways of life so that we can use up less of the world's resources and leave more for others. We demand wants, not needs.
Take the current international financial problems.
Governments are running out of money because they have had to borrow too much for too long because they have given in to the public's demands for more and more assistance without having to pay the taxes to cover the cost. Now it is biting back, and people are complaining because of the necessity to make cuts, and yet still they are not prepared to join in the struggle by not having pay rises, not insisting on the public services which, they don't pay enough to support.
If everyone lived the way that God teaches, as they will in the not too distant future, there would not be all this suffering and inequality in this world.
Eventually the choice to ignore the one who only wants what is best for us, and knows what that is will be removed and thsoe who choose to make the right decision will no longer be allowed to exist.
No doubt when that time comes there will be those who complain it isn't fair, just as they currently complain of they get a ticket for breaking the parking laws or exceeding the sped limits. They forget that actions bring consequences and expect to be spared them when they do. Life doesn't work that way, without causing suffering for some in order that others may benefit, or get away with their actions. Nor should it, and the day will come when it no longer will do, and any that break the rules will suffer the inevitable consequences no matter how they hide.
That is what God's word is all about.
Aug 07, 2012 @ 07:50:26
) the situation is only temporary.
