That a creator requires love, trust, and obedience for one to spend an eternity with him is not surprising to me. A god who forced people who hated his ways to spend eternity with him is what would, in my opinion, be a god who was unworthy of worship.

Whether or not the God of Scripture is a divine tyrant is for you to decide for yourself. I of course do not think so. He gives us free will to choose to love and be with him, or to hate and be away from him.

As for whether fear of retribution or love of Him brought me to worship God, I would say without a doubt it is His love that drew me near. People tend to focus on the harsh acts of God in the Old Testament... which I can't necessarily blame someone for since they do serve a purpose. But there are acts of love in the New Testament that never cease to amaze both the biblical scholar and the social historian, especially noteworthy given the times in which they occurred... acts of love that cross racial, gender, and stereotypical borders. Acts that forgive and encourage, acts that show grace and mercy. The love of God is definitely what drew me near. Not only reading about it, but experiencing it myself.

Quote Originally Posted by Polymirize
Don't you think that the conceptualization of a god who requires adoration, and punishes those who fail to worship, itself creates a god who is unworthy of that worship?

If god isn't bound to a pursuit of the highest good, if right and wrong are such simply because god dictates them so, then he's just a divine tyrant. What makes such a figure worthy of worship? Or is it simply fear of his retribution?



And Oneironaut... Sometimes you go so far beyond the scope of rationality that I wonder if you realise that you've simply become a walking stereotype.