DIVINE EVIL?:MORAL CHARACTER OF THE GOD OF ABRAHAM PAPER: The Moral Character Of The God Of Abraham

by Michael Bergmann, Michael J. Murray, Michael C. Rea

Adherents of the Abrahamic religions have traditionally held that God is morally perfect and unconditionally deserving of devotion, obedience, love, and worship. The Jewish, Christian, and Islamic scriptures tell us that God is compassionate, merciful, and just. As is well-known, however, these same scriptures contain passages that portray God as wrathful, severely punitive, and jealous. Critics furthermore argue that the God of these scriptures commends bigotry, misogyny, and homophobia, condones slavery, and demands the adoption of unjust laws-for example, laws that mandate the death penalty for adultery and rebellion against parents, and laws institutionalizing in various ways the diverse kinds of bigotry and oppression just mentioned. In recent days, these sorts of criticisms of the Hebrew Bible have been raised in new and forceful ways by philosophers, scientists, social commentators, and others.

This volume brings together eleven original essays representing the views of both critics and defenders of the character of God as portrayed in these texts. Authors represent the disciplines of philosophy, religion, and Biblical studies. Each essay is accompanied by comments from another author who takes a critical approach to the thesis defended in that essay, along with replies by the essay's author.

Genres: Philosophy, Christianity, Biblical Studies, Theology

352 pages, Paperback

First published November 25, 2010

Reviews

[Zach Hollifield · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some pages in here are simply phenomenal-5 star stuff. Some of the “answers” given to the problem fall somewhere between weak (2 star) and outright troubling (1 star). That being said, this is one of the most thought provoking theological texts I’ve ever read and for that reason alone it received the rating it did–4 stars.

[Michael Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent collection of essays (with responses and rejoinders) on troubling texts from the OT. Three essays by critics who find the Lord depicted in the OT to be an abusive parent who commands reprehensible conduct including the slaughter of innocents through genocide. The remaining essays are by apologists defending the Scriptures and the Lord revealed in them using various techniques, some of them deeply troubling themselves. Not all defenses of Scripture are good defenses. Not all apologists are effective.
All in all, very thought provoking, even if there’s much to disagree with.

[Tynan Brooks]

Didn't find this satisfying. The two sides made several poor arguments alike and often spoke past one another. I didn't expect my position to be swayed, but it was barely even adjusted.