Chili

That is why he chose Catholics to be his favorite NT people and opened the gate to heaven to those he called by name from the chosen.

FinnHawk

he didn't. The Jews chose (or rather made up) God. but I'm sure that's what you already believe anyways...

Chili

Yes 'he' did and 'they' did but 'ours' is New and improved.

Johnny Skeptic

First of all, the Bible says that God is not a respector of persons. Second of all, God choosing a people based upon their genetics instead of their choices does not make any sense. Third of all, God did not protect the Jews from hurricanes, other natural disasters, and disease even when they "acted right." It is an absurd notion that God would have sometimes protected the Jews from their human enemies based upon their good behavior, but would not also have protected them from hurricanes, other natural disasters, and disease even when they "act right." If you love someone, you certainly want to protect them from all serious harm. When God kills people with hurricanes, he is certainly not a respector of people, and he kills Jews with them just like he kills everyone else. Fourth of all, God offered the Jews choices. What choices did he offer to everyone else in the world? Fifth of all, God told the Jews who he specifically was. Why didn't God specifically tell everyone else in the world who he specifically was? If all religions that have books are false, 1)all religions would have to be started in one place, which is the case, 2) all religions would have to be spread entirely by word of mouth, which is the case, and 3) people who lived furthest away from where the religion started who have much less chance of learning about it, which is the case.

It is not likely that a God exists who wants people to believe that he exists, but has gone out of his way to mimic many ways that things would be if he did not exist, thereby undermining his attempts to try to convince people to believe that he exists.

A God would not have any need of using copies of copies of ancient texts as a primary means of communicating with people. He could easily telepathically or verbally communicate the same messages to everyone in the world, thereby discouraging dissent instead of inviting dissent.

Mason Bane

You have proof that God did not favor the Jews. They "say" he did but what does the evidence show?

The Jews rarely had ahold of their "promised land." Anyone who basically wanted to came in and stomped them. Meanwhile everyone in surrounding nations was enjoying prosperity. Like the Mesopotamians and Egyptians. Then the Romans took them over. They only have Israel now because of the US and Britain.

Even when they had a monarcy there it was divided much of the time.

If Yahweh is a friend to them, who needs enemies?

xaxxat

Did Yahweh choose Israel or was he given it?

Deuteronomy 32:8-9:

When Elyon apportioned the nations, when he divided humankind, he fixed the boundaries of the peoples according to the number of the sons of EL; Yahweh's own portion was his people, Jacob his allotted share.

Maybe he won it in a poker game or was given it as a divorce settlement from Asherah...

Joan of Bark

I'm with you, xaxxat. Of course, theists are notorious for not reading the scriptures ...

In other words, if they maintained their moral and spiritual qualities by engaging in the mass slaughter of the Canaanites, they would be His chosen people?

And did they have any choice in the matter? Were they allowed out of the covenant? It appears not ...

Israelites: "Oh, YHWH, we've had enough of mindlessly following your idiotic 613 commandments, many of which make no sense ... and we're tired of massacring our enemies. We don't want to be your chosen people. Please choose someone else."

YHWH: "TOUGH LUCK, YOU STIFF-NECKED PEOPLE. Your ancestor agreed to a covenant with me, and I don't allow free will to extend to contracts."

Johnny Skeptic

What advantages did God provide for Jews that he did not provide for anyone else? Did he protect them only from harm from their human enemies, and not from storms, plagues, and disease? If so, then God was not actually concerned for the physical welfare of Jews, only for their spiritual welfare, which I find to be quite odd. If you love someone, you are concerned with their spiritual welfare and with their physical welfare. God provided manna for the Jews, right? God provided food for Adam and Eve, right?

Why didn't God reveal himself to everyone in the world in order to give them a chance to be loyal to him too?

militant agnostic

Because everyone else already had cooler, smarter Gods. His only takers were some of the more barbaric and backwater Canannites.:wave:

Tigers!

Very true
Just because it make no sense to you does not mean that it is not a good choice. If God is who he claims to be then he would know things about genetics that would make our heads spin. I have no doubt Johnny that you make decisions that are strange to me. Does that make them not right?
No he didn't. They also died eventually as well. Acting right won't stop us from getting ill or dying. We still live in this world.
But if he discouraged dissent Johnny then you would accuse him of being a dictator. Shades of "Heads Johnny wins, tails God loses".