Copan is a very successful author who has written and edited over 25 in the following areas: science and religion, theology, apologetics, philosophy of religion. And I do mean wickedness. But if they refuse to make peace and prepare to fight, you must attack the town. Another big accomplishment was when he served six years as the president of the Evangelical…, which bore me onwards, like a hurricane...Life and death appeared to me ideal bounds...I should... pour a torrent of light into our dark world" (Shelley 94). So don’t think about this as a simple invasion of one nation into another. A typical moral monster … person be moral and not believe in God Name PHI 103 Informal Logic Instructor Date of Submission Morality only exists if we believe in God; therefore if God doesn’t exist there is no morality. But God did. In Is God a Moral Monster?, Paul Copan describes how wonderful and loving God is while fighting off the accusations of God being a monster by the New Atheists using the Old Testament. I will … Buy Is God a Moral Monster? In the novel, Victor essentially recreates life, a task normally attributed to God, without fear of the moral consequences. But this was a time when God determined that there was no other recourse but divine judgment. I would recommend every small group leader or Sunday School teacher at least have access to a copy. Copan takes the time to explain many of the Old Testament's seemingly inexplicable and tedious laws. According to some estimates, 200,000 people were killed and over 3,000,000 were displaced. Four hundred years of restraint and patience. Miroslav Volf, Free of Charge: Giving and Forgiving in a Culture Stripped of Grace. The stories of these monsters have a … Case in point? [4] All Bible passages are quote in New King James Version Sign up to receive the twice-weekly Church & Culture blog delivered straight to your email account. Then in chapter 5 he turns to the binding of Isaac. It wasn’t about literally taking every life, but ensuring that the war was won, the enemy defeated, the task accomplished. This also means that in acknowledging who God is and being rightfully related to Him, we [re actually functioning as we were designed to function. He is also a professor in Palm Beach Atlantic University. One major point made by Copan is the question of how truly loving or terrible God is. Adapted from James Emery White, Christianity for People Who Aren’t Christians (Baker). Abraham was tested by God (Gen. 22:1) and through this ordeal demonstrated his fear of God (v. 12). Both claims are contrary to reason and evidence, as … That’s exactly why God is wrathful against some of them. One of the arguments against the God of the Bible is the kind of God we find in the Bible—specifically, a God who can appear to be a moral monster. Because no matter what you’ve heard, judgment is always God’s last resort. [1] Richard Dawkins, The God Delusion (New York: Houghton Mifflin, 2006), 31. Beowulf is an old English poem written by an Anglo-Saxon poet. In so many words, they conclude: The fact that they can only strengthens theism's case. If they accept your terms and open the gates to you, then all the people inside will serve you in forced labor. The blog is typically sent out every Monday and Thursday. How did God react to the carnage? Is it true that young women were purchased like any other object of property in biblical marriages? Think how in our day we talk about how a team blew their opponent away, or slaughtered them, or annihilated them. They would talk about how they destroyed every man, and then later talk about what they were going to do with their survivors. He once thought that wrath and anger were beneath God, but he said he came to realize that his view of God had been too low: “I used to think that wrath was unworthy of God. There have been so many evil acts committed in the name of God that it is difficult to maintain that a belief in God equates to morality. But God did. Comparison of Christianity and Judaism essay What differs is the notion of God: Christianity claims the idea of the trinity of God.Both Christians and Jews believe in the existence of God who was the one to create the universe and everything inside it. And that may be what bothers us the most. Episode 277/278 – Is God a Moral Monster? It is what some have called the most difficult and bloody part of the Bible; the one that on the surface is the most ethically troubling. There’s imagery of their cult sexual practices of bathing themselves in blood. It is the exact opposite of morality; it's arguing why you don't need to use your own moral compass if God tells you not to, even to the point of murder. Or think of Rwanda in the last decade of the past century, where 800,000 people were hacked to death in 100 days! Shouldn’t divine love be beyond wrath? He made it. But you may keep for yourselves all the women, children, livestock, and other plunder. God is love, and God loves every person and every creature. In Is God a Moral Monster?, Paul Copan describes how wonderful and loving God is while fighting off the accusations of God being a monster by the New Atheists using the Old Testament. Let’s take the divinely directed slaughter of the Canaanites. STUDY. Is God a Moral Monster? Of course, this is by no means the only interpretation of monster stories. Richard Dawkins thinks that Yahweh is a moral monster: “What makes my jaw drop is that people today should base their lives on such an appalling role model as Yahweh — and even worse, that they should bossily try to force the same evil monster (whether fact or fiction) on the rest of us.” Often the word monster brings up any stories such as Frankenstein, Dracula, and Beowulf. This was God’s land. Flashcards. [2] C.S. Not only the punishment, but the possession of the land and who He was going to give that land to. Write. In other words, it was God’s call to make. He could do with it whatever He wanted to do. Cohen, Monster Culture, 7 Theses. The New Atheists also build on what has always been said about Christians such as they have the reputation to be full of themselves and judgmental. That brings up the final point to remember in all this—one that is unavoidable. Scholars have called the Canaanite cult religion the most sexually depraved of any in the ancient world. The medieval mind saw giants and mythical creatures as God’s punishments for the sin of pride. Making Sense of the Old Testament God. Second, this was a divine, God-ordained action. In this timely and readable book, entitled Is God a Moral Monster apologist Paul Copan takes on some of the most vexing accusations of our time, including: God is arrogant and jealous God punishes people too harshly God is guilty of ethnic cleansing Greg Koukl (from the podcast) and Paul Copan (in his book, Is God a Moral Monster) both take up the assertion, "atheists can be moral without God." One major point made by Copan is the question of how truly loving or terrible God is. This was more about purifying than purging. You must completely destroy the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites, just as the Lord your God has commanded you. : Making Sense Of The Old Testament God 1st Edition by Copan, Paul (ISBN: 9780801072758) from Amazon's Book Store. So in terms of warfare, this was not about civilians. Israel didn’t have an inherent right to the land. The book mainly focuses on how God is portrayed in the Old Testament and what some “New Atheists” have to say about it. is a welcome entry to […] This kind of monster cannot be detected visually, but has to be revealed by its monstrous actions. Isn’t God love? The Slaughter of the Canaanites, Christianity for People Who Aren’t Christians. This was God saying: “I’m telling you, this land is now yours. Match. Mark Davis has produced an awesome tri-fold pamphlet called Is God a Moral Monster? But why does that bother us so much? But that displacement came because of their ferocious, habitual, unrepentant wickedness. John Ruskin The Stones Of Venice Analysis, Essay On The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time By Christopher Boone, An Analysis Of 'Roundtable Rival' By Lindsey Stirling). ), religious prostitution and sexual cults. The narrative is found in the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy. The Canaanites had no inherent right to it either. If you ever have any feedback that you’d like to share, whether positive or constructive, simply reply to the email. opens with a discussion on the new atheism in general. Although Atheism has been around for many years this group of new people brings more to the ongoing debate of if God is real or not. Spell. My villages and cities were destroyed, my people shelled day in and day out, some of them brutalized beyond imagination, and I could not imagine God not being angry. Why? At their worst, their orgiastic worship of idols even included human sacrifice—both of children and adults. Paul Copan takes on Neo-Atheists' claims of a petty, malicious Old Testament God. But there’s a third point to make here, and it’s about that phrase “destroy every living thing” in the cities. If your morals align with a god that kills anyone that breaks any of his ridiculous laws then he is in fact not a moral monster. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading Is God a Moral Monster? Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Once Beowulf defeats Grendel, Grendel’s mother comes to the mead hall for revenge, and Beowulf comes to…. “You may enjoy the plunder from your enemies that the Lord your God has given you. He was born in Croatia and lived through the nightmare years of ethnic strife in the former Yugoslavia—a time that included the destruction of churches, the raping of women and the murdering of innocents. Part 2 of Copan’s book asks whether God is a “Gracious Master or Moral Monster.” It is comprised of three chapters: one on whether God’s appetite for praise and sacrifice makes him arro-gant or humble, another on God’s rage and jealousy, and a third on the story of the near-sacrifice of Isaac, asking whether God is a child abuser. Or a strong army beating a weaker army, as if strength or desire gives anyone the right to be aggressive. It was later detailed that if an Israelite took one of these women, it meant that they were going to have to take them as their wife and treat them with all the respect and decorum that came with that marriage.). Test. So if someone says, “I can’t believe God kicked the Canaanites out and gave away their land.” What do you mean “their”? : Making Sense of the Old Testament God. By refusing to condemn the bloodbath but instead affirming the perpetrators’ basic goodness? Please refer to our Privacy Policy for more information. You read something like that and you think that sounds over the top and unnecessary even for divine judgment. Critics emphasize the role that bride price played in Old Testament marriage. They had to take it, possess it and, at times, conquer it. Well there it is, I hope you like my review of “Is God A Moral Monster?” by Paul Copan. Yes, God was displacing them from the land to give it to the people of Israel. It’s the idea of God’s wrath. First, this was more than just an invasion or conquest. B. Eerdmans, 1970), 244. Thank you for subscribing to the Church & Culture blog! Paul Copan’s Is God a Moral Monster? “This will prevent the people of the land from teaching you to imitate their detestable customs in the worship of their gods, which would cause you to sin deeply against the Lord your God.” (Deuteronomy 20:10-18, NLT). Neither did the Canaanites. It’s not where the women and children, farmers and laborers lived. It is not theirs.”. This was God’s planned punishment of the people of Canaan for their ways, long in the making and in the coming. Israel had no inherent right to it. In the introduction of this book Copan provides two main goals in which he … The term monster comes from the word monēre, which means to warn. Wasn’t God fiercely angry with them? You’ll never find that in the Bible. $14.99 paperback.. review by Kevin Williford. God in the Old Testament is not a moral tyrant. Three pastors consider street-level objections to God's morality. Paul Copan is a Christian theologian, apologist, and an author. Introduction Making Sense of The Old Testament God. 252 pp. Like the “nontracts” from the Freedom from Religion Foundation and the anti-religious pamphlets from Normal Bob Smith and Cyberguy, this pamphlet of superior design can be easily printed from home in color or black-and-white and then distributed throughout your community. On the depravity of the Canaanite cult religion, see “Canaan, Canaanites,” Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible, Vol 1, ed. Created by. But as we read, this was for the cities, not the outlying areas. Copan not only answers God's critics, he also shows how to read both the Old and New Testaments faithfully, seeing an unchanging, righteous, and loving God in both. by Walter Elwell. He could give it to whomever He wanted. Is God a Moral Monster? Terms in this set (7) thesis 1. monster's body = cultural body-never just a monster - always signifies something else-reflection of fears/anxieties and projection of them A monster will always change because culture changes, our fears and beliefs are always changing (4). This book answers the question very well. If the edicts of the OT god are not the edicts of a moral monster, then morality has lost all its meaning. is sex and marriage. [3] Paul Copan, Is God a Moral Monster?Making Sense of the Old Testament God (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2011). That God is a God who is angry with evil, at war with evil. Throughout the Old Testament Godshows many different sides. The monsters is born as an embodiment of a certain cultural moment, a time, a feeling, and a place. Gravity. Copan, Paul Is God a Moral Monster? The Bible says that God had been tolerating this for more than 400 years. Much has been written in recent years on the moral problems with the depiction of God in the Old Testament. Page 3 that we acknowledge God to be God because anything else would be flying in the face of reality. This is a critical point. One of the important themes of Is God a Moral Monster? Grand Rapids: Baker Publishing Group, 2011 Here’s an overview description: “As you approach a town to attack it, you must first offer its people terms for peace. “But these instructions apply only to distant towns, not to the towns of the nations in the land you will enter. is one of the best theological books I have read. What I have found is that not only God is a moral monster, but Paul Copan is as well. PLAY. By doting on the perpetrators in a grandfatherly fashion? This results in them being called hypocritical. Learn. Case in point? The cities were military fortifications for soldiers and military officers. Paul Copan. "All that own the being of a God, own that He knows all things beforehand. Is God a Moral Monster? When you study the language of the ancient near Eastern cultures, this was very common. Also, in terms of the ancient language of the day, even destroying everyone in the city was common hyperbole. : Making Sense of the Old Testament God That’s exactly why God is wrathful against some of them. God had led the people of Israel out of slavery and out of Egypt. Simple semantic sophistry won't even make it past a rudimentary logic or debating course. God is love, and God loves every person and every creature. But the wickedness reached a point where Scripture talks about how God couldn’t stomach it anymore and He vomited them out of His mouth. They had given themselves over to every kind of sexual depravity, including incest and even bestiality. 252 pp. According to this accusation, God is a “moral monster” since He “created” evil—or because He neglects to do anything about evil. Now, it is self-evident that if He knows all things beforehand, He either approves of them or does not approve of them; that is, He either is willing they should be, or He is not willing they should be. Or is there something more here? There are several places where this is referenced in the Bible. One of the arguments against the God of the Bible is the kind of God we find in the Bible—specifically, a God who can appear to be a moral monster. He is livid with evil. Is God a Moral Monster? thesis, I discovered that the most popular searches for God and the Old Testament are: is God of the Old Testament evil, is God of the Old Testament a merciless monster, is God of the Old Testament a moral monster, and is God of the Old Testament different from the God of the New Testament. Everyday low prices and free delivery on … ISBN 978-0-8010-7275-8. laineykorsan. by introducing a group called the New Atheists. What stands out in the Bible is not God’s acts of justice, but how much He is marked by mercy; by restraint. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2011. In this analysis, I will be writing about the historical context, world view, and psychological context within the story. He was not only forming them into a new people and a new nation, but also taking them to a new land that would become known as the Promised Land. This book review will be about Is God a Moral Monster? A disgusting display of special pleading whose horrible moral impact the author can't possibly have thought through to its logical conclusion. : Making Sense of the Old Testament God - Kindle edition by Copan, Paul. According to some estimates, 200,000 people were killed and over 3,000,000 were displaced. What differs is the notion of God: Christianity claims the idea of the trinity of God. Paul Copan, Is God a Moral Monster?Making Sense of the Old Testament God (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2011). When the Lord your God hands the town over to you, use your swords to kill every man in the town. God isn’t wrathful in spite of being love. Author Bio Paul Copan (PhD, Marquette University) is the Pledger Family Chair of Philosophy and Ethics at Palm Beach Atlantic University in Florida. Something that deserves not only universal condemnation, but a complete rejection of the God of the Bible? One of the arguments against the God of the Bible is the kind of God we find in the Bible—specifically, a God who can appear to be a moral monster. Among the challenges facing the church today is the attack on the Christian faith posed by what is commonly called the “New Atheists.” Easily the most common attack on God’s morality is the reality of evil. But it wasn’t just to be given to them. Though I used to complain about the indecency of the idea of God’s wrath, I came to think that I would have to rebel against a God who wasn’t wrathful at the sight of the world’s evil. They are developing skills to be able to dive into the Christian faith and pick out whatever they can use to build their argument against it. It’s a form of rhetoric. In chapters 3 and 4 Copan addresses the charge that God in the Old-Testament is both jealous and egocentrically demands worship. We respect your privacy. Instead He is a righteous, patient, merciful, and loving God who waits to execute judgment upon sinners. Lewis, God in the Dock: Essays on Theology and Ethics (Grand Rapids: Wm. God is wrathful because God is love.”. Monsters are used to reveal or make reality a situation that is often left ignored. In the culture of the ancient near East, most people lived in outlying areas, not the cities. Is God a Moral Monster? In those towns that the Lord your God is giving you as a special possession, destroy every living thing. (Before you read on, let me just parenthetically add that this was not a license to rape and pillage. A moral monster is a figure who performs monstrous, abnormal actions, and thereby transgresses the rules and borders of society and humanity. My last resistance to the idea of God’s wrath was a casualty of the war in the former Yugoslavia, the region from which I come. Their wickedness kept increasing and increasing and God kept enduring it. I once read some penetrating words on this from Yale theologian Miroslav Volf. Copan is clearly preaching to the sorely convinced (despite his desire … In modern science, many scientists have commenced research that explores the possibility of creating life through the development of embryonic stem cells, but support for this possibly life-changing inquisition is constricted…, This is a literary analysis for Beowulf. Abraham’s obedience is intended to serve as a model for Israel and to inspire Israel’s obedience and solidify their relationship with (“fear of”) God.5” ― Paul Copan, Is God a Moral Monster? Creation out of Nothing, How Do You Know You’re Not Wrong, Is God a Moral Monster?, That’s Just Your Interpretation, “True for You, But Not for Me”, When God … The Canaanites were marked by the worst possible aspects of slavery (Not that there’s anything good about slavery, but think of taking slavery to the darkest place that you can possibly take it. My last resistance to the idea of God’s wrath was a casualty of the war in the former Yugoslavia, the region from which I come. For the Greeks and Romans, monsters were prodigies—warnings of impending calamity. Israel would never have been justified in doing this had God not ordered it. “Is God A Moral Monster?” By Paul Copan is definitely a must-have for disciplers and apologists considering how often questions come up about OT laws. In other words, destroying everything meant winning decisively, not literally destroying everything. And that’s what brings us to one of the bloodiest scenes in the Bible—the slaughter of the Canaanites by the Israelites on the directive of God Himself. The story consists of a hero of the Geats, who comes to the aid of Hrothgar, the king of the Danes, who’s mead hall has been attacked by a monster by the name of Grendel. 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