Straggler writes:
I have never disputed that biblical Christians genuinely believe themselves to be monotheists. Any more than I dispute that biblical Christians genuinely consider Yahweh to be incapable of evil.
I am simply suggesting that by the common religion-independent conceptual meaning of either of these terms they are wrong on both counts.
By any common religion-independent conceptual meaning of the term "god" biblical Christians are polytheistic. By any common religion-independent conceptual meaning of the term "good" Yahweh of the OT is a bit of an evil bastard.
Why do they get the last word on "god" but not on "good"?
Be specific.
Your implication is that all creatures in the universe which the supreme Biblical god, Jehovah has allegedly created above the intelligence and capability of humankind on our tiny speck in the universe called Planet Earth are to be considered gods.
According to the Biblical record there are varied varieties of angels and other creatures in the Universe, both good and evil, all designed and created by the one monotheistic god of the Universe, Jehovah. This includes his son, Jesus, son of the one Biblical god and the Holy Spirit, spirit of both son and father and in fact also spirit of "born again" i.e. born from above humans who have received God's son Jesus as both lord (master) and savior.
Your misconception, Straggler, is that the the only non-god creatures in the universe are itty bitty Planet Earth humans. Any other alleged creatures of higher intelligence and capabilities in the Universe are conceived by you as gods.
Jesus, procreated son of God, born of a human virgin via divine conception called Jehovah, the mono-Biblical god his god.
In the days of Joseph in Egypt, Pharoah was king. The status of Joseph in the kingdom was such that he was equally revered and obeyed as Pharoah, the king. Joseph was a type of Jesus in that though not the supreme god of the universe perse, he is revered and worshipped by earth humankind. He remains son of Jehovah, god of the universe, however. He said in John 14 that his father is greater than him and in I Corinthians 15 that after he puts all under his feet, he will again become subject to his father that his God may be "all in all." We do not understand all this implies but then our understanding of what we call the "trinity" is limited. All three members of the Trinity have different functions; Jehovah being the head/supreme, Jesus being our high priest/mediator between God and man and the one in whose worthy name we pray to God and the Holy Spirit being the multi-present spirit of father and son which effects work in the universe which Jehovah porposes to do.
So far as what is good, if Jehovah be supreme, the term good is relevant to his will. He alone has the right to create, destroy and manage things in his universe. As for "genocide" in the OT, he chose a tiny area of real estate in the Mid East which was totally pagan to eventually become the cite for his kingdom on earth to be the land where his messiah would rule the world. The genocide was ordered by Jehovah and was to be limited to that one little parcel of real estate. Thus Jesus's non-violent position in the NT.
If Jehovah be god of the Universe, Jehovah alone determines what is good and what is evil.
BUZSAW B 4 U 2 C Y BUZ SAW.
The immeasurable present eternally extends the infinite past and infinitely consumes the eternal future.
™ Version 4.2
