So what if a new God arrives on the scene and explains to you that the current God you are worshiping is a false God and demands that you now worship him?

What if this new God declares that to disobey him or her is a sin and that sin will be punishes with death?

What will you do then?

How will that make you feel about free will then?

I'd give him 32 cents and tell him to call someone who cares and don't let the door him where the good lord split him on the way out.

Then you will die and it will be YOUR OWN FAULT FOR DISOBEYING GOD.

I'd give him 32 cents and tell him to call someone who cares and don't let the door him where the good lord split him on the way out.

Yes ma'am, I sure would. I would bare that cross with honor.

Okay then I guess you know how I feel about your demanding jealous God.

I would sooner die than worship any so-called god under the threat of death.

Cowboy you don't get the point at all.

I am talking about the Jewish God of war of the Old testament referred to as "The God of Abraham" who demands to be worshiped or else.

I am talking about the thousands of men, women and children who, according to stories in the old testament, book of Joshua, were ordered slaughtered without mercy by order of this same God.

If such a god ever existed, I would not worship or serve such a god.

Luckily, I don't believe this God is God, nor do I believe the story of Joshua is true, nor do I believe that King David or Abraham ever existed.

I'm not talking about "Jesus" who is also most likely pure fiction.

You reap what you sow in life. If these people were being disobedient and not worthy of this land, then they were being judged. And obviously if they were being disobedient eg., sinning the only reward for sin is death.

not exactly

I think we confuse worldly rights with spiritual 'rights' (if there is even such a thing)

the world gives us the 'right' to do alot of things that are not necessarily condoned by God and in some cases outright condemned

as a member of the world, in the flesh, we have the right to worship whomever we choose

however, in the world, we also have laws that we abide by and we cant just choose which laws we have to follow, we have to follow all of them,,,, so choosing those laws that are accepted in one country will not excuse us from penalty if those laws are not accepted here in THIS CULTURE

similarly, in a kingdom headed by GOD, who says to worship HIM, it would make sense that he would likewise expect obedience to HIM above any other God

in other words, if we dont accept God as God than why would God bring us to his kingdom?

If we worship,,,torah, for example, than we should hope that torah has a kingdom to welcome us into,,,,

I would say no thank you because one jealous god is enough for me.

Not exactly?

I am speaking specifically about the Personality identified as the "God of Abraham" who was written about in the Jewish texts.

He was a jealous god who incited his followers to war and to kill without mercy, if you believe your own holy book.

I say we do have "spiritual rights" and no God of war has the right to demand that we worship him by threat of death.

Cowboy they were just people living their lives, as they have a right to do, and exercising their freedom of religion and their freedom to worship any god they chose.

They were not being "disobedient" to anyone. They were minding their own business.

Then comes this mad man, (Joshua,) totally insane, who claims that he talks to "the almighty god" who tells him to murder everyone in that land without mercy.

..and of course steal the land and all the vineyards and farms and goods too. (thieves and murderers they are)

He and his army murdered everyone, including women and children Cowboy, (if you believe that story.)

And I'm sure that kind of thing did happen a lot back then, people went around killing and raping and plundering all the time, but I think the story of Joshua itself is pure fiction.

You cannot possibly justify that kind of genocide with the absurd remark that "you reap what you sow."

But if you believe that, and if you believe that Joshua and the Jews really did that, then they have been reaping what they have sewn for years seeing as how they claim to be hated and "persecuted" all the time.

Cowboy they were just people living their lives, as they have a right to do, and exercising their freedom of religion and their freedom to worship any god they chose.

They were not being "disobedient" to anyone. They were minding their own business

What you say doesn't make sense. Yes they do have the right to do whatever they wish, worship whom ever they wish. But there is always a consequence or a reaction to our action.

Exodus 20
3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

And again, we then have "the only reward for sin is death".