Why I don't think a Judgemental God could exist.
 

After being in Christian school since I was 4 I have always been learning about how God will watch me and pretty much tell me how I ****ed up when I'm dead. Now I thought about this a little more and it really doesn't make any sense. Why would a perfect being create imperfect beings and judge them on their imperfections? Why would he even bother creating them in the first place? If he was perfect he would not need any sort of fulfillment he would obtain from creating life. That is why I believe if there is a God (which I doubt there is) only an indifferent God could possibly exist. One that pretty much randomly made everything. One might argue that we are too "special" for this to be true but look at our frame of reference we have as a people we barely know anything outside of our own galaxy and we only know of the type of life that sustain itself on Earth. It would be naive to say the only way any creature can sustain life is the way we know.
What do you guys think about this?

I think the idea of God as judgmental is an idea competing with other ideas which has helped make people believe in christianity as well as itsself so that it has effectively spread among christians. I think religions are full of competing ideas and the ones that become most "popular" spread most among believers and thus gain the largest followings.

As for God being judgmental, hmm .. It doesn't make sense to me either. He creates humans and he also creates the apple, so he kind of designs the mischief done by Adam and Eve. Then he punishes them for basically following his plan. It seems he has created the possibility for people to have free will so that those who follow him do not do it out of pure programming, but "choice", although indoctrination and so on seems to play a great part. Why does he even need followers? Does God get satisfaction from belief? That doesn't sound omnipotent and perfect which is traditionally what God is claimed to be.

If it's all just a test of our spirits, why does he think it's so good to blindly follow teachings without questioning rights and wrongs? Is that really a virtue? I don't believe there is a God, but if there is, he, she or it can't be anything like what most christians would have you believe.

All those contradictions could exist if the "God" religions speak of are not actually gods (who are, by definition, omnipotent and omniscient) just simply creators or beings with enough power to create the universe but not powerful or knowledgable enough to prevent things like the fall of man. Therefore I don't believe that a judgemental god can exist. That doesn't necessarily mean that a judgemental creator could not exist.

I can tell you what the Gnostics think about this.
They believe the (Old Testament) God that made the material world and everything in it, is bad.
That the true God is a spiritual God and a higher being.
And the only way to salvation is through knowledge of this higher, "true, unknowable God".

Gnostic belief predates Christianity btw.

Personally, as I think I've stated on these boards before, I'm not religious and that all religious people should be beaten, severely, with large sticks until they all realise how stupid they're being.

But that's just my personal opinion.

So to answer your question (should you be Gnostic). Yes, God is judgemental...not to mention ignorant.

ody, tore, and dom: agreed, well said.

I personally feel that we know so little about the beginning of time and the universe, it's kind of silly to argue about it. I would, however, agree that IF there is some kind of "creator", he is the watchmaker. He set everything in motion and stepped back to watch it run.

However, I'm atheist and don't believe in any kind of higher power.