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Culture War Roundup for the week of November 13, 2023

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God's behavior may seem arbitrary from a strictly materialist perspective

God’s behaviour appears arbitrary when compared and applied to a man, real or fictional. Of course if you put him outside the norms of human behaviour, he isn’t going to be capricious or not-capricious, he isn’t going to be just, or anything. We’ll need new qualifiers for this peculiar kind of entity, like “gobelficious”.

Why would you defend his behaviour as consistent or predictable? Can you, as a christian in good standing, predict you will receive Job’s treatment? Of course not, "There's much bigger things going on here than just you bro". You’re not supposed to understand what he did, or to predict what he will do. That’s not arbitrary, that’s gobelficious.

Perhaps you should try to familiarize yourself with the work you're criticizing before accusing someone else's analysis of being "Facile".

I suppose I should consult the Experts in black so they can tell me what to think on what I can plainly read. I am familiar with the work I’m criticizing, far more than it deserves. My family, my entire society, has viewed it as a sort of “holy book” for centuries, you see.

Why would you defend his behaviour as consistent or predictable?

Because being "consistent or predictable" is the opposite of being "capricious"

Likewise, You don't need to "consult the Experts in black" you just need to at least read the book. Otherwise, next thing I know you're going to be telling me that Hank Hill's profession in King of the Hill is left unspecified.

There are plenty of people in history who were wicked who weren't killed by god, though.