by Regnis Numis » Wed Jun 27, 2018 1:32 pm
> Why is this? You lost me here, and this doesn't make sense to me. If God is righteous and just, then there will never be disproportionate degrees of separation for any sin.
Yes, in reality, God would never cast somebody into a disproportionate degree of separation. However, that doesn't mean disproportionate degrees of separation don't exist for any sin. For example, the degree of separation suitable for a genocidal dictator would be a disproportionate degree of separation for a small-time thief. God, given His righteous nature, would never condemn a minor thief to the same degree of separation as a mass-murdering dictator. Nevertheless, this fact doesn't make the degree of separation for the dictator any less disproportionate for the thief.
> Why is this? This doesn't make any sense to me. Punishments on this earth may have been appropriate, but since God is the only one giving punishments in the afterlife, (1) there are no other punishments, and therefore (2) there are no inappropriate punishments.
I assume you mean that God never delivers any other punishment for the same sin, and thus there is never an inappropriate punishment. However, I think you've misunderstood my point. What I'm trying to say is that when God evaluates each person's life to determine an appropriate punishment, He must necessarily consider which punishments would be too inappropriate, just as the punishment for a tyrannical dictator would be too excessive for a petty thief.
> Unfairness would be a punishment that doesn't fit the sin.
A punishment that doesn't fit the sin is precisely what I mean by inappropriate punishment. God must evaluate what type of punishment would fit our sin, which naturally means there are punishments that do not fit our sin (again, refer to my example with the thief and dictator). However, since you believe human souls decide their own degrees of separation, I must ask: How is it remotely possible for God to decide our punishment, let alone what type of punishment is fair? By leaving alone human souls who want nothing to do with Him, how is He being an evenhanded judge and not just a compliant parent? What is He being fair about if He doesn't decide our degrees of separation?
> Why is this? You lost me here, and this doesn't make sense to me. If God is righteous and just, then there will never be disproportionate degrees of separation for any sin.
Yes, in reality, God would never cast somebody into a disproportionate degree of separation. However, that doesn't mean disproportionate degrees of separation don't exist for any sin. For example, the degree of separation suitable for a genocidal dictator would be a disproportionate degree of separation for a small-time thief. God, given His righteous nature, would never condemn a minor thief to the same degree of separation as a mass-murdering dictator. Nevertheless, this fact doesn't make the degree of separation for the dictator any less disproportionate for the thief.
> Why is this? This doesn't make any sense to me. Punishments on this earth may have been appropriate, but since God is the only one giving punishments in the afterlife, (1) there are no other punishments, and therefore (2) there are no inappropriate punishments.
I assume you mean that God never delivers any other punishment for the same sin, and thus there is never an inappropriate punishment. However, I think you've misunderstood my point. What I'm trying to say is that when God evaluates each person's life to determine an appropriate punishment, He must necessarily consider which punishments would be too inappropriate, just as the punishment for a tyrannical dictator would be too excessive for a petty thief.
> Unfairness would be a punishment that doesn't fit the sin.
A punishment that doesn't fit the sin is precisely what I mean by inappropriate punishment. God must evaluate what type of punishment would fit our sin, which naturally means there are punishments that do not fit our sin (again, refer to my example with the thief and dictator). However, since you believe human souls decide their own degrees of separation, I must ask: How is it remotely possible for God to decide our punishment, let alone what type of punishment is fair? By leaving alone human souls who want nothing to do with Him, how is He being an evenhanded judge and not just a compliant parent? What is He being fair about if He doesn't decide our degrees of separation?