Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/5/84; site osu-eddie.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!osu-eddie!karl From: karl@osu-eddie.UUCP (Karl Kleinpaste) Newsgroups: net.religion Subject: Re: Only one God? Message-ID: <1@osu-eddie.UUCP> Date: Mon, 3-Dec-84 14:21:07 EST Article-I.D.: osu-eddi.1 Posted: Mon Dec 3 14:21:07 1984 Date-Received: Tue, 4-Dec-84 19:38:55 EST References: <284@spp2.UUCP> Organization: Society for the Advancement of Raw Weirdness Lines: 32 A relatively minor correction... ---------- > ...isn't it funny to > say "I'm a jealous god" if you're the only god there is?) ---------- Your understanding of the description "jealous god" is a bit inaccurate. It does not refer to the fear that one particular god would be upset if a certain group of people were to worship another existing god. Rather, it is the case that God objects to anything or anyone getting in the way of His relationship with people; paying homage to a non-existent god is the most blatant and damaging case of this sort of thing, since it effectively disallows God's proper place with said people. It is not the case that jealousy is a bad thing in and of itself, either. I would be extremely jealous, possibly to the point of violence, if I found that someone else were taking my wife's affections. (Avoid obvious extremes, please.) In such a case, I would be justifiably upset and justifiably jealous. Similarly, God is upset when we give our "affections" to a (supposed) deity other than Himself. Thus, jealousy can in fact be constructive. It can be a tool by which we detect when there is a problem in a relationship, and leads us to find a means to correct that relationship. It is only bad when it degenerates to simple irrationality, such as in the standard Psych 101 "raging jealousy" example of a man who thinks that his wife/girlfriend/mistress is flirting with other guys when in fact she is not. -- From the badly beaten keyboards of best address---+ him who speaks in _*_T_y_P_e_* _f-_O-_n-_T-_s... | V Karl Kleinpaste @ Bell Labs, Columbus 614/860-5107 {cbosgd,ihnp4}!_c_b_r_m_a_!_k_k @ Ohio State University 614/422-0915 cbosgd!osu-eddie!karl