Tweet
I was wondering what the Christians here thought about the apologetic value of what's called "The Good Person Test"
It goes something like the following with my comments in brackets.
1. Do you think you're a good person?
[I think when most people think of themselves as a "good person", it's due to not doing egregious acts like murder et al and includes an aggregation of behaviour rather than if you did one thing wrong, you're a "bad person".]
2. Have you ever lied?
That would make you a liar.
[When I think of a "liar", I tend to thing of an individual who lies as a matter of habit and situation. Much like the story of the boy who cried wolf. The villages end up not believing the boy due to repetition of the lie of the wolf, (Perhaps if he changed the lie, the boy might be more believable, or just not lied at all, both are apt as a moral of the story) I don't think things like empathetic lies are the same, degree wise, as say lying on a application or perjury. ]
3. Have you ever stolen something? (Even something like a fry seems to qualify.)
That would make you a thief.
[Same concept as above.]
4. Have you ever lusted?
That would make you an adulterer.
[I don't view lust, in general, as a sin, even from a Biblical viewpoint. Given the hyperbolic language of Matthew 5:20, what follows looks more like what you would expect with the practice of chumra. In each the case, the Halakha is pronounced and then Jesus makes a greater restriction. If you are cautious to hate a person, you would be less likely to murder that person. If you are more cautious in lusting, you would be less likely to commit adultery or fornication. If you divorce only for the cause of fornication, you would be less inclined to divorce for no fault.]
5. Have you have hated someone?
That would make you a murderer.
See above.
6. Have you ever taken God's name in vain?
That makes you a blasphemer.
[In Exodus 19:5, God is setting Israel separate form other peoples so I would question the applicability of the Ten Commandments to non-Jews (and non-Christians later on).]
You're guilty of breaking God's law and God should send you Hell unless you repent.
It goes something like the following with my comments in brackets.
1. Do you think you're a good person?
[I think when most people think of themselves as a "good person", it's due to not doing egregious acts like murder et al and includes an aggregation of behaviour rather than if you did one thing wrong, you're a "bad person".]
2. Have you ever lied?
That would make you a liar.
[When I think of a "liar", I tend to thing of an individual who lies as a matter of habit and situation. Much like the story of the boy who cried wolf. The villages end up not believing the boy due to repetition of the lie of the wolf, (Perhaps if he changed the lie, the boy might be more believable, or just not lied at all, both are apt as a moral of the story) I don't think things like empathetic lies are the same, degree wise, as say lying on a application or perjury. ]
3. Have you ever stolen something? (Even something like a fry seems to qualify.)
That would make you a thief.
[Same concept as above.]
4. Have you ever lusted?
That would make you an adulterer.
[I don't view lust, in general, as a sin, even from a Biblical viewpoint. Given the hyperbolic language of Matthew 5:20, what follows looks more like what you would expect with the practice of chumra. In each the case, the Halakha is pronounced and then Jesus makes a greater restriction. If you are cautious to hate a person, you would be less likely to murder that person. If you are more cautious in lusting, you would be less likely to commit adultery or fornication. If you divorce only for the cause of fornication, you would be less inclined to divorce for no fault.]
5. Have you have hated someone?
That would make you a murderer.
See above.
6. Have you ever taken God's name in vain?
That makes you a blasphemer.
[In Exodus 19:5, God is setting Israel separate form other peoples so I would question the applicability of the Ten Commandments to non-Jews (and non-Christians later on).]
You're guilty of breaking God's law and God should send you Hell unless you repent.
, then I win.
Comment