Does God have feelings? (Introduction)

by David Turell , Monday, February 26, 2018, 14:16 (2460 days ago) @ dhw

DAVID: A theologian's comments:
https://www.jashow.org/articles/christian-doctrine/god/is-god-an-android/

DAVID’s comment: As a non-religious believer in God I find all of this theological thought as totally unproven and unreasonable. We cannot know any of this, but we can study the history of the universe and of life and try to reasonably ascertain how God might think of His creation.

dhw: I agree. Not only unproven and unreasonable, but thoroughly confusing: God doesn’t have feelings, he does have feelings, and he only has righteous feelings...If we’re going to be reasonable about it, yes indeed, let's study his creations, as they are the only possible reflection we have of his nature. But that means studying what we consider to be the good as well as the bad. Humanizing? Why not, if we ourselves are reflections? We have no choice anyway – unless we choose not to think about the subject at all.

TONY: Genesis 6:6. Nothing else needs to be said, from a theistic standpoint.

dhw: Genesis 6:6 (St James version): And it repented the Lord that he had made man on earth, and it grieved him at his heart.

If we're to take the Bible literally, then in my view a lot more needs to be said. In Genesis God was so furious that he proceeded to drown every man, woman and child, barring one single family. He presumably didn’t know in advance how wicked humans would become. If he knew, why would it grieve him? He should simply have made man differently if it upset him so much that they did what he knew they would do. But if he didn’t know, what kind of God would slaughter children who might have turned out to be even nicer and kinder and more God-loving than Noah?

The God of the OT was a very vengeful God, which would certainly mean strong feelings and emotions. This is why I don't use Biblical 'stories' as fact. I agree with dhw.