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The Forum > Article Comments > The nature of mercy > Comments

The nature of mercy : Comments

By Michael Jensen, published 2/3/2015

Unlike an Indonesian president, God has no constituency to please; he is not capable of being bullied by Prime Ministers, nor is he open to bribes.

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I don't know what god the author of the article is talking about. Surely it is not the god of the bible. That god tells a couple not to eat of a tree knowing they will eat of the tree. Significantly, it is the Tree of Knowledge. Obey that god to be kept ignorant.

He also causes a flood which wipes out almost all humans along with many animals and plants.

In the New Testament he subjects his loved son to great torture.

His beloved son tells people that only through belief in him can one enter the Kingdom. It doesn't matter how good a person you are or what kind of life you have led, you must believe in a certain entity to be granted access to the Kingdom.

In the Book of Joshua he orders the Israelites to commit genocide.

At times the god of the bible behaves decently. However, in general, the president of Indonesia is a more reasonable and loving entity than the despicable god of the bible. It is denigrating the Indonesian president to compare him with the biblical god.

The god of the bible is not a good guide for the nature of mercy.
Posted by david f, Monday, 2 March 2015 10:22:24 AM
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We need "mercy" for all the victims of the drug runners that you seem to favor, getting rid of them will send a message to other potential drug runners "it is not a good idea" The current carry on that this pair of the worst kind of criminals should "get off" it is sickening that they have NO MERCY for anybody, innocent by standers are often killed in their "DRUG WARS", try to find something useful to do like rooting out the PAEDOPHILES in your church, removing the TAX BLUDGING accounts for the wealthy dishonest grubs that think only the "plebs" should pay tax.
Posted by lockhartlofty, Monday, 2 March 2015 10:22:44 AM
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Mercy is one of those words that you can adapt to many situations. When it is used religiously, it becomes even more infinitely adaptable.

So, Mr Jensen, could you advise where your God stands on drug dealers in general. What form of mercy is applied to their work, compared, say, to the work performed by the manager of a Sydney cafe, or the man who walks into that cafe and ends up killing people. Is that a different kind of mercy, perhaps?

Or what about the mercy your God deals out to those affected by the commerce undertaken by those drug dealers? Are they exempt from mercy, perhaps, or does the concept not apply at all? Or the mercy shown to parents grieving for their young daughter, who didn't survive a music concert because your God was busy being merciful elsewhere?

And what is this I see?

"Michael Jensen is the rector of St Mark's Anglican Church at Darling Point. He has a doctorate in Moral Theology"

"Moral Theology"? An inadvertent oxymoron, perhaps?

But at least it admits the existence of Immoral Theology, whose influence on the church I have long suspected.
Posted by Pericles, Monday, 2 March 2015 11:08:24 AM
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Pretentious clap-trap all the way down!
Posted by Daffy Duck, Monday, 2 March 2015 11:35:28 AM
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David F , spot on
Posted by Ojnab, Monday, 2 March 2015 3:51:29 PM
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What a bunch of nitwits. The collective reasoning power and imagination of a z86 between the lot of you.
Posted by Craig Minns, Monday, 2 March 2015 7:04:18 PM
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It seems that Michael is encouraging readers to consider the profundity of evil/sin, mercy and the work of Jesus Christ. Each of these concepts easily incite anger, as is evident in the above responses.

These responses (including their relative lack of attention to the content of the article) illustrate that these really are important, passion-raising issues to meditate on.

Michael obviously thinks that some grand resolution is provided, involving all three. This is indeed a weighty claim. His piece warrants careful study rather than rash abuse.
Posted by Snick, Monday, 2 March 2015 9:51:36 PM
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One wonders how long these alleged 'conversions' will last should the prisoners succeed in being released and make their way back to Australia. But it says something about the ongoing decline of Christianity that the only thing which can produce a noteworthy conversion to it now is the imminent threat of death.
Posted by Jon J, Tuesday, 3 March 2015 6:14:45 AM
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Snick, I'll just agree with you. I've had altogether enough of trying to hold intelligent discussions on this site, amid the crowds of the proudly ignorant.

JonJ, I think it says a great deal more about people that they flock to proclaim their religious devotion to scientism, when they understand the nature of science even less than the nature of religion.

http://motls.blogspot.com/2015/02/how-science-celebrities-often-hurt.html
Posted by Craig Minns, Tuesday, 3 March 2015 7:50:56 AM
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it is clear how dishonest you are David f in the way you represent thye God of Israel. It shows how pitiful your judgement is in the assesment of yourselves and others.
Posted by runner, Tuesday, 3 March 2015 10:27:35 AM
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A valuable contribution to the discussion, Craig Minns, thank you.

>>Snick, I'll just agree with you. I've had altogether enough of trying to hold intelligent discussions on this site, amid the crowds of the proudly ignorant.<<

Anger, Snick?

>>It seems that Michael is encouraging readers to consider the profundity of evil/sin, mercy and the work of Jesus Christ. Each of these concepts easily incite anger, as is evident in the above responses.<<

Hardly.

Questioning, certainly. But I didn't spot any anger here. Except for Craig Minns, of course.

Happy to contemplate the profundity of evil. Or "sin", as you call it. It has long been a part of the human condition that resists intelligent analysis, leaving it both open to Socratic enquiry...

http://www.socraticmethod.net/socratic_essay_nature_of_human_evil.htm

...and prey to supernaturalist filmmakers.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/brick-brick/201402/what-does-our-zombie-attraction-say-about-us

Happy also to accept that "the work of Jesus Christ" appeals to a certain percentage of the population, as a focal point for their own version of morality.

But I do not accept that "mercy" is a quality that can be applied to one specific situation, as the author here alleges, when there are plenty of far more deserving cases within the immediate vicinity of these two drug dealers.
Posted by Pericles, Tuesday, 3 March 2015 12:17:24 PM
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No anger, "pericles" (a misnomer ever there was one), merely resigned disappointment.

It would be nice to think that those who are able to hold decent conversations were in the majority here, or at least sufficiently numerous that the vast hordes of ignoranti could be themselves ignored.

Since it isn't the case and since you and your fellows are obviously vastly more skilled at the art of meaningless chatter than I am, I can do little but acknowledge the reality of the situation and leave you to your mewling.
Posted by Craig Minns, Tuesday, 3 March 2015 12:53:05 PM
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Bye.

>>Since it isn't the case and since you and your fellows are obviously vastly more skilled at the art of meaningless chatter than I am, I can do little but acknowledge the reality of the situation and leave you to your mewling.<<
Posted by Pericles, Tuesday, 3 March 2015 2:29:12 PM
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