The idea that with godlike power comes godlike virtue is a relatively recent one, no?

I had never considered that. Perhaps I assume that generations who lived during the Old Testament were accustomed to being ruled by fear, whether it be fear of starvation and the elements, gods, or kings, just as many Fundamentalists now tend to be ruled by fear of punishment or to control others by instilling in them a fear of punishment. Many folks don't want to reason or formulate their own set of morals; they just want to be told what to do and believe. Yet as many societies evolve technologically their members have more time to think about spiritual issues if they choose and to ponder motivations other than fear.

Truth be told, I've had so much influence from what is/was called New Age ideas that I have a very liberal understanding of God. I opted out of church in high school because I felt more sanctity in a walk through the woods than a morning listening to sermons. I feel God in everything and everyone around me; whether there exists an entity separate from that I cannot say.

When I've read or talked to persons who claimed to "channel" information from "evolved spirits" (like I said, I don't care whether they really do that, I just care about the message), what I saw at the base of their message was an unconditional, transcendent, spiritual love for the potential of every living being. And a complete lack of judgment due to an acceptance that each being reaches its potential on its own path and in its own time. Those were the most powerful emotions I've ever been witness to. I have not met a human in whom I've seen that level virtue (and in the "channeler" only when she was in her "altered state"), but I see glimpses of it in the writings of the Dalai Lama. And so I presume that is the state into which we aspire to evolve. (Just to clarify, the channeler's motivation was not money as she did not charge me, she told me things she should not possibly have known, and the transformation in her eyes as she began to speak was unlike anything else I've ever seen. I never understood spiritual love until then.)

I would not respect a God who is not at least that evolved. I would not respect a God who willfully destroys, just as I would not respect a human who willfully destroys. That, for me, is the antithesis of God. People claim that we are the children of God. I'm a mere mortal, yet I would never willfully harm my child just because she did not treat me the way I wanted her to. Despite her mistakes, I still love her potential and give her the freedom to learn in her own time. I cannot and will not dictate what she should be, aside from protecting her safety and providing guidance as appropriate through her various stages as she grows toward adulthood. I will step in to prevent her from injuring herself or another. I certainly don't ask her to do as I say and not as I do...oops, yes I do. :-)

I guess I cannot reconcile my views with the God of the Old Testament, so I tend to ignore that aspect of the Old Testament. They preached a more benevolent God in the New Testament.

End of Part 1 (due to exceeding LJ's word limit. Didn't know they had one.)