IF THERE IS A GOD THEN HOW YOU CAN BE EQUALS WITH HIM
Suppose God, or a godlike being, exists.
Suppose she/he is almighty and all-good. She/he is more powerful than us. Unlike
us, she/he is perfect. She/he is our maker. But she/he is not our ruler. She/he
is our Parent - our Mother-Father or Father-Mother.
The divine cannot consider us to be her/his children unless she/he considers us
equal in value to her/himself. Parents do not own their children – they have to
look after them and nurture them but they are not superior to their children in
value. We would have to be made Gods by rank if it is not possible for us to be
made Gods by nature. The idea that we all must treat God as special would be
out. We are all special.
The divine has everything she/he needs. She/he has the right to be loved by us
not because she/he needs it – she/he doesn’t but because it is right to love and
respect all persons. In other words, the divine must not be honoured any more
than yourself or another person.
She/he made us to enjoy our lives. Like all parents the divine raises us so that
we might live our own lives. Atheism or not, it is atheism in practice.
Once we understand that the divine is mama and daddy, we see that there is no
room for loving her/him so much that we would kill or hurt people for her/him.
Prophets have come and gone saying that we cannot understand what God is
planning. Some have even claimed that he wants us to kill for some purpose of
his that justifies killing and that we must not question but simply obey. Belief
in one supreme divine authority leads to such dangers. God is friend not
authority if she or he exists.
God makes us equal with him though we are not when he calls us children and says we are made in his image. But if we think we are credited equal with him though we are not we will soon start parading around as if we were gods.
Some say that they see no good in a vicious person except that they are the image of God. Either they don't think God regards all as equal or that being the image of God makes us all equal. Now the Bible does say that God made his children to be like him. They are made in his image. But there is the sting. It says you are made to live up to that image. So not only does it declare you to be like God but having to live up to that likeness as well. Thus the person who defaces the image is going to be "less" than one who shines like God's handmirror.
Religion says that morality as in principles of justice and love and respect is not the same as the rules about how to implement them. God makes laws based on his having the complete picture of what works best. It does not follow that God could not have done it differently. He could. He could look and find there are a million ways that point to being the best. He can just choose one for he has to choose something. He cannot see what would happen if you smothered Hitler to death as a baby in order to save lives. He cannot see a future that will not happen. So that means he has to give us the right to say he should have done things differently. I may not want the best he has chosen but another best. Also, as God cannot see a fictitious future to determine what was or will be best it may be that what he settled on is in fact NOT the real best. So again we have to be allowed to dispute him. Religion says God gives you your conscience and you can deform it but it is still about keeping you doing right and avoiding doing wrong. This is not fair for it is not that simple. Thus the seeming arrogance in opposing an all-knowing and all-loving God vanishes as long as it is in the name of truth and your right to disagree.
FINALLY
You can be a believer in God and still declare your independence
from theistic morals and religious mores as much as an atheist can.
