A while ago I posted the fact that I may be atheist or some sort of non-religious person (Christian). I also pointed to the story of Job as an example of why I think the God of the bible cannot possibly exist as the bible says. All those who have deconverted to atheism or agnosticism have something that turned them, whether it be contradictions with religious doctrine or the belief in reality (i.e. science) rather than fiction. For me it is the story of Job. I’m not completely “deconverted” but this is a story that I have trouble reconciling with. Before we get into the story of Job, we need to give an idea of what the God of the bible is according to Christian doctrine.
God is a being who has always existed. Nothing created him/her. They are omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent, and omnibenevolent. They are infallible in every aspect of being. Nothing nor anyone in existence is as perfect as this God. They are also an all-loving being who unconditionally loves their creation, us. That is God, as I understand it from what I’ve grown up to believe.
On to Job. The story of Job is kind of depressing and scary at the same time. Job is this devout believer in God. Job was also very wealthy.
“(1) In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil. (2) He had seven sons and three daughters, (3) and he owned seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen and five hundred donkeys, and had a large number of servants. He was the greatest man among all the people of the East. – Bible (NIV); Job 1:1-3
Then along comes Satan with an escort of angels. God asks Satan where he has been and Satan replies that he has been roaming the earth. In Job 1:8 God asks Satan to consider Job one of God’s prized individuals of the world. Satan replies:
“(9) ‘Does Job fear God for nothing?’ Satan replied. (10) ‘Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. (11) But stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.’” – Bible (NIV); Job 1:9-11
This is obviously a bet. Satan basically said, “I bet if you take all that Job has, he’ll abandon you.” What does God do?
“(12) The LORD said to Satan, ‘Very well, then, everything he has is in your hands, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.’ Then Satan went out from the presence of the LORD.” – Bible (NIV); Job 1:12
God allows Satan to screw with Job’s life. So what does God allow to happen, keeping in mind this being is supposed to be omnibenevolent.
“(13) One day when Job’s sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother’s house, (14) a messenger came to Job and said, ‘The oxen were plowing and the donkeys were grazing nearby, (15) and the Sabeans attacked and carried them off. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!’
(16) While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, ‘The fire of God fell from the sky and burned up the sheep and the servants, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!’
(17) While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, ‘The Chaldeans formed three raiding parties and swept down on your camels and carried them off. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!’
(18) While he was still speaking, yet another messenger came and said, ‘Your sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother’s house, (19) when suddenly a mighty wind swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of the house. It collapsed on them and they are dead, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!‘” – Bible (NIV); Job 1:13-19
And if that wasn’t enough, Satan wanted to take it farther and you guessed it, God obliges his enemy.
“(4) ‘Skin for skin!’ Satan replied. ‘A man will give all he has for his own life. (5) But stretch out your hand and strike his flesh and bones, and he will surely curse you to your face.’
(6) The LORD said to Satan, ‘Very well, then, he is in your hands; but you must spare his life.’
(7) So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD and afflicted Job with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. (8) Then Job took a piece of broken pottery and scraped himself with it as he sat among the ashes.” – Bible (NIV); Job 2:4-7
The first time God asks Satan to not touch Job but could take away everything else. The second time God asks Satan to spare Job’s life but could this time inflict bodily harm to him. God is supposed to be omnibenevolent (all-good) how is what God is doing, benevolent in any way? If it’s going to benefit by strengthening Job’s faith later, then the process of strengthening is not benevolent. There’s nothing good about allowing your enemy to kill the family of someone, who you claim to love, to prove a point to that enemy. It wasn’t as if Job happily took this in stride, the bible says that he suffered greatly (Job 2:13) to the point where he cursed the day that he was born in chapter 3. Again benevolence is in question. After 36 chapters of Job’s suffering and conversations with his friends, God decides to speak to him by going on this rant of questions referring to God’s power. Then for Job’s obedience for not getting upset with God for his losses, God rewards him:
“(10) After Job had prayed for his friends, the LORD made him prosperous again and gave him twice as much as he had before. (11) All his brothers and sisters and everyone who had known him before came and ate with him in his house. They comforted and consoled him over all the trouble the LORD had brought upon him, and each one gave him a piece of silver and a gold ring.
(12) The LORD blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the first. He had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen and a thousand donkeys. (13) And he also had seven sons and three daughters. (14) The first daughter he named Jemimah, the second Keziah and the third Keren-Happuch. (15) Nowhere in all the land were there found women as beautiful as Job’s daughters, and their father granted them an inheritance along with their brothers.” – Bible (NIV); Job 42:10-15
I think this trivializes his first family. What basically happened was God allowed Satan to kill off Job’s livestock and family. Then after some time God basically says, “here’s a new family for your troubles” and Job happily accepts and lives out the rest of his days. I mean, come on, this is God making an example of someone and their life to prove something to someone he doesn’t even like. This whole ordeal is unnecessary. It’s wrong. Anyone who does something like this would be put in jail and rightfully so.
This is scary because a being that claims to love their creation, is willing to do this. God was willing to inhibit his power of intervention to allow harm to someone he loves. If this is this being’s idea of love, then I don’t want to be loved by this being knowing that at any moment I could be made an example of just to prove a point. No thank you. You could also ask, which being was perceived as more “evil” than the other in this story? Was it Satan (ignoring the assumptions)? Or was it God, who obliged a bet and allowed Satan to do what he did? I can’t seem to reconcile the omnibenevolence of this God and what the bible says he did and how it could be interpreted as something good that happened to Job.
This story is just one of many stories that don’t make sense in the context of a God described by the bible. It is also not the sole story that got me thinking to become an atheist or agnostic.
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