"The god of the Christians, as we have seen, is the god who makes promises only to break them; who sends them pestilence and disease in order to heal them; a god who demoralizes mankind in order to improve it"
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Johann Most, a 19th-century German-American political activist and anarchist, was known for his critique of religious beliefs, particularly Christianity, which he frequently considered as a tool for social control and ethical contradiction. His quote, "The god of the Christians, as we have seen, is the god who makes promises only to break them; who sends them plague and disease in order to recover them; a god who demoralizes humanity in order to improve it", encapsulates this review by highlighting what he views as the inherent contradictions and ethical predicaments within the Christian understanding of God.
To start with, Most starts by suggesting that the Christian God is one who makes guarantees with the intention, not of keeping them, but of breaking them. This can be translated as a critique of the perceived inconsistency in the satisfaction of magnificent promises, such as peace, salvation, or justice, often assured in scripture, yet relatively unsatisfied in reality. This could likewise be interpreted as a wider commentary on the often conditional and delayed nature of divine promises, which need faith and perseverance however might result in disillusionment.
Second of all, by specifying that God sends out pestilence and illness in order to recover, Most indicate the paradox of a kindhearted deity who enables suffering as a method to an end. This is a difficulty to theodicy, the defense of God's goodness in the face of evil, questioning why a caring and supreme God would use suffering as a tool for a higher purpose when more direct ways could be offered.
Finally, the assertion that God demoralizes humankind to improve it speaks with the concept that the trials and tribulations faced by human beings are supposedly for ethical or spiritual growth. This critique challenges the concept of redemptive suffering, questioning why an all-powerful deity would select such an unpleasant path for human development. It also reflects a skepticism towards teachings that fix up suffering with magnificent altruism and highlight the inconsistent expectations placed upon followers-- towards obedience and faith in the face of existential and moral difficulties.
In essence, Most's review is a call to analyze the ethical and philosophical contradictions within Christianity, prompting a reconsideration of how magnificent qualities are fixed up with the lived human experience of suffering and morality.
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