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Difference between revisions of "Question: Why would a loving God would kill innocent children in the flood of Noah's day?"
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==Question: Why would a loving God would kill innocent children in the flood of Noah's day?== | ==Question: Why would a loving God would kill innocent children in the flood of Noah's day?== | ||
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2. The peculiar brand of wickedness that made the Flood mandatory. | 2. The peculiar brand of wickedness that made the Flood mandatory. | ||
3. The frank challenge of the wicked to have God do his worst. | 3. The frank challenge of the wicked to have God do his worst. | ||
| − | 4. The happy and beneficial side of the event—it did have a happy outcome. <ref>Hugh Nibley, ''Enoch the Prophet'', pp. 4–5.</ref> | + | 4. The happy and beneficial side of the event—it did have a happy outcome.<ref>Hugh Nibley, ''Enoch the Prophet'', pp. 4–5.</ref> |
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In the JST, God didn’t unleash nature; he held it back as long as he could. | In the JST, God didn’t unleash nature; he held it back as long as he could. | ||
| − | Thus, rather than seeing God as capricious or a type of genocidal maniac, LDS scripture shows him exercising incredible restraint and only issuing the flood when there was no other option. Further, God makes ample provision for the salvation of all his children, and in LDS theology would not condemn children to hell, but instead exalts them ({{s||Mosiah|3|18-21}}, {{s||Mosiah|15|25}}, {{s|| | + | Thus, rather than seeing God as capricious or a type of genocidal maniac, LDS scripture shows him exercising incredible restraint and only issuing the flood when there was no other option. Further, God makes ample provision for the salvation of all his children, and in LDS theology would not condemn children to hell, but instead exalts them ({{s||Mosiah|3|18-21}}, {{s||Mosiah|15|25}}, {{s||D&C|29|46-47}}, {{s||D&C|74|7}}). |
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| + | ===There is also concern about the actuality of the flood=== | ||
| + | It should be noted that scholars still debate the purpose and the actuality of the flood narrative in the Bible. Thus, God really might not have committed any such "genocide" at all. See [https://www.fairmormon.org/answers/Mormonism_and_science/Global_or_local_Flood here] for more information regarding that. | ||
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[[Category:Letter to a CES Director]] | [[Category:Letter to a CES Director]] | ||
[[es:Pregunta: ¿Por qué un Dios amoroso mataría a niños inocentes en el diluvio de los días de Noé?]] | [[es:Pregunta: ¿Por qué un Dios amoroso mataría a niños inocentes en el diluvio de los días de Noé?]] | ||
[[pt:Pergunta: Por que um Deus amoroso iria matar crianças inocentes no dilúvio dos dias de Noé?]] | [[pt:Pergunta: Por que um Deus amoroso iria matar crianças inocentes no dilúvio dos dias de Noé?]] | ||
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Latest revision as of 15:40, 13 April 2024
FAIR Answers—back to home page
Question: Why would a loving God would kill innocent children in the flood of Noah's day?
LDS scripture shows God exercising incredible restraint and only issuing the flood when there was no other option
Hugh Nibley wrote:
In giving us a much fuller account than the Bible of how the Flood came about, the [Enoch material in the Book of Moses] settles the moral issue with several telling parts: 1. God’s reluctance to send the Flood and his great sorrow at the event. 2. The peculiar brand of wickedness that made the Flood mandatory. 3. The frank challenge of the wicked to have God do his worst. 4. The happy and beneficial side of the event—it did have a happy outcome.[1]
The Joseph Smith Translation portrays God, and even nature itself, as mourning and weeping at the great sinfulness of mankind (Moses 7꞉28,37,40,45).
The depiction of the scene is so grim that Enoch himself begins to weep, but the Lord tells him, “Lift up your heart, and be glad; and look,” after which Enoch sees a vision of the earth repopulated from his righteous descendant, Noah and salvation coming through Christ (including little children) (Moses 7꞉44–45, see also Moroni 8꞉19 on salvation of children).
Enoch pleaded with the Lord, and the Lord delayed the Flood to give humanity another chance (Moses 7꞉50–52).
In the JST, God didn’t unleash nature; he held it back as long as he could.
Thus, rather than seeing God as capricious or a type of genocidal maniac, LDS scripture shows him exercising incredible restraint and only issuing the flood when there was no other option. Further, God makes ample provision for the salvation of all his children, and in LDS theology would not condemn children to hell, but instead exalts them (Mosiah 3꞉18-21, Mosiah 15꞉25, D&C 29꞉46-47, D&C 74꞉7).
There is also concern about the actuality of the flood
It should be noted that scholars still debate the purpose and the actuality of the flood narrative in the Bible. Thus, God really might not have committed any such "genocide" at all. See here for more information regarding that.
Notes
- ↑ Hugh Nibley, Enoch the Prophet, pp. 4–5.