God's Ways Are Higher Than Ours

A few years ago now, I participated in an impromptu religious debate on a university campus, between a Muslim, a Christian, and an Atheist (myself). I was at a bit of a disadvantage being much less familiar with Islam than with Christianity, but at one point in the conversation I characterized the Abrahamic deity as a bloodthirsty maniac, especially focusing on Hosea 13:16 in which Yahweh commands the death of the people of Samaria, to include young children, and even commands that the pregnant women be ripped open. The Christian among us responded that Yahweh is loving and so she could not imagine him ever commanding the death of children, to which I responded, "You don't have to imagine it, it's right there in the Bible!"

Again, I must stress that this was an impromptu debate between students. None of us had had time to prepare, so I can hardly fault her for not being ready with a response. At any rate, she was clearly taken aback by this Bible story that she had clearly never heard about in church or read on her own, and was silent for a few moments before responding that Yahweh is perfect and just, and therefore he must've had a good reason for that command that we simply can't understand. After all, the ways of God are higher than the ways of man. 

Now, at this point, the tempting thing for most atheists is to roll their eyes and dismiss this as so much vacuous nonsense. The issue with that is that many Christians are prone to making similar arguments, and - if you already believe Christianity - this seems like a good and reasonable response. After all, certainly the all-knowing creator of the universe would be able to see and understand things on a level that we can't fathom... so certainly some of his actions would appear strange to us. Simply dismissing the argument out of hand doesn't help the Christian (or anyone else who may be listening) understand why it's a bad argument, so I'd like to take this post to dissect the argument that Yahweh is just, but sometimes his justice is just beyond our comprehension.

One Cannot Self-Identify as "Just" 

There are two main ways to interpret the phrase "Yahweh is just."

1) Yahweh is just because he performs just actions and makes just decrees.

2) Actions and decrees are just because Yahweh performs or makes them.

Many Christians are hesitant to adopt the first definition, because it implies that there is a standard outside of Yahweh, that Yahweh himself must adhere to. Many Christians believe that Yahweh himself is the standard, so they go with the second definition. Bearing that in mind allow me to pose a hypothetical:

Let us say that tomorrow the voice of Yahweh were to come booming down from the heavens for all to hear. He decrees "Every person with a living grandparent, must go forth and beat their grandparents to death with their bare hands". And this isn't a test like with Abraham. No, Yahweh's demand is sincere and his wrath will be visited on anyone who does not comply. A few people refuse, and Yahweh takes on physical form and beats those people's grandparents to death himself. From there he decides that every puppy and kitten in the world must be strangled to death by its owner, and Yahweh personally finds every puppy and kitten that doesn't have an owner, and strangles them to death.

Now, I imagine most Christians would say "God would never do that!", so allow me to ask "Why not?"

If your answer is something like: "Because that would be malicious and unconscionably evil!" then we cannot believe that actions are just because Yahweh performs them. If Yahweh performing the action, or making the decree, is what makes those things just (see definition 2), then the simple act of Yahweh giving the order would suffice to make it just, and would make the refusal to obey unjust.

To say that Yahweh would never give such an order because it would be unjust is to acknowledge that Yahweh is not the standard. It acknowledges that justice is separate from Yahweh, and that Yahweh must do just things in order to be just (see definition 1). 

In short, one cannot self-identify as "Just". One cannot simply say "I am just" and automatically have their every action be above scrutiny. One is just when others can examine their actions and (at a bare minimum) not be appalled by them.

Surely There Must Be A Reason 

Now, our brief evaluation of what it means for one to be "just" does not itself completely unravel the argument that was presented to me. After all, there is always the possibility that Yahweh - whose ways are higher than ours - had a good reason.

The problem is that we're never presented with one. Yahweh states that Samaria has rebelled against him, so their punishment is to be invaded by a foreign army, who will slaughter the children and rip open the pregnant women. What the children and the fetuses could've possibly done to deserve it is never so much as touched on.

As an example of a time when Yahweh actually does explain himself, consider Job 38-41. Job has spent the last 20 chapters questioning "Why does God punish me so when I have done nothing wrong?" The reader knows that this is a test. The reader knows that Satan came before Yahweh and challenged Yahweh to a bet that causing Job to suffer would cause him to turn against Yahweh. But Job does not know this, and has spent 20 chapters speaking with friends trying to make this make sense.

At last, in Job 38 Yahweh presents himself and spends four chapters answering this question. And what is his answer? Not "This was all a test", not "It is not I, but Satan who causes you to suffer", not any sort of appeal to any moral principle whatsoever. Instead, Yahweh asks Job "How dare you question me? Where were you when I created the earth? How many times have you made the sun rise? How many creatures have you created?" and so on. In fact 123 of the 129 verses of these four chapters are Yahweh saying "I am the most powerful being in the world, and so I can do whatever I like, to whomever I like, for whatever reason I like." A full 123 verses of "Might makes right, and so I have the right to torture anyone I like, for any reason, or for no reason at all."

Is this the response of a just god? Is this a god whose thoughts are higher than ours?

I will confess that this answer of "might makes right" does indeed border on being incomprehensible, but not because of the profound depth of thought that it requires, or because the wisdom of it is beyond human comprehension. On the contrary, it is nearly incomprehensible in its small-mindedness. It is beyond human understanding in its utter disregard (bordering on contempt) for morality and justice. It is unintelligible in its disdain for humanity, as Yahweh permitted the slaughter of Job's ten children in Job 1, and then made it up to him by giving Job ten more children in Job 42:13, as though children are interchangeable and slaughtering his ten children and then giving him ten more "makes it even".

These are not the words of a just deity, or of one whose "ways are higher than ours". These are the words of a petty and petulant child tyrant. 

In Closing

In short "just" is not something that one can self-identify as. Being described as "just" must be earned by holding one's self to a high code of behavior. That requirement is all the more stringent if you wish to be known as "all-just". As such, one cannot simply say "Well, Yahweh is just so he must have had a reason" to excuse any action. Instead, one must supply that reason in order to prove that Yahweh should still be considered all-just despite actions and decrees that seem to disprove it. And if no reasonable justification can be provided, then one should conclude the action or decree was indeed unjust and that - as a result - Yhwh is undeserving of the title "all-just".