As for the topic of the thread, we are talking about gods.
Yes, we've assumed the Calvinist 'god' to be a nazi god of sorts, whose love is selective at best, and whose will includes the eternal suffering, torment or utter destruction of a group of souls, just because he happened to specially pick them to be 'damned', and only elected a small group for his bestowed salvation, wholly unmerited, and utterly non-dependent of their own will and choice. YES, this makes for a maniacal 'god' at best, and the exuse for this 'god' being "he is 'God' so he can do as he pleases!" is ludicrous. One cannot worship a 'god' who goes contrary to conscience.
You disobey God when you go to other gods for understanding and knowledge.
Well, thats a matter of interpretation. There is One 'God',...yet many forms, pathways, tributaries, personifications, images, and names of this One 'God'.
Pate's God is worse than a Nazi God because Pate's God condemns those who obey Him to get saved.
A matter of 'interpretation' again. Any lover of God will naturally strive to 'obey' his God's laws and principled teachings, because they are true, good and lawful. Any transgression of natural or divine law is 'sin', anything missing the mark of love (divine perfection and fullness) is 'sin'. Until we are wholly perfected in love, living by love's perfect law, perfect even as 'God' is perfect,...there will be some taint or imperfection of 'sin' in us. We are striving towards perfection in the divine nature while in these carnal bodies, so 'sanctification' is a 'process', no matter our view of what comes first...."the chicken or the egg?" - to use the metaphor we alluded to earlier.
All is by God's grace. We can respond and co-operate, partnership with God, and choose life or death, blessings or suffering, but some things are 'conditioned' by various factors, but God's will of course is always good, since his nature is LOVE. Until we are perfect in love, there is some 'sin' still existing in some form, some lack, impurity, imperfection existing. - we can therefore OBEY as our will to do so has the lead over all other desires, as the Spirit inspires and empowers that 'obedience'. But 'sin' can still gain the upper hand, depending on what influence you yield to.
