Is it? The fact you can do unlimited evil and be just fine as long as you lick the right boots sounds pretty horrible.
All in all, from your description the god is a pretty despicable being.
If you have kids, and they make bad choices, do you want them to be in prison forever or reform into a better life?
Does someone who sees the best in someone and love them want to hurt them? Or do just enough damage to teach the lesson while getting back into a positive relationship with them?
While Hell is for being God’s enemy, do you think a person who commits finite sins against other people whose damage does away after death should receive infinite punishment? Or should the punishment be related to the damage done? And should they ever receive mercy in sentencing if truly repentant?
God is justice but He is love. He does both. His Word says “I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked but would rather they turn and live.” His love outweighs His justice if people truly repent.
There’s also eternity to think about. Even the worst things here are barely a blink of an eye in eternity. I’d rather the people who abused me, of which there were many, not burn alive in a lake of fire forever and ever. I was spared for my sins and I’d like them to be.
People who come to Christ are transformed into new people who often don’t think in the worst ways they used to. People in my life now barely believe my testimony saying I could never be that person. Yet, they’ve seen others transformed, too. God will finish it later by removing our sinful nature entirely as a gift for loyalty.
Punishing the repentant person, who is a new creation, would be more like punishing a person who didn’t commit the crime. That they’ve walked away from sins that now disgust them is good enough for me. I’d rather see the character of Christ expressed through them. I want to see the good works God prepared beforehand when He predistined them to be redeemed. I also love hearing the testimonies of what they were and what God is doing now.
You are a great person, but grew up in an atheist household? Straight to hell.
You're a mass murderer, but convert to Christianity on your deathbed? Welcome to heaven, my friend!
I know it wasn't your intent, but we have to by effects, not intent (https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=true&sor...) and the effects are clear—I don't just mean in this case, but in the general case.
"and it destroys the free exchange of views by ruining the container—the community and site—that supports it. The container is fragile and needs protecting."
"it's the difference between users who comment with care for the whole and those who don't"
I believe these two summarize your top goal. There's a higher goal that we're to balance which is giving glory to God (Jesus Christ) while leading others back into a relationship with Him. While it bothers some, I'm not ashamed of the Gospel since Christ is the only name by which men can be saved. Sharing Christ with a community creates eternal value for them on top of existing, temporary value. Also, a life of purpose with access to God in prayer to help live it effectively.
Whereas, a community of people, or moderators, who suppress the Gospel of Jesus Christ will face severe consequences the day He judges their lives. The thought of people here experiencing that saddens me. The risk goes up if you allowed things that mock the same God. Recent example in this story:
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42369233
Far as "troll effects," that won't be a problem for open-minded, humble people. The Father draws them to Himself. His Word is living and active where the Creator of our brain causes it to know it's true on a deep level. If they act on that, they'll repent and be grateful for all the Lord Jesus Christ does for them. God's Word never returns void if shared.
"[Jesus said,] But the things which proceed out of the mouth come out of the heart, and they defile the man. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, sexual sins, thefts, false testimony, and blasphemies." (Matt. 15:18)
If they hate God's authority or love their sin, they react highly negatively in a way that shows how wicked their hearts are. Jesus says we're judged only for giving them a chance, not their rejection of Him. If they admonish or censor, I believe Christ expects authorities to address their reactions, not censor the Gospel.
(Note: One person here did find some of the comments insightful. Others might have been built up. That's some success.)
Now, I'm certainly willing to reflect or share Christ in the same ways people here do other topics. Especially controversial ones. I see submissions, corroborating points from different perspective with helpful advice (I did that here), counterpoints asking their thoughts, and personal expression of beliefs in on-topic comments.
Are these allowed for Christians like they are for other topics, some controversial? Or are you banning sharing the Gospel on Hacker News where readers can't receive eternal salvation here? Shouldn't we let them decide if they burn in a lake of fire for their sins or receive Jesus Christ's gift of forgiveness?
God is sovereign which means He can do what He pleases. He created us to worship Him and love each other. He’s also painting a story of humanity that shows who He is (all attributes), who we are, and how that interacts. We are all part of the story He is telling whether we want to be or not. Christ dying for unworthy, unrepentant people to redeem and adopt them as His children is the climax of His love story.
God making us in His image means He makes us autonomous: free agents able to choose good or evil. He also allows the consequences of both. On an eternal level, choosing Christ leads to life while betraying a perfect, everlasting God leads to eternal punishment. On earthly level, our choices impact us, our families, and our societies. God lets most play out with minimal intervention. If His children ask Him (pray), He sometimes intervenes on those same levels to help them.
We’re also in it together. God judges our actions as individuals, families, nations, and even humanity as a whole. He blesses obedience and curses disobedience which includes, per Deuteronomy 27-30, both fertility rates and our health.
We also see most harms are directly tied to selfish, sinful behavior of humans (consequences of choices). His wrath is often letting our choices hurt us so we or others will learn from it. Ex: My PTSD was caused by others’ sins but my liver problems came from mine. Many health problems are caused by our diets, how we process food, and stressful choices. Our public policies, including financial investments, can help or hurt people. Individually and nationally, we can intervene (or not) to help the helpless or restrain evil. Choices -> consequences.
That all of humanity rebels against God, even daily choosing evil, requires a holy God to respond to that. Genesis 3 and 4 said He cursed the Earth with hard labor, childbearing pain, and death itself. People didn’t repent. So, that form of His wrath continues as both justice and tough love to inspire repentance.
That’s why children die. They die because everyone opposes God to a degree which forgoes protections, like against natural causes, that are conditional on collective obedience. They die because we poison our environment, our bodies, and so on. They die when people neglect them or kill them, inside and outside the womb. We’re tested where some have conditions that can be treated but we’re too selfish to allocate the resources that way. Then, people mistreat them as adults, too.
So, the combo is the moral law of God that rewards/punishes choices, free will means we can earn justice for evil choices, that our choices affect other people, and a holy God always punishes sin somehow. That creates all suffering on the Earth. People also stay evil even when we tell them that which justifies God’s wrath even more.
Yet, God so loved the world that He gave His only Son so that whoever believes in Him shall never perish but have eternal life. Whoever confessed Jesus is Lord will be saved. He’ll help them transform, too. Repent and choose life. That He offers these things to wicked people, even guaranteeing their salvation by Jesus’ own blood, is the Good News.