I cast you in that role

An anonymous commenter over at the Atheist Experience offers this modern version of "And God hardened Pharaoh's heart":

Anon: No matter what you believe God is responsible for the outcome, be it repentance or hardening. I pray in your case it is repentance.

Amazing.

If God is responsible for whether people repent or have their hearts hardened, then in what way is it people's fault? In what way did Pharaoh (much less his people) deserve what happened to them? Though to God's credit he did admit that he was doing it to impress people:

Exodus 7:3-4 And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt.But Pharaoh shall not hearken unto you, that I may lay my hand upon Egypt, and bring forth mine armies, and my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments. Exodus 10:1-2 And the LORD said unto Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh: for I have hardened his heart, and the heart of his servants, that I might shew these my signs before him: And that thou mayest tell in the ears of thy son, and of thy son's son, what things I have wrought in Egypt, and my signs which I have done among them; that ye may know how that I am the LORD. Exodus 11:9-10 And the LORD said unto Moses, Pharaoh shall not hearken unto you; that my wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt. And Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh: and the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart, so that he would not let the children of Israel go out of his land. Exodus 14:1,4, 17-18 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, ...And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, that he shall follow after them; and I will be honoured upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host; that the Egyptians may know that I am the LORD. And they did so. ... And I, behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them: and I will get me honour upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen. And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I have gotten me honour upon Pharaoh, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen.

And trust me: if you read Exodus you'll see I took a lot of the "the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart"s out of that excerpt...

It reminds me of an old Sinfest cartoon


(Granted, I think orthodox Christianity says the devil rebelled against God, but ... isn't this kind of a familiar story by now? God creates someone (devil, Adam, Pharaoh) and then makes him rebel/disobey/refuse to listen) and then punishes him for it. And why? Sinfest's devil puts it like this:


which is exactly the same thing, really, as "that I might shew these my signs before him: And that thou mayest tell in the ears of thy son, and of thy son's son, what things I have wrought in Egypt, and my signs which I have done among them." Isn't it?

But back to Anon - he's seriously saying that if Martin's fate is "hardening" it will be God who "is responsible for the outcome", but Martin who will go to hell.

And Anon will praise God for it.

That is one warped view of life.