Quote:
Originally Posted by seekerman
There are many scriptures, especially in the OT, which are troubling to me, some have been posted in the thread. The question is, how are they reconciled with a loving God? How could such atrocities be Godly in any way? Personally, I have to settle in my heart that the stories are accurate, when they write 'God said to kill, pillage, ect.', is that what God actually told them to do?
I've wrestled with this from several views over the years and finally settled on the view that they are accurate stories reflecting God's instructions, like it or not. What one must realize is that the culture and behavior of the time was one of killiing, pillaging, ect. and for a group to survive, those things were part of survival. The Israelites weren't unique in their survival actions, they weren't different than any of the other groups who were also in survival by destroying their enemies mode. It's interesting that few, if any, point out the behavior of any other group who conquered through violent warlike actions, but because it's our God who's involved in the survival of a group of people who are doing the same as other groups, the actions are rejected and condemned.
If I had lived during that time, knew the hatred and cruelty of my enemies, I believe I would have participated in the actions recorded in those stories of the Old Testament. My survival, my family's survival and my nation's survival would have depended on it. While our survival isn't dependent on such actions today, for the world has changed tremendously since that time, I still participate in the protection of my survival, my family's survival and my nation's survival in the manner of current society and will continue to do so to whatever actions and level I need to assure that enemies don't destroy us.
Societies have changed, the world has changed and we're many times judging these least favorite scriptures through concepts and ideas which aren't acceptable in our time but were necessary in aeons past.
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Really? And then what do we do with "I am God, I change not"? I do not believe that this kind of behavior could have
ever been acceptable to a loving, moral being.
I am much more inclined to believe that the Bible is corrupt. That it has been used to further an agenda and altered at the whim of man from time immemorial. Anyone who can not see the the hundreds and even thousands of discrepancies in our modern versions of 'the Bible' lives in denial, IMO. I am sure that that Israel's elite had an agenda that included wanting to be seen as fierce and supported by the most high God in their ferocity and so wrote their stories so slanted in some cases.
I see that God does not today keep anyone from corrupting His 'word' and I have no reason to believe that he did so in the past either. Where we ever got the idea that there is an 'incorruptible' book I am not sure. I would guess that it comes from the same place as nonexistent concepts like the immortal soul, man's imagination.
I believe that a lot of what Jesus Christ spent his time trying to tell us was that traditions, writings (even ancient dusty ones), leaderships opinions, etc. really don't matter in the same way that living this life fully engaged and loving and helping humanity does.
I have no problem admitting that I have never given stories like this more than a cursory glance. I find them repulsive and not a reflection of the God that I know and love intimately at all. I was grossed out and completely freaked by reading them here. Again ewwww....
Not trying to rock anyone's boat, just being honest...
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