The Scriptures Are Subjective

[Reader]

I doubt you will like this answer, but basically, Cognitive Dissonance. If I believe that here is only one God, Jesus, and I believe that the OT accounts are all entirely true, then to me, it's like saying that Jesus used to be a racist, sexist, genocidal baby-killer.

Those are pretty strong thoughts.

Jesus said that there was neither slave nor free, male nor female, Jew nor gentile. The OT God, definitely played favorites. For me, it's much easier to believe that the historical accounts have been tainted by infallible humanity than to accept some of the actions in the Bible attributed to God.

Paul wrote that about male/female, etc. But there are those that discount whatever Paul taught.

Do you have difficulty believing God called a group of people to reveal himself through in the Old Testament? That he gave them a land that others were living in and that many of those people were killed?

Might I ask how you do decide how God is, since you disbelieve accounts in the Old Testament?

[Dichotomy Girl]

Originally Posted by Reader

Those are pretty strong thoughts.

Yeah. I went through a very dark time years back. I never lost the belief that God existed, but for a long time I didn't think he was good. And I didn't know how to deal with that. And then I thought of that verse in Colossians that talks about Jesus being the Image of the invisible God. And I thought of Jesus being the ultimate revelation of God. So when I had "God is horrible/mean/capricious/cruel/arbitrary" thoughts, I would filter those through the words and actions of Jesus. And things attributed to God that seemed to not match Jesus' Character. Well, I kind of filed them off to the side.

Those actions that I mentioned that happened in the OT, they just seem completely out of character for Jesus.

Paul wrote that about male/female, etc. But there are those that discount whatever Paul taught.

Do you have difficulty believing God called a group of people to reveal himself through in the Old Testament? That he gave them a land that others were living in and that many of those people were killed?

Might I ask how you do decide how God is, since you disbelieve accounts in the Old Testament?

You are right, it was Paul saying it, but I think Jesus showed it by his actions, with the Samaritan woman, the woman with the issue of blood, the Centurion, etc.

I don't necessarily have problems believing that God called a group of people and set them apart. I don't have a problem believing that he gave them a land all for their own. I don't have a problem believing that they killed to get that land. But I do find it hard to believe that it was God that commanded it.

I read an article by Greg Boyd years back, that was the closest anyone ever came to giving an acceptable ex plantation. I tried to find it, and couldn't, but I found this one and found it very interesting:

http://reknew.org/2009/07/jesus-repu...nt-violence-2/

[Carl]

Originally Posted by Dichotomy Girl

Yeah. I went through a very dark time years back. I never lost the belief that God existed, but for a long time I didn't think he was good. And I didn't know how to deal with that. And then I thought of that verse in Colossians that talks about Jesus being the Image of the invisible God. And I thought of Jesus being the ultimate revelation of God. So when I had "God is horrible/mean/capricious/cruel/arbitrary" thoughts, I would filter those through the words and actions of Jesus. And things attributed to God that seemed to not match Jesus' Character. Well, I kind of filed them off to the side.

Those actions that I mentioned that happened in the OT, they just seem completely out of character for Jesus.

You are right, it was Paul saying it, but I think Jesus showed it by his actions, with the Samaritan woman, the woman with the issue of blood, the Centurion, etc.

I don't necessarily have problems believing that God called a group of people and set them apart. I don't have a problem believing that he gave them a land all for their own. I don't have a problem believing that they killed to get that land. But I do find it hard to believe that it was God that commanded it.

I read an article by Greg Boyd years back, that was the closest anyone ever came to giving an acceptable ex plantation. I tried to find it, and couldn't, but I found this one and found it very interesting:

http://reknew.org/2009/07/jesus-repu...nt-violence-2/

I read Greg Boyd's book "Is God To Blame?" recently. Very good! It really helps to look at life through Jesus.