Comments on The Rebel God: Reading the Old Testament Through the Eyes of Jesu...

Norberto, I certainly agree that what matters is ...

2010-06-10T13:22:24.425-07:00

Norberto,

I certainly agree that what matters is what we learn from it. But do keep in mind that the message of "God hates sin and will destroy anyone who is sinful" is the opposite message of the story of the prodigal son where there father runs out to embrace his wayward son. One is a message of severe consequence and the other is a message of forgiveness. Mercilessness vs mercy.

The Bible as a whole should't be interpreted l...

2010-05-31T19:39:00.722-07:00

The Bible as a whole should't be interpreted literally by taking vesus out of context. The killing of inocent children, women and animals at Jericho by Joshua should not be consireded literally. The teachings of the Scriptures is what it counts. Whether the story of Jericho was real or just a story is irrelevant. The teaching of the story is that "God disaproves sin" Most pagans were inmoral and lowless people where promiscuity, adultery and sex with animals was common. We can apply the same analogy with Jesus teachings through parables. Was the story of the prodigal son real, or just a story to illustrate God's love for us sinners? It does not matter. What matters is what we learn from it.

I believe there is a good answer to all the above ...

2010-04-08T06:56:13.507-07:00

I believe there is a good answer to all the above comments. But the answer is far to detailed to leave in this post.

Check out thegoodnessofgod.com

God bless

put it in perspective, in our own lives, we have s...

2009-12-26T08:36:41.190-08:00

put it in perspective, in our own lives, we have seen over 100 million deaths in the 20th centery alone, from WW1, WW2, Korea, and Vietnam, As well as all the other wars fought on the planet during the 1900's. In our present wars in the middle east, children are killed. Everyone dies sometime, Cars kill peaple. Cellphones kill peaple. Peaple fall our of thier tub and die all the time. Abortions around the world must kill millions a year. So before you can condemn GOD, perhaps you must fimd a way to justify our own ways. To do this is impossible. Do you pay taxes. Then you and your Government have killed more than anyone who died in the Bible. In war sometimes the only answer is to destroy the enemy entirely or he will rise up again to cause more trouble later. Could this be why war is so evil. Is this why GOD orders the complete distruction of his enemies? Much of the old testement foreshadows the future. Using the Atomic bombs on Japan created one of our best friends in the Japanese. Would this have happened if we did not smash them, and Kill them in WW2? Did we smash North Korea, No, and they are still a threat. We will more than likely fight and kill their again. Things to think about.

Neil, I think that the root is way more political...

2009-07-05T09:27:20.891-07:00

Neil,

I think that the root is way more political than it is religious. Lots of atheist regimes have committed genocide too. So I don't think the problem is "moral guidance outside yourself" per se. I agree that we should not ever go against our own conscience. So if that's what you mean then I agree. But I think we do need to have morals that are bigger than ourselves, our own self interest, and the self-interest of our own group or tribe. Putting one's own group above the others is what leads to that "us vs them" mentality. Their problem is that their god is too small.

Anon, So how would you answer the question? Does ...

2009-07-05T09:18:34.486-07:00

Anon,

So how would you answer the question? Does it keep you up at night? It's a dilemma that all of us Christians should have. On the one hand we want to be faithful to Scripture as the inspired word of God. On the other hand we need to read it with the same compassion and heart as Jesus had. We need to care about taking the Bible seriously, and we need to care just as much about the moral messages we are promoting, because to do otherwise would be unloving (and the Bible tells us that if we don't love people then we don't really love God. The two (listening to the Bible and loving others) are inseparable. So we all need to figure out how to balance them. There's no way around it.

A couple of thoughts on this one -- from an ex-Chr...

2009-07-04T14:38:37.716-07:00

A couple of thoughts on this one -- from an ex-Christian. It is not only Christians who are capable of questioning whether killing infants is evil -- the same is done by many adherents of any of the religions "of the book". Zionists in the West Bank do not shed tears when an Arab baby is killed by their forces, and they justify it --- just as do Moslem or other would be suicide bombers -- their babies have been killed, it is "justice" to see Jewish babies killed in return. This is the thinking. Not just among Christians. I suggest anyone who claims a moral guidance from outside of themselves, from some external authority, is always a potential victim of this kind of thinking given changing circumstances. Humanistic ethics, I believe, comes from people identifying with their fellow creatures, and knowing we are all alike. Or maybe I'm being too romantic about my own ideals here, too? Maybe it is just "the human condition" that we are fated to experience -- but no harm humanists and Christians like yourself trying to make this a slightly more enlightened world in the meantime.

So what do you make of the book of Revelation with...

2009-06-29T03:43:24.453-07:00

So what do you make of the book of Revelation with 1/3rd of the Earth dying and seemingly everyone knows that it is the "wrath of the Lamb." 6:16 There are places in the Old Testament where is is God Himself that orders the killing of seemingly "innocent" people- It is hard to merely write these verses off just because it helps one sleep better at night. Anyone can make a caricature out of any given doctrine and make it look silly- but the problem isn't that we can't sleep at night- the problem is that the bible says things... God said things and we don't like what He said and we (royal we) assume we are more loving and compassionate than He is. This seems more like opinions of what God should be like rather than what He is like.