I have trouble accepting some of God's actions. How can I convince myself?

Question

When I'm reading Bible, grief is the main emotion I feel. I sorrow for all these poor guys who were targets of God's wrath, all that burning sulfur and floods and Egyptian plagues and constand fighting, and bleeding Jesus and Judas who hanged himself and Apostles beaten and executed... It's almost like these pages smell of blood. And later there was inquisition and crusades and innumerable martyrs...

I'm a gentle kind of person. I'm against violence to animals, say nothing of people. I'm against corporal punishment and I never had it in childhood. My parents always told me all problems in this world should be resolved with words, not with your fists and weapons - and it works for me. I think everyone is good deep inside their hearts.

How can I convince myself to accept the way God treated his own kids?

Thanks for elaborate answers.
I'd add one tiny detail, regarding kids and drinking bleach and playing in the traffic (see lewbiv's answer). I think everyone understands there's a REASON for avoiding stuff like that, just like there's a reason for not killing and not stealing, and there's reason for every single tiny God's action even though we do not know it. Some parents think their kids are too young to understand life, and should be taught like Pavlov's dogs. My parents did not see it that way. They just explained me once WHY one should not play in the traffic, drink bleach, etc. Yeah, they also explained me why I should not kill or steal. They did it so clearly that I did not have a slightest problem understanding that, even though I was 2 or 3. No violence was involved.

Answer 1

God behaved as a parent would, and every single human being on this earth is His child.

When children are still in their infancy, they have to be taught and disciplined with actions, hence the fire and brimstone. When they reach a rebellious age, they have to be taught that no matter what they did, God still loved them, hence Jesus and His sacrifice. When children finally grow to be adults, they have to be allowed to make their own decisions, no matter how senseless these decisions are, that is the only way to learn, hence the persecutions and etc.

He is our Father, and that is what a parent does.

Answer 2

** I have trouble accepting some of God's actions. How can I convince myself?

Violence comes in many forms not just Physical. Being a good father it may be required from time to time to use other methods besides words. do you really think all the problems of the world could be solved by words? the only way words only will resolve anything is when MAN is no longer prideful and greedy. the whole reason God did those things is because he Loves his children. and when a child insist on playing in traffic or drinking bleach you do not say , now Johny you will get hurt if you continue on your course, you should re think this. while this is overly emphasized i think you get the point.

a Parent that ignores a child Hates that child. A parent that correct a child loves that child.

when i was in the Army i learned a valuable lesson. We would get orders that made no sense to us on the ground, "are they crazy, stupid? was normally the mildest response. But as I worked in Higher up units and the Commanding General I gained an understanding of the Orders that when down and why. they made perfect sense. the only problem to the ground units was they didn't have all the info and lacked the knowledge of the BIG PICTURE. you may have also learned a similar thing if you have kids. you can understand why Mom & Dad said & did all those stupid things............ the more you live the wiser your parents become.

Answer 3

First you have to understand that God is Holy, which means that he is Perfect, Just, Pure, and Righteous. While God is indeed merciful, in order for Him to be Holy it means He has to execute justice.

In reference to the accounts of the plagues in Exodus, God had to execute judgement. Look at Exodus 1:1-14. The Israelites were put in bondage by the Egyptians, not because they did something wrong, but out of feared they would take over. Because of the promise God swore to Abram (later to be called Abraham, one of the patriarchs of the Israelites) in Genesis 12:2-3, God had to punish the Egyptians.

Unfortunately, sin, even when committed by one person effects everyone. When a member of the family commits a sin- lets say lying, that sin affects the whole family, no matter how small the lie is. If the parents let that sin go unpunished that person continues to manipulate the truth, develops a habit of it, and can put themself and others in harm's way because of it.

However if the sin is punished, then person is given an opportunity to see the error of their ways and knows that there will be consequences for their actions. Does it bother the parents when they punish the child? Absolutely! Does the punishment affect other members of the household? Definitely! But we all know if sin were left unpunished things we be worse.
If you look around today, you can see the effects of unpunished sin- the behavior of children, politicians, TV programs and music. God indeed has been merciful- "He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities." - Psalm 103:10

Also keep in mind, the Bible does show acts of mercy, especially in reference to humanity:
In Genesis 9:9-15 God promises He will never again send a flood that covers the whole earth.
In John 3:16- God promises everlasting life for those who believe in His son Jesus. God loves us so much the only way He could redeem us was through the Perfect Sacrifice.

Penalty for sin is death, yet God not willing to give up on us and still prove that He is Holy gave His son up as a sacrifice so that those who believe wouldn't suffer the punishment for our death.

As you read the scriptures ask God to show you His mercy even in times He executed judgement.

Answer 4

If you can accept the fact that we were created in god's spiritual image then you should be able to accept god's actions. We humans are an immoral, lying, cheating, stealing, back-stabbing, horde of ignoramuses. We were created in god's image. Do you see the connection?

Answer 5

Killing yourself should NEVER be an option! YOU CAN GET THROUGH THIS!! In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on. -Robert Frost This quote is so true! Life does go on and you just have to try harder now more than ever! There are people out there who can help you. You WILL get through this! It all seems overwhelming now but it is NEVER too late! You never know where life is going to take you and you are just going through a very rough time right now. But remember don't give up! Please just keep your head up and you will make it through this!

Answer 6

I can't speak for the New Testament -- I find it as bloody as you do, but as far as the Torah is concerned, please think of many of the things you read as "maximum punishment." Judges interpreted the law (613 commandments) and seldom did they demand the maximum punishment.
For instance, taking a life is strictly forbidden. How could one take out another's eye without the possibility of killing him? In that case, the judges determined the punishment according to the severity of the crime. Was the eye lost accidently or was it premeditated? One crime demands a more severe punishment than the other. but never the loss of life. The object of the judges is justice for all!
Yes, God said to kill all the Canaanites, but is that what the Israelites did? Moses argued with God about Sodom and Gomorrah -- would he not have done the same for the Canaanites, and in this case possibly he defied God?

Answer 7

Partially I see where you are coming from, but one must remember that not all of it is God. On that I'm referring mostly to after the Bible with the crusades and inquisition and martyrs you mentioned. Almost all of that is misinterpretation by humans of what God wanted. They read in the Bible only that God said spread the good news but missed the part where He says don't force it on anyone. They tried to force it on Jews and Muslims and so on rather than using reason and scripture to try to convince them. Martyrs often saw the wrongness of the churches in these matters and tried to stand up for what was right, but when you stand up against the powerful it doesn't always pan out the way you'd like.

As far as what was in the Bible, always those who suffered were those who stood against God or tried to harm his people, God was protecting the Israelites more than punishing them. The Israelites often screwed up regularly but remember they were given many, many chances to redeem themselves first and God always helped those who stood by Him even when the rest would not (like Jeremiah or Daniel for example).

Finally, as far as Jesus having to die. This seems to me the best explanation (it was how it was explained to me), that a perfect man (Adam) died as a price to give the world to Satan; so a perfect man (Jesus) had to die to buy it back from Satan. Now the world has been bought back but suffering continues while God allows time for his people now to spread the good news and allow as many of his children as possible repent before it is too late and the wicked must be destroyed so that peace and order can be restored to God's earth.

Answer 8

Convince yourself? Self-hypnosis? I find it hard to believe that anyone can completely convince themselves to accept such things. They may say they accept it, but I truly do not believe they do... for the simple fact that most people ignore those parts of the Bible (unless they love to hate). They talk about it as if it were a movie they watched and not really any part of the God they worship.

Answer 9

I get that feeling sometimes also, but remember the reason why a lot of those things happened was because mankind broke God's law. Because of that, we have to die for our actions. It's the same way with your children, although I hope you don't kill them. You need to punish them for breaking your rules, so you punish them. God works the same way.

Answer 10

well, it is not a matter of convincing yourself.. it's a matter of trusting and believing that God is not a God that makes mistakes, nor a God that will harm His children. Yes on earth, millions of people dying, war, and other things may look/seem bad to us as humans...but who is to say how long their pain lasts? Who is to say that maybe them leaving this earth wasn't the best thing for them. The best way for me to elaborate more is my mother took me out of public school when violence and negative behavior became prevalent, and by her taking me out it seemed unfair and many of my friends were upset because I was gone...but I did not know that going to private school was the best thing that ever happened to me. I was offered more, in a more loving environment...etc. And that is the way the Father is...yes somethings may seem unfair, but He said in Jer. 29:11 that He knows the plans that He has for us..and they are not plans to hurt or harm us..but plans to give us a hope and a future. Be encouraged in the Lord, and depend on Him...He knows whats best..and the coolest part of it all is that He's in control and not we ourselves! Pray about it, and let Him guide you... God Bless!