Thomas Paine: "Whenever we read the obscene stories, the voluptuous debaucheries, the cruel and torturous executions, the unrelenting vindictiveness, with which more than half the Bible is filled, it would be more consistent that we called it the word of a demon that the Word of God. It is a history of wickedness that has served to corrupt and brutalize mankind; and for my own part, I sincerely detest it, as I detest everything that is cruel."
Is it Good to be cruel?
2006-07-27 02:41:50 · 9 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
there are stories in the bible such as that because this serves to be the examples made by people ion the past for us not to follow. The bible does not contain half or more than half of that kind. It contains more of Christ's philosophies and teachings on how to live a Christian life. If you see the Bible this way, you'd better reread it or consult a bible scholar who would let you know about it the better way than you do.
You may be cruel, so detest yourself.
2006-07-27 03:20:54 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Your obviously not in-tune with God if you feel this way. Not to mention you have not read the parts where there was great reward for faithfulness to the Lord. And in the Bible mankind as you put it, were the ones being cruel not God. It is a book of history that teaches us how to be faithful even in our times of need. How to help others. How to be better people and not to make the mistakes that so many others made in the past, so that we can have our chance at eternal happiness with our Lord and Savior, in Heaven. You should read the Bible with the guidence of the Holy Sripit and try turning your life over to God.
2006-07-27 09:50:59 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Of course it's not good to be cruel. That is, in fact, part of the point of the Bible.
Perhaps Mr. Paine wanted to believe that man is overwhelmingly good, with just a touch of evil that comes through being uneducated or unenlightened or something -- though such a view, in light of the things going on in the world around him like the American Revolutionary War, would strike me as wishful thinking.
In contrast, the Bible claims and illustrates that men and women have, within their hearts, deeply seated wickedness that mars the noblest of their intentions. It is only through the forgiveness and grace of God that we can be redeemed. And the Bible puts the wicked acts of man on display to make that necessity clear.
2006-07-27 09:51:33 · answer #3 · answered by Jay H 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The Bible is the "Good Book" because it is how we know God's will, and our only means of salvation.
Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
Perhaps Thomas Paine never read the Bible any more than you did. The Bible has never corrupted mankind; rather, those who reject the Bible and glorify man do so.
2006-07-27 10:33:22 · answer #4 · answered by flyersbiblepreacher 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Whoa, sweet thing. All these evils were the work of man. If you read the Bible you see terrible things happening throughout because of man's sin, not God's vindictiveness. You also see God calling men back to himself in words of lovingkindness throughout.
"Come, Let us reason together" (says the Lord at one point). "Though your sins be as scarlet (bloody),they shall be made white as snow". All through Scripture God is calling people to repent of their evil ways and return to God to find rest for their souls; to follow Him and his good ways so that these horrid things would stop.
Thomas Paine was a good writer (powerful stylist), but he really didn't understand the nature of the subject he was writing about if he could write that.
As to the question, the Bible is called the good book because God is good.
As to cruelty, no, it is not good. But discipline is. And if you do wrong, and your parents punish you in order to help you understand that what you did was bad, then, though the punishment hurts, it is not cruel, because you learn discipline--you learn the difference between right and wrong.
God teaches that difference by many means. Sometimes he lets us go at it, and then suffer the consequences. That's a hard way to learn, but sometimes it's the best. Sometimes he intervenes more directly, but his goal is that we would live good lives. Good means godly. And if we would then all the horror that men (not God) have produced in the Bible would cease.
That men do not stop doing horrid things is evident through all of history. God's goodness has been demonstrated through the death of Jesus Christ on the cross to atone for our sins, and his resurrection, which demonstrates the promise of a joyful eternal life without sin through believing on him.
2006-07-27 09:57:11 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Have you read the Bible? Yes, it does picture some horrible things; it doesn't gloss over the sinfulness of mankind. However, it provides an excellent picture of how God is faithful even when we are not.
2006-07-27 09:44:58 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The Bible is the map that God let to his people to find the answers to have a life with him. Everything that surround you and me and everybody is going to pass, but the Word of gos id the only one that is not going to pass. In the bible you can know God, a God that created you, the one that is with you wherever you go, the one who died for you, because HE LOVES YOU.
Ask God for Wisdom to understand his word and He will do it.
2006-07-27 09:49:12 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
because Bible has all the knowledge you want.
2006-07-27 09:49:49 · answer #8 · answered by boselydia 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
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2006-07-27 10:25:13 · answer #9 · answered by wisam z 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋