Are Judaism/Christianity peaceful religions?

Question

Please read Deuteronomy 13:7-11 where parents are instructed to stone their children to death and then get back to me about this god of love and peace.

Answer 1

In order to understand Christianity, one must read the "New Testament." In order to understand Judaism, one must read the Talmud!

Roman Catholics have been forbidden from reading the Talmud for centuries. Has anyone else ever bothered?
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Answer 2

Well, seeing as how Christianity declares Torah Law null and void, you don't really have a case against them, at least not on those grounds. And as for the Jews, you can't understand the Written Torah fully without a grasp of the Oral Torah (a bare skeleton of which was codefied in the Talmud).

Do you know how specifically halakha (Jewish Law) defines a "rebellious son"? He has to be like, between the ages of 12 and 13, his folks have to be a perfectly-matched couple, and they have to speak to their son in exactly the same way, using even the same words and the same tone. The son has to steal a certain amount of money from his folks, use it to buy meat and booze and scarf it all down, in the company of shifty, unwholesome characters. Suffice it to say that the law is so specific that there never has been a "rebellious son" and there never will be. Our sages ask what the purpose could be for having such a law if it will never be fulfilled. Their answer? Learn it, and receive a reward! The study of Torah is for our own benefit.

No doubt, there are other lessons to be deduced from the law of the rebellious son, but your attack on our G-d is based on a complete misunderstanding of the law, and you'd do well to study the issue fully before assuming the problem is with the religion itself. Or you could save some time and consult your local orthodox rabbi.

I hope this clears things up for you, and for anyone else reading this.

Answer 3

I will not attempt to argue with your beliefs; I will simply point out that what you are describing is in the Old Testament. When Jesus came, He said that He was basically the fulfillment of the Old Testament. He proposed a new way of life based on love rather than laws. He instructed His followers to place others first and love others. Without going into a big theological explanation, Jesus knew nobody could live out the laws specified in the Old Testament. His commands, His teachings became the New Testament. Now whether people choose to really live those teachings out is another matter entirely. Unfortuantely, some people are just plain crazy in the way they interpret those teachings. I'm not trying to change the way you believe, just trying to honestly answer your question.

Answer 4

You haven't read much history have you? NO GROUP is innocent of horrors. In the 14th century Buddhist fighters led the uprising that evicted the Mongols from China. ASHOK: -273: Ashoka (-273-232 reign), greatest Mauryan Emperor, grandson of Chandragupta, is coronated. Repudiating conquest through violence after his brutal invasion of Kalinga, -260, he converts to Buddhism. Then he spread the Budhism all around. Japanese Buddhist monks were known to have trained Samurai warriors in meditation and other, less peaceful, skills. In 1942, during the period of Japanese aggression, Zen master Sawaki Kodo (1880–1965) wrote "It is just to punish those who disturb the public order." In Sri Lanka the 20th century civil war between the Buddhist Sinhalese majority and the Hindu Tamil cost 50,000 lives.

Answer 5

It's talking about leaving and serving others Gods.

I'll admit this also sounds like some Muslim passages about killing those who leave Islam, however there are more specific things here.

It talks about those who do things like black magic, Voodoo. People like Charlie Manson and Reverand Jones of Jonestown.

It's about making secret covens.

This all deals with clandestine searches for other gods based on mysticsm and sourcery and the like.

This is probably one of the verses used in the Salem Witch type situations.

And NO ONE every said the God of Abraham was about love and peace.

That was Jesus Message.

The words that Moses brought were an Eye for an Eye.

Also these were in times where there were no police, no social workers, no psychatrists, no intervention groups.

These were in times when each man carried a six shooter and took care of himself.

Also remember the Bible is a blue print for teaching you about RIGHT and WRONG

Let's take it from the moment God said

Thou shalt not kill (or murder a human).

If a week later God asks you to sacrifice your son to him, God's looking to see if you understood the first message or if you're a stupid idiot.

I would tell God I will not, for I was told not to kill.

If God protests, I'd tell God you have the power to do anything. Do you own work, I will not raise a hand to do it.

I would openly defy God.

A two faced God is not a very good God.

This is the test of religion.

GOD says don't kill IN WRITING.

Then GOD verbally tells you to kill.

God's written law is seen by everyone

Only YOU hear the orders to kill a week later.

It's a test, if you're stupid enough to fall for it, you don't deserve to be in heaven.

If you're trained by the U.S. Army, by a variety of Non Coms and Coms with films and videos and written documents and SOP and in an Iraq PRison some Com tells you to strip an Iraqi prisoner down and put a girl next to his naked private parts and take a funny picture of her and him and you do it, you deserved to get court martialed.

Where in the SOP did it say, that was your job?

What page in the Prisoner SOP does it say, STRIP MALE PRISONERS AND TAKE FUNNY PICTURES OF THEM WITH GIRLS

A SOLDIER is REQUIRED by the UCMJ to REFUSE to take ANY VERBAL ORDER that CONFLICTS with STANDING and SPECIAL and GENERALS ORDERS THAT ARE IN WRITING OR WITH THE SOP

A Solider can DEMAND the orders be in writing and signed by an officer in his presence.

NO soldier can be court martialed for failing to follow an order they genuinely believe to be illegal.

The Com simply goes down the line until he finds a soldier stupid enough to do what he says.

Answer 6

All religions are dangerous when used by extremists. Its not the religion that isnt peaceful. Its the literalist extremists that take it too far and make it look like it isn't. Christianity is supposed to be a religion of love, not hate. people just try to use the bible as a means to justify thier terrible actions. they however, are the peaceless, not the religion. As ghandi once said, "I like thier Christ, I don't like thier christians"

Answer 7

As a Christian, I cannot speak for the Jews. But from the Christian perspective, my beliefs in Jesus's teachings would over rule the Old Testament text that you have used. Jesus contradicted many of the Jewish beliefs and stated that their interpretations of the Old Testament scriptures were wrong (Jesus, "You say but I say..."). I wonder how many New Testament interpretations Jesus would tell us today are wrong?

Answer 8

Hey swampthing...yeah, I just finished beating my thirteen month old for trying to steal a cookie, so I would have to say, that the answer is no. I don't think that parents really actually did that, but God was trying to make a point and say, "HEY! YOUR SUPPOSED TO BE A PARENT AND DISCIPLINE YOUR CHILD!" and "HEY! YOUR SUPPOSE TO OBEY YOUR PARENTS!" Now...if only people still did those things today in 2006...

Answer 9

Jesus said in Matthew 10:34 "Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword."
I think you try a create a god in your own mind, and when the true God does not match up to your image you think that God is at fault. Maybe it is your concept of God that is marred.

Answer 10

Sigh...

The old testament was not a fun one to be a Hebrew. If you would like to be expanded on this, and understand WHY Jesus had to die for our sins... then you should read the rest of the bible instead of googling "horrible things that happen in the bible".

God is love, but he gave us free will, and with free will came sin, with which came punishment.