Christanity and violence?

Question

The Christian father ie God did not accept the offering of fruit and vegetables (genesis) but accepted the blood offering of cattle from Able, then offered his son Jesus as a sacrifice, Looking at the violent history of Christianity, How can this religion justify itself as a loving accepting spiritual path.

Answer 1

During those days this is what the people believe.

Answer 2

well Number one, you are quoting scriptures from the OT, not the NT.... that is how the intire world was, and still is!!!!

Number two... you said that God sacraficed his son Jesus..... NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO
Jesus IS God, God IS Jesus! Jesus came in the FLESH so that he can teach us the way to live, and that HE HIMSELF could pay the price for our sins! He wanted to Out of nothing But pure Love! Jesus is Perfect, and knew that we would and are not perfect. he paid the price for our sins!

If you look and study "Religions" then you will understand that There are TONS of Religions that are Violent, and Teach Violence. there is not 1 Scripture in the NT about any Violence at all! Jesus taught us to Love, and to Forgive.... that is the Message, not to kill, and to hate!

I REALLY wish that before people were so closed minded about religions, that they would open the bible, or study the religion to understand it! And Sugesting that the God, the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords is a Violent God, that is plain out wrong, you should repent to the Creator, and accept him, that is the only way to Salvation! Good Luck, and Please study the Bible, you have that way wrong .... <><

Answer 3

I think you are reading quite a bit more into these scriptures than is there.

God was specific about the proper sacrifices he wanted from Cain and Abel, and Abel made a proper sacrifice. The tradition of animal sacrifices continues through the Passover and beyond.

God sacrificed Jesus as a blood sacrifice to save humanity from the sins each of us commit. I don't know about you, but I see that as love, not as violence.

Man is violent. Jesus stopped violence in the case of the woman taken in adultery. God punishes, but does so justly, not in whimsy.

You make your choices based on what you believe the Bible says. That is proper. But where you see violence I see justice.

Answer 4

"Looking at the violent history of Christianity, How can this religion justify itself as a loving accepting spiritual path."

All your doing is focusing on things you find negative. You're also writing off Judaism with the story of Cain and Able, BTW.

What you need to do is look the bigger picture.

Christianity has produced charities, built hospitals, orphanages, and helped millions of people. When there's a disater, Christians are the first ones there. When Hurricane Charlie hit Florida in 2004, the Southern Bastist disaster relief was there in no time to provide 1500 meals twice a day in Wauchula, FL alone to anybody who wanted it (and that's a much bigger feat than it sounds!) The Mennonites used their vacation time to come to Florida to help repair people's houses at no charge.

Christians include men of science like George Washington Carver and Sir Issac Newton. Artists like Michelangelo , Raphael, and Grandma Moses. Men of music from Handel to Johnny Cash. Writers like J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. Philanthropists, like J.D. Rockefeller and Milton S. Hershey. People who risked their lives and their fortunes to help others live in safety, like Corrie Ten Boom, Oskar Schindler, and Harriet Tubman.

There are all the unsung heroes of Christianity, like street mission workers who help the homeless, Amish people whom are the first in line at a blood drive, or a volunteer at a Hospice who does Christ's work. There are untold numbers of them everywhere, but you'll never read about them in a newspaper or see them on the 6 O'Clock news because people only want dirt instead of roses.

So please, don't dismiss all of Christianity for actions by misguided Christians 1000 years ago during the crusades or because of charlatan televangelists. There is oh so much more to it than that! It is a beautiful religion when people really APPLY it! Claiming to be a Christian is not enough.

"I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.
C. S. Lewis "

Answer 5

You know, just a few months ago, I would have thought the same thing.

But if you think about, all religions have stories of blood, murder, sacrifice, etc. In Egypt, Set Killed Osirius. In Greece, Zues raped women and got 'em knocked up. Aztecs actually ripped the hearts out virgins. Even Celts practriced human sacrifice from time to time, and Wiccans consider themselves a Celtic religion. Although Wiccans don't sacrifice people, if we call ourselves Celtic, then we have to deal with the Celtic past. Any Wiccan would tell you it's a peace loving religion.

I guess it can when you take everything into consideration.

Answer 6

Because He is God & we're not. It's His plan, not ours. Who are we to try to tell God who created everything that what He is doing is wrong? Don't you think rather we should be focusing on why we want to dwell on something so trivial and not the condition of our souls? The bottom line is the sacrifice has already been made....for you. Like it or not it's done. Now it's just up to you to accept the gift or refuse it. Choose wisely.

EDIT: After reading some of the other answers I have to ask this: So if someone you know loves you enough to die for you to save YOUR life you are going to reject that gift & choose death yourself because you are opposed to violence?! Is anyone else but me seeing how dumb this is?! How much more could God possibly prove His love for you than to give the ultimate sacrifice? I can't believe how you guys can just laugh in His face like that. It's beyond sad.

Answer 7

My dear, the violence isn't to be laid at God's door but at man's sin. If man had not sinned there would be no need for a blood covering. Considering a spiritual path is supposed to lead somewhere and that somewhere is God, I would suggest doing it God's way. After all, He took the full force of the violence of sin upon Himself to free us from it. Now that is love.

Answer 8

Christians might claim that their religion is a (loving accepting spiritual path),but there is no doubt what so ever that through out history Christians have used the sword as a mean of spreading their religion.Human blood and life has got no meaning in front of a church that up to this day is facing accusations such as child abuse and other serious accusations.Any one who flips through the pages of history will realize that it was the church alone that organized huge crusades that resulted in nothing but the loss of hundreds of thousands of lives.
In short what I can say is that although Christians might claim that their religion is a religion of peace history shows that Christianity represents nothing but brutality and savageness.

Answer 9

The offering of Cain's wasn't acceptable not because of what it was but because of the spirit in which it was offered. Jesus was the sacrifice to bring us into right r'ship with the Father

Answer 10

Lady until you seek the truth and receive some spiritual understanding your not going to grasp it. One small thing if you don't grasp this ...You need to keep seeking the truth..The reason the blood sacrifice was accepted is it was a shadow of that which was to come. Is it a violent thing to you if someone was to die in your place? Is there nothing in your life worth dieing for?

Answer 11

The reason the offering of fruits and vegetables wasn't accepted was because Cain was only giving his left overs and wasn't giving to God of the best of his crops. Able on the other hand gave God the best of his flocks. It wasn't that God wanted a blood sacrifice, it was that he wanted them to give of their best not their left overs. Jesus was used as a sacrifice because he was the only blameless and sinless man.