There is something I don't understand about the way people view the Bible. Can anyone help?

Question

Why is it that when people read about people doing evil things in the Bible, like offering their daughters to strangers for sex, or burning their kids as burnt offerings, or even having multiple wives, they automatically assume that, if it's in there, it must mean God approves of it?
Could that be why Jesus told us that God gave some laws because of the hardness of people's hearts, like the laws about divorce?
I ask this because I keep hearing about how God is evil because He endorses evil behavior, but I don't see how they get that, and then at the same time, they curse God when He punishes evil behavior.
So, let's get this straight, here...would God be a better God if He allowed people to burn their kids as sacrifices, or would He be a better God if He punished people for burning their kids up as sacrifices? (Just as an example)
It seems to me as if God just can't please all the people all the time......

Answer 1

You bring up a very good point. One of the things that needs to be understood about the bible is that it is also the history of a nation, the nation of Israel, and its people throughout the ages. People being what they are, they will do all sorts of things in any given situation. That it is recorded in the bible does not mean God condoned what they did.

Thanks for bringing it up.

Answer 2

Hmm, why would we assume that...

Maybe because god TOLD Abraham to offer his son as a burnt offering.

Maybe because the "angels" god sent rewarded and praised Lot for offering his daughters up to be raped.

Maybe because the bible specifically contains many passages saying when it's allowed to have multiple wives, quotes god as saying he GAVE women to men (who already had wives) as another wife.

Here's something I don't understand: how can you read these things and not know that the same god claimed to do all the good things endorsed and even ordered the bad things? Have you read what god commanded the israelites to do to the people in cities they attacked under Joshua, for instance? Under direct orders from god?

Your mythical god doesn't exist -- it's all just people using him as an excuse to do the same horrible things all people do to each other, throughout history. Personally I think it's even worse when somebody claims to be doing it under "god's command."

Peace.

Answer 3

I say that to people who pick and choose what they want to believe from the Bible.
They'll go "Oh, it says that homosexuality is evil, so it must be true." But then it advocates slavery, and they go "Oh, that was taken out of context."
So, when Christians stop saying that everything good in the Bible (or everything that fits nicely with their beliefs) is true, and everything bad is false, I'll stop talking about how the Bible advocates incest and slavery and murder.

And as for your example, the man didn't want to burn his son as a sacrifice. Maybe it would have been better if god hadn't asked him to do it at all.

Answer 4

i in my opinion do no longer think of easily everyone else interpreted this question the way I did (even in spite of the incontrovertible fact that I do love Maire's answer). djmantx, I share your opinion on the issue, yet you will possibly be able to have been slightly extra intricate on your answer. The Bible can not be seen a competent source. It grow to be written over a million,000 years in the past, approximately activities which occurred thousands of years in the previous that, and grow to be translated by way of diverse languages to reach at its modern-day format. Its placing is a manner of existence and term that's oftentimes beside the point at present, a era of historic past which we can not wisely understand or hook up with. I see blind faith interior the be attentive to the Bible as a shortcoming of modern-day Christians. If Christ is particularly on your existence, you should examine the Bible and pray and have faith your person heart while it includes reading the meant message. the undeniable fact that we'd like somebody to spoon feed us scripture and its which ability is a symptom of the laziness of our way of existence. Why does the Bible get lots interest? the final public of the worldwide which you have an information of prescribes to the Christian faith. nearly all of that worldwide additionally falls into the catch of having the aforementioned lazy, some thing-for-no longer something mentality. lots of the worldwide you be attentive to contain Christians, and are lazy sufficient that they want an training manual for his or her existence printed out in stupidly undemanding words and exceeded to them.

Answer 5

if im not mistaken God sent the two angels to sodom and gomorrah to destroy them because of their wicked ways God may be meek but He certainly isnt weak God has given people choice if He let the destruction continue even His elect would be beaten,tortured and taken eventually there would be nothing but for the devil and His followers which goes totally against everything He established in the bible

Answer 6

If god is omnipotent, he should be able to please all the people all the time...

But to your question, god would be a better god if he made it impossible to burn children, so that none occurred. Both allowing it, and punishing afterwards are both evil options.

Answer 7

I don't believe in an omnipotent creator being because of the illogical nature of such a concept, but it's worth pointing out the inconsistencies to those who like to pick and choose from the Bible to use as a weapon against others.

_()_

Answer 8

Try this....look at the bible as a historical reference of the times. Then compare it to other sources of information on the same time period. The parallels are amazing....

Answer 9

Those who lean unto there own understanding of scripture are leading others astray and blinded by their "pride!" But this has to occur for the Kingdom of God is coming to this earth and establish His way as the only way.

Pride is man's downfall. The End of the circle of man's self rule will be the beginning of Christ's Kingdom but that "pride" must be broken first!

Answer 10

God kills innocent women & children:
(Num 16:27 NRSV) …and Dathan and Abiram came out and stood at the entrance of their tents, together with their wives , their children , and their little ones .
(Num 16:32-33 NRSV) The earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, along with their households–everyone who belonged to Korah and all their goods. So they with all that belonged to them went down alive into Sheol; the earth closed over them, and they perished from the midst of the assembly.
(Gen 7:21 NRSV) And all flesh died that moved on the earth, birds, domestic animals, wild animals, all swarming creatures that swarm on the earth, and all human beings
(Joshua 6:21) Then they devoted to destruction by the edge of the sword all in the city, both men and women, young and old, oxen, sheep, and donkeys.
(Joshua 10:39-40) and he took it with its king and all its towns; they struck them with the edge of the sword, and utterly destroyed every person in it; he left no one remaining

God hardens hearts for an excuse to slaughter them:
(Joshua 11:20) For it was the Lord’s doing to harden their hearts (the Canaanites) so that they would come against Israel in battle, in order that they might be utterly destroyed, and might receive no mercy, but be exterminated, just as the LORD had commanded Moses

God threatens to punish people by forcing cannabalism:
(Lev 26:29 NRSV) You shall eat the flesh of your sons, and you shall eat the flesh of your daughters.

God hardens Pharoahs heart as an excuse to murder the newborn.
(Exo 11:10 NRSV) Moses and Aaron performed all these wonders before Pharaoh; but the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the people of Israel go out of his land.
(Exo 12:29 NRSV) At midnight the LORD struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the prisoner who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of the livestock.

This list can go on and on and on and on.

YOUR GOD IS EVIL.