"From there Elisha went up to Bethel. While he was on his way, some small boys came out of the city and jeered at him. "Go up baldhead," they shouted, "go up baldhead!" The prophet turned and saw them, and he cursed them in the name of the Lord. Then two she-bears came out of the woods and tore forty two of the children to pieces." (2 Kings 2:23-24 NAB)
2007-04-03 07:31:58 · 30 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Sick, I knew there was a reason I don't read the bible. it's disgusting. What does that teach anyone? Children don't know really what they're saying- they're kids. Every day that I am on here I know more and more that Christianity is a joke. Thanks for posting that. The Christian God is really horrible.
2007-04-03 07:36:39 · answer #1 · answered by Awesome-O 3 · 2⤊ 4⤋
I'm sure not religious, and I don't read the "books", but I do look for inaccuracies in all statements. What's yours ?
Up at the heading you asked why GOD sent bears to kill children. Farther down you mention the kids teasing old baldy, and bears came out and killed the kids. I can understand that this is quite possible, but where is the evidence that the bears were taking orders from "god" ?
All over the world, people are being killed by wild animals. Do you really think that in each case "god" directs the shark to kill, or the tiger. the cobra ?
Nope, if your story is true, it tells of two events. One ,kids were teasing an old man. Two, kids were killed by bears. One event does not necessarily have anything to do with the other.
2007-04-03 07:47:57 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Interesting topic, saddly I am not a Bible scholar nor am I equipped to answer your question with specifics.
I know that in a spiritual sense, Satan is the ruler of the earth adn that God allows us all to make our choices freely.
I have suffered consequences for my actions and I have made those choices of my own free will. As I get older, I have discoverd this God thing. As I get to know this God of the Holy Bible, I get more and more interested. The more interested I become the more I seek Him in a personal relationship.
Many ask why I choose God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit as my higher power. I have my beliefs that are based on my research and discovery, but your beliefs are NOT my responsibility.
Why does someone choose God...why does someone have faith in certain friends or family members...why do some people pick this person or that person to be their spouse?
I can go on with question, likewise I can pick through scripture and provide passages to confuse people, after all satan the father of lies is in charge, so why wouldn't any of us seek to believe in a constant truth?
Tell me, do you only quote a couple of sentences from other books to disprove their validity? Is there a book out there that you put more faith in than the Bible?
What do you believe in and why?
2007-04-03 07:55:06 · answer #3 · answered by warequalspeace 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Don't you suppose that Hinus, Muslims, etc. might argue that God did not send those bears? And did God send the bears, or did the author of 2 Kings assume that God sent the bears? Did God actively send those bears, or are all events ascribed to God because God is the source of causality? Was God the direct or indirect cause of that event? Was there more to the story than what we read in the text? Did the event really take place, or was it an ancient equivalent of "Hansel and Gretle"?
2007-04-03 07:38:17 · answer #4 · answered by NONAME 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
The Abrahamic God does stuff that would be considered evil if a human did it all the time. He is the ultimate double standard, and you can't criticize him BECAUSE HE'S GOD AND HE'LL KILL YOU WITH THUNDERBOLTS. And that's the basis of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
[Note: the original Hebrew is better translated as "youths" than children; they were likely teenagers, and Elisha may have been in real physical danger from them.]
2007-04-03 07:35:34 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 6⤊ 0⤋
He had male pattern baldness syndrome (His Head was balding over) and He is petty and vindictive, and He hadn't thought of inventing minoxidil to correct it. (This was before the awakening of the hair implanters). He was also jealous of the woman long flowing locks. So once again He lost it in a fit of rage and jealousy (another reason He is balding over), and had the innocent children ripped to pieces. He is always going off prematurely like that. But He forgave Himself, and lay in wait for the next opportunity to present itself.
2007-04-03 07:46:14 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
As humans, we think that pain and death are the worst possible things. However, to God that is not the case. Sin is the worst thing.
Having the children die was not an evil act. In fact, in heaven, it is a whole lot better than earth. It is paradise. Those children weren't merely "ripped apart by bears." They were sent home.
2007-04-03 07:38:15 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
I think the bears were probably just hungry. Besides, what were 42 children doing near the woods unsupervised? Poor parenting is to blame in this tale.
2007-04-03 07:38:48 · answer #8 · answered by dckrek27 1 · 1⤊ 1⤋
God is not evil!! He is taking care of one of his people: II Kings 2:23: And he went up from thence unto Beth-el: and as he was going up by the way, there came forth little children out of the city and said unto him, Go up,thou bald head;go up,thou bald head. 2:24: And he turned back,and looked on them,and cursed them in the name of the Lord.And there came forth two she bear's and tare forty and two children of them. So, God didn't kill all of the children just the one's who were being disrespectful!!
2007-04-03 07:49:10 · answer #9 · answered by BabiJO 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋
This is becoming a played out question.
God is an intolerant God as well as a loving and merciful God. That is the way he handled sin before Jesus died on the cross to take the sins of mankind on his back. Now, thankfully, we have the blood of Jesus to ask for forgiveness.
God is not evil, He is God and he has reasons for what He did.
2007-04-03 07:37:53 · answer #10 · answered by AJM 5 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Elisha was a man of god and these kids were knowingly mocking him... it was likely "go on up "was a mocking of going on up to heaven".... baldness was considered a disgrace (so that had an effect of "how dare they say that" kind of thin).... to him it was hurtful because he had strong memories of Jericho... weather it was right for him Elisha be so easily angered is irrelevant... to sum it all up those who mock followers of god pay a due penalty... (somewhere, i forget where, it has a verse on what happends to those who mock god or his followers)
2007-04-03 07:49:54 · answer #11 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋