What kind of God demands sacrifice of a child (yes, I'm speaking of Abraham in the Bible), and only as his father holds the knife over him, God says "Psych! Ha Ha I gotcha...you really don't have to do it"
I mean that is cruel and unusual punishment.
Yet, this Christian God is worshipped as just and loving?
2007-04-30 09:20:58 · 14 answers · asked by Rosebee 4 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
The person who wrote the bible wanted to make it a suspense / thriller. Why do you think he made plagues, something had to keep people interested thousands of years later. People with simple minds are interested in the simplest things and the author knew that.
2007-04-30 09:28:05 · answer #1 · answered by chase.casey 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
A child was not sacrificied though. This was asked of Abraham to test his faith in God because of the work that God was going to have Abraham take on.
Abraham, did not like the idea, but trusted God and as he walked up the mountain to the alter where he had been instructed to sacrifice his son, God told him he had done well and did not need to sacrifice his son, and that if he looked in the bushes he would find a ram caught by his horns for sacrifice.
So nowhere does the Bible ever call for sacrificing children as it were. This was a single test for Abraham.
2007-04-30 09:30:05 · answer #2 · answered by wrangler7799 2 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Abraham knew that God would provide the lamb- if anyone should have denounced the Lord it was Abraham when God asked him to sacrifice Isaac. Look at the connection here- this was a forerunner of the one true sacrifice of HIS own Son Jesus. Abraham trusted in God enough. Don't you think having Jesus the perfect lamb of God, dying the most horrible death ever for all of us who deserved to die, showed the love and compassion God had for a dying world?
2007-04-30 09:34:22 · answer #3 · answered by AdoreHim 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
God works mysterious ways. God knew that the child was safe, so did Abraham.
God has never since then asked a human sacrifice from us. Jesus was the perfect sacrifice.
2007-04-30 09:39:16 · answer #4 · answered by Ulrika 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Well, none.
And you miss the point a little there. No children were actually sacrificed by Abraham. That was just to test his faith. And as you pointed out, before Abraham sacrificed the child, God stoped him. So in that instance, no children were sacrificed to god.
2007-04-30 09:33:51 · answer #5 · answered by Skippy 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Abraham knew that God had the power to bring his son back to life and so trusted in God. What you call cruel we call faithful and God demonstrating what was to come in His son. You will never understand scripture until God removes the veil from your eyes. The Holy Spirit must open your eyes to the Word, human understanding will never grasp the idea and words of God.
2007-04-30 09:29:28 · answer #6 · answered by angel 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Paul answers this by saying that Abraham knew that God would raise His son from the dead, as God has promised that he would bring Abraham generations as numerous as the stars through Isaac.
Abraham had enough faith in God to know that He would keep his promises to Him.
God tests the faith of all those who believe in Him. When we make it through a trial by trusting in God, we come closer to Him. Its the same as when a child hurts himself and runs to his parents who care for him. Through that time, the child learns that he can depend on his parents.
In the end, God was not willing for Isaac to be hurt. He protected him while testing Abraham. Its a wonderful story. Abraham's faith in his loving God, who keeps his promises, is unfailing.
2007-04-30 09:28:32 · answer #7 · answered by TWWK 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
obviously you don't have the gift of seeing the whole picture of Abraham and Isaac.... God tested Abraham's faithfulness... and in that faithfulness, God provided a sacrifice.... Isaac was not hurt nor harmed... but was replaced by something God gave them as a sacrifice... Kind of like what God does for us..... We sin, and should die for those sins... but He was Faithful and provided Jesus as the sacrificial lamb.... that is a just and loving Father.
2007-04-30 09:45:43 · answer #8 · answered by livinintheword † 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
He wanted to know how faithful Abraham was. Yes it was to test him. I couldn't have passed the test I am sure, but Abraham did.
It doesn't make me think of God as cruel or demanding-it makes me think of Him as that powerful.
2007-04-30 09:29:46 · answer #9 · answered by AJM 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
God was preparing his prophet for the work that he had to do. God knew Abraham very well, and anticipated that he would "pass" this test of faith. Who is to say that if Abraham had not passed the test and would have slain his son that God would have prevented that from happening?
2007-04-30 09:25:50 · answer #10 · answered by Kerry 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋