How do you justify the atrocites ordered by "God" in the bible?

Question

The books of Deutoronomy, numbers, exodus, etc. describe how God ordered the israelites to slaughter men, women , and children of tribes to which israel was to conquer in order to obtain their "promised land".

The hebrew law also orders the stoning of homosexuals, as well as your own daughter or wife if they choose to worship other gods.

The law also puts a course if anyone is to go outside the "holy book" to obtain moral guidance.

It is a rainy friday night in the year 2007. the world has improved quite a bit since the bible was written. Although thanks to this "God" we are still faced with war and serious problems.

How could you honestly, reasonably believe that the bible was wholy inspired by God.

Is it possible that israelite leaders used this "God" to control and pursue their own agendas back when israel was formed?

The explanation that the law was written for those times does not justify the behavior and values of "God"

My intend is not to blame "God" but to simply spark an interest for you to pursue the facts and ultimately find truth.

Answer 1

The "Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation" (Vat. 11, Ch. 3.11) of the Catholic Church says that "all that the inspired, or sacred writers, affirm should be regarded as affirmed by the Holy Spirit, we must acknowledge that the books of Scripture firmly, and without error, teach that truth which God, for the sake of our salvation, wished to be confided to the sacred Scriptures." This is the Church's teaching on the matter after twenty centuries of Christian discernment.

Biblical inerrancy, then, is the Bible's privilege of never teaching error. Does this mean that every statement in the Bible is divine teaching? Of course not. The Bible does not always teach. There are many statements in its various books that are there for historical, geographical, poetic or other reasons. However, whenever a biblical author intends to teach us something, then the Holy Spirit intends that too. Everything that the Bible teaches is without error, but everything in the Bible is not meant as teaching. Each author was left free by the Lord to express himself according to the ideas of his own day. It is the revelation contained in the Scriptures that is important.

There are also many accounts in the Bible, which employ a literary device used by Jewish Old and New Testament writers called Midrash. Midrash is the substantive of the Hebrew word darash which means to search, to investigate, to study and, also, to expound on the fruits of the research. The aim of Midrash is to draw from Scripture a lesson for the present.

Midrash could also be defined as a "reflection on Scripture in the light of the actual situation of God's people and of the developments of God's action on its history. It proposes to explain the meaning of Scripture in the light of the later historical experience of God's people. This kind of interpretation often opened the door to embellishments of the sacred accounts, anachronisms, and a freedom in handling and maneuvering the data of tradition that were at times a little too candid and certainly very imaginative."

A good example is the Midrashic story of Noah and the flood. It is the divine message, which is important, (God saves his children from evil) not the literal account of the story.

Peace and every blessing!

Answer 2

"The books of Deutoronomy, numbers, exodus, etc. describe how God ordered the israelites to slaughter men, women , and children of tribes to which israel was to conquer in order to obtain their "promised land"."

And do you know the history and culture of the tribes the Israelites were ordered to slay? For example,the Canaanites had a habit of sacrificing their children in the fire,attacking the Israelites by picking off the weak,children,and the elderly,as well as kidnapping.A pretty horrible lot,wouldn't you say?

"The hebrew law also orders the stoning of homosexuals, as well as your own daughter or wife if they choose to worship other gods."

Key words...*Hebrew law*.The relationship between God and the people of Israel was a covenant-they both agreed to uphold the law.

"It is a rainy friday night in the year 2007. the world has improved quite a bit since the bible was written."

Uh huh.

"Although thanks to this "God" we are still faced with war and serious problems. "

I don't see how you can blame God for today's wars,poverty,and other things.That rests solely on our shoulders.

"How could you honestly, reasonably believe that the bible was wholy inspired by God. "

For a few reasons.

"The explanation that the law was written for those times does not justify the behavior and values of "God" "

What's the point in even discussing this when you have already asked your question with a pre-determined conclusion?

Answer 3

I don't justify them.

And I wonder just how much the world has improved since back then.

When one says 'God' in this context, one means YHVH, yes? Or is it AL?

YHVH is the God of Man, viz: the Hebrew peoples, others being not Chosen, and next to animals in the list of priorities (as is usual with most developing societies).

If it is AL, the Ox (A) and the Ox-Goad (L), then the atrocities justify themselves once again, within the context of that paradigm.

Certainly the Israelite leaders to some extent used their inspirations of insight, gained in considered thought and of inspired meditation to control and pursue their own agendas: what was their agenda but Israel? It wasn't the USA, and they weren't Hamilton or Rockefeller.

Answer 4

well You know I have this little hunch that you are not a very humble guy?? and maybe have a problem with someone giving you orders? God is kinda like that, he gives orders and commandments and expects that people obey him.. Kinda funny about those things but that is how he is..
Never been in the military? Those guys don't vote on when they want to get up or eat or how they get to cut their hair..
Welcome to the real world..2007 and Jesus is still Lord of all.
Just anothe little comment, if you think the Old Testament was brutal, you aint seen nothing yet. When we get to the great tribulation and the battle of armageddon...
Rev 14:20 And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.

Answer 5

A lot of people don't understand the background of Canaan before Joshua. They just know that it was a very fertile piece of land. But they worshiped Baal or Ashtoreth. And they sacrificed their children, via "Walking through the fire." (Their remains were placed in a jar. There have been Archaeological discoveries) And their Priestesses were prostitutes. (They actually held orgies in the temple.) And in most countries in that time had MANY gods. Egypt for example...

Answer 6

I Think the first question for me is just what is "God" as described in the old testament.
Then from there I can determine the motives behind the artocites and then the "justification"

I do think however tha the "reasons" were often more mulitlayered than they appear at first blush

Answer 7

If your point is that God is not benevolent, so what. If your point is that a supreme being would be benevolent, thereby proving God does not exist, what is your premise for your first assumption?

God is what He is. The sooner you stop trying to understand Him, and just accept Him, the sooner you'll find peace in your heart and mind and the sooner you'll see the goodness in life on earth instead of just the evil.

Answer 8

God is exempt from whatever accusations you have in mind. Just like a carpenter who made his own box that does not serve his purpose any longer, He is Free to dismantle it and even put it on fire or reshape it to what he wants.
God made me like a box, I have no complaint to whatever He wants to do to me.
Israel is a small tribe building up a nation and must be feared by strong enemy nations sorrounding them. One of the atrocities you mentioned is part of the challenges they have to face. Otherwise, they will be the one to suffer the same atrocities like what happened to them in the holocaust.

Answer 9

You won't think we deserve it in this country either if he destroys the USA. I believe we do deserve it. In the old testament God ruled by law. Law is not merciful in itself. The law needed to be shown how unyielding it is in order for us to believe in grace, which came by Jesus Christ in the NEW testament.

Answer 10

I think you're right. The Bible was written by people who had a particular agenda that they wanted to push onto others. We cannot take it literally and it most definetly not the infallable word of God.