christians, admit it...?

Question

sometimes, when you're reading the bible (assuming you do read it), do you ever stop in the middle of it and think, man, these were some really barbaric people!!! daughter sleeping with their father, men having two wives, people killing other people for religious beliefs. and all the while it was considered ok, if not good.

Answer 1

Anybody who really, seriously believes the Old Testament is the unaltered true word of a just, compassionate God in this day and age is beyond argument.

Let me just give you one example:

"If a man happens to meet a virgin who is not pledged to be married and rapes her and they are discovered, he shall pay the girl's father fifty shekels of silver. He must marry the girl, for he has violated her. He can never divorce her as long as he lives."
Deuteronomy 22: 28-29.

The text is not cryptic or hard to interpret. If a girl is raped, her father should be compensated and she should be forced to marry the rapist.
This is the word of a perfect God?
You have got to be kidding.

Answer 2

When I still considered myself a Christian, and read the Old Testament, I was absolutely repulsed at what I read. Nothing about the Bible seemed to be the work of a benevolent deity, and the things that God sanctioned and mandated were more the acts of an immoral lunatic, than a just and magnanimous being. Nothing better summarizes God, especially as he is depicted in the Old Testament, as the memorable words of today’s premiere atheist, Richard Dawkins:

“The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully.” (from Dawkins’ book “The God Delusion”)

Need we say more? Indeed, we do need to say more, because it is commonly stated that the New Testament some how redeems the God of the Old Testament. It is said that God, in the form of Jesus, is the embodiment of compassion. Forget that the notions of Jesus’ so called selfless love and compassion are actually disputable, and depictions of him, just within the New Testament, are contradictory. Set all of this aside and just assess the proposition that all the goodness of Jesus somehow negates all the villainy of Yahweh in the Old Testament. No moral person would excuse a murderer for his murders, nor absolve a rapist of all the women he has violated in the past, just because they started to do some good in the present. These are crimes that cannot be forgiven so easily, if they are forgivable at all. If we are morally consistent we should apply these same standards to God. Of course asking Christians to be morally consistent is like asking for Bush to be honest about the Iraq war. It is just not going to happen.

Answer 3

Anytime I read the narrative sections of the Bible, I ask myself: "Why were these stories considered important enough to write down? Why did the Israelites and the Judeans tell and retell these stories to their children?" In many cases, the point of the story is to show behavior that is NOT acceptable, or to show how even our cultural "heroes " had flaws. In some cases, like the harem slaughter of other peoples, it's a nationalistic ego - something that occurs in even the most ethical of religions, usually in a more abstract form. The stories can be used to reinforce desirable behavior or to caution against poor behavior. Just because we've "sanctified" the Bible, doesn't mean everything in there is condoned or even right.

Peace to you.

Answer 4

That kind of behavior is recorded in the bible but there is NOWHERE in the Bible that God asks one to sleep with the father. I think it makes it more believable to me to read about all these "sorry characters" and how God was still able to use them for to glorify Him.

Answer 5

Of course it bothers me...and if anyone isn't bothered they are hard hearted. As for the effect it has on me it amplifies my desire to set folk free from sin and God's wrath. The only antidote available is the sacrifice of God Himself whereby He was willing to risk His very nature to save us and now He offers His mercy to us free of charge.

The crazy thing is trying to understand why anyone would not accept the free gift in light of the realities of the burden of sin...both what it has caused man to do and how God will settle the score. The Bible tells the story of bothe very plainly.

Jesus will return one day and He's gonna be pissed.

agapefromnc

Answer 6

I think about the sad fact that nothing has changed. Human nature is still the same today as it was then because all of the above mentioned things are still taking place today.

Answer 7

The just and loving god. I've read the bible many times and I only find a warlike tyrant who pledged his people to slaughter and kill, enforced insane laws and punished you by killing your children.

Nice guy.

Answer 8

One can come to the same conclusion watching the Jerry Springer show.

People never change.

Answer 9

The scriptures say that there is nothing new under the sun.This is still happening today.Jesus recorded this to show us what fallen man will do.He never did approve of it.

Answer 10

If you look closer you will see there were consequences to all that sin for the people involved. God did not hide the truth of what his people who believed in him did........he let it be there for a lesson. Sampson paid dearly for his relationship with Delilah, as I said before Rachel died in Child birth........all the people who believed in God and did not do things God's way paid some terrible consequences. King David lost his child with Bathsheba and evil and war never left his house because of his sins. You will see God's mercy and grace threaded through out the word. Yes he does love and receive people and when they love and receive him they get more grace (unmerritted favor) that's true of the old or new testemant. I think it's comforting God doesn't conceal truth. we know polititians do it all the time, so people will vote for them. God is straight up honest about everything.

to address the answer at the top of this answer list..........Women did not have rights but then they had pretty much no responsibilities except to give birth and look pretty.
They were treated like chattle (property) and that is true. However, women who had FAITH to believe for better things even at that time found favor in the sight of God, like Esther.
there is always a road to God's grace and Favor even in those times. but I repeat. GOD does NOT Control People!
So you will find them caught being sinful.