CHRISTIAN STRUGGLES WITH BIBLICAL ACCOUNTS OF GENOCIDE AND “HOLY WAR” (1 Viewer)

[JacksinPA]

Christian Struggles With Biblical Accounts of Genocide and "Holy War"

How do we explain God's command to slaughter the Canaanites in the Old Testament? I'm a Christian, but I have serious issues with the doctrine of scriptural infallibility, especially where the Old Testament is concerned. I'm particularly disturbed by the accounts of divinely authorized genocide...

www.focusonthefamily.com

How do we explain God's command to slaughter the Canaanites in the Old Testament? I'm a Christian, but I have serious issues with the doctrine of scriptural infallibility, especially where the Old Testament is concerned. I'm particularly disturbed by the accounts of divinely authorized genocide and "Holy War" recorded in Numbers, Deuteronomy, and Joshua. When the Israelites captured Jericho, the Bible says that "they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, ox and sheep and donkey, with the edge of the sword" (Joshua 6:20-21). How could a gracious, loving God sanction this kind of slaughter? And how does all this fit in with the New Testament's message of love, compassion, and forgiveness for enemies?
===================================================
Whatever happens to the Jews, their holy book is dripping with the blood of their god's commandments. While this may be from a book written thousands of years ago, look at what they did to the Palestinians from 1948 until today.

 

[Mr Person]

Whatever happens to the Jews, their holy book is dripping with the blood of their god's commandments. While this may be from a book written thousands of years ago, look at what they did to the Palestinians from 1948 until today.

It's a fantasy. It's not real. And why don't you want to look at what Hamas/Palestinians have done to the Israelis? At how they rejected a two-state solution in 1947 that would have granted them statehood in land that wasn't theirs, but was in fact controlled by the British, before them the Ottoman Empire, and so on back? At how they repeatedly banded together with arab neighbors to attempt to destroy Israel and kill Jews? Why the insanely lop-sided statement.



I think I know. And I wouldn't be surprised. You've made all sorts of awful icky posts over the years and one more nasty flavor would not be a surprise.

 

[ataraxia]

Christian Struggles With Biblical Accounts of Genocide and "Holy War"

How do we explain God's command to slaughter the Canaanites in the Old Testament? I'm a Christian, but I have serious issues with the doctrine of scriptural infallibility, especially where the Old Testament is concerned. I'm particularly disturbed by the accounts of divinely authorized genocide...

www.focusonthefamily.com

How do we explain God's command to slaughter the Canaanites in the Old Testament? I'm a Christian, but I have serious issues with the doctrine of scriptural infallibility, especially where the Old Testament is concerned. I'm particularly disturbed by the accounts of divinely authorized genocide and "Holy War" recorded in Numbers, Deuteronomy, and Joshua. When the Israelites captured Jericho, the Bible says that "they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, ox and sheep and donkey, with the edge of the sword" (Joshua 6:20-21). How could a gracious, loving God sanction this kind of slaughter? And how does all this fit in with the New Testament's message of love, compassion, and forgiveness for enemies?
===================================================
Whatever happens to the Jews, their holy book is dripping with the blood of their god's commandments. While this may be from a book written thousands of years ago, look at what they did to the Palestinians from 1948 until today.

Religious scripture is just a reflection of the society which created it. The moral principles within it are really designed for the community of believers themselves. It does not apply to how you treat outsiders- “the other”. This dichotomy in how we treat others exists not only in human communities, but is shared by most primates as well.

 

[ataraxia]

Christian Struggles With Biblical Accounts of Genocide and "Holy War"

How do we explain God's command to slaughter the Canaanites in the Old Testament? I'm a Christian, but I have serious issues with the doctrine of scriptural infallibility, especially where the Old Testament is concerned. I'm particularly disturbed by the accounts of divinely authorized genocide...

www.focusonthefamily.com

How do we explain God's command to slaughter the Canaanites in the Old Testament? I'm a Christian, but I have serious issues with the doctrine of scriptural infallibility, especially where the Old Testament is concerned. I'm particularly disturbed by the accounts of divinely authorized genocide and "Holy War" recorded in Numbers, Deuteronomy, and Joshua. When the Israelites captured Jericho, the Bible says that "they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, ox and sheep and donkey, with the edge of the sword" (Joshua 6:20-21). How could a gracious, loving God sanction this kind of slaughter? And how does all this fit in with the New Testament's message of love, compassion, and forgiveness for enemies?
===================================================
Whatever happens to the Jews, their holy book is dripping with the blood of their god's commandments. While this may be from a book written thousands of years ago, look at what they did to the Palestinians from 1948 until today.

If you want to take religious scripture seriously, you have enough to worry about with the New Testament.

“Women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the law says. If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church.”
-Corinthians 14:34-35

 

[brianpatrick]

“How do we explain God’s commandment…”

Simple. God didn’t command it because god doesn’t command anything. To the extent that anyone believes god does command anything, they are fooling themselves, and some faction of them are likely doing so in order to get something from other people; money, land, power, sex, etc.

 

[Grand Mal]

Christian Struggles With Biblical Accounts of Genocide and "Holy War"

How do we explain God's command to slaughter the Canaanites in the Old Testament? I'm a Christian, but I have serious issues with the doctrine of scriptural infallibility, especially where the Old Testament is concerned. I'm particularly disturbed by the accounts of divinely authorized genocide...

www.focusonthefamily.com

How do we explain God's command to slaughter the Canaanites in the Old Testament? I'm a Christian, but I have serious issues with the doctrine of scriptural infallibility, especially where the Old Testament is concerned. I'm particularly disturbed by the accounts of divinely authorized genocide and "Holy War" recorded in Numbers, Deuteronomy, and Joshua. When the Israelites captured Jericho, the Bible says that "they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, ox and sheep and donkey, with the edge of the sword" (Joshua 6:20-21). How could a gracious, loving God sanction this kind of slaughter? And how does all this fit in with the New Testament's message of love, compassion, and forgiveness for enemies?
===================================================
Whatever happens to the Jews, their holy book is dripping with the blood of their god's commandments. While this may be from a book written thousands of years ago, look at what they did to the Palestinians from 1948 until today.

Much of the Bible is obviously not literal. Did God actually stop the rotation of the earth, and prevent the disastrous effects of that, just to give Joshua time to do what God did itself at Sodom and Gomorrah?
Much of it is parables and allegories.

 

[brianpatrick]

If you want to take religious scripture seriously, you have enough to worry about with the New Testament.

“Women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the law says. If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church.”
-Corinthians 14:34-35

Yeah, it’s a shame Paul’s letters and writings got included in the New Testament. What a piece of shit he was.

 

[brianpatrick]

Much of the Bible is obviously not literal. Did God actually stop the rotation of the earth, and prevent the disastrous effects of that, just to give Joshua time to do what God did itself at Sodom and Gomorrah?
Much of it is parables and allegories.

What I want to know is did god peek out of the sky and tell all the Israelites, or did he just tell a couple dudes and they “relayed” message?

 

[Grand Mal]

Yeah, it’s a shame Paul’s letters and writings got included in the New Testament. What a piece of shit he was.

Paul was really important in the early history of Christianity. Without him keeping everyone on the same page Christianity would have fragmented and become just another sect of Judaism like the Pharisees, Sadducees and Essenes but his Epistles were just the Word of Paul, not the Word of God that many people want them to be. And he could be, well, opinionated.

 

[Grand Mal]

What I want to know is did god peek out of the sky and tell all the Israelites, or did he just tell a couple dudes and they “relayed” message?

Ask whats-his-name, the Speaker of the House of Representatives. God spoke to him.
Maybe he can get a New Testament book named after him.