Would you kill 42 children for making fun of your friend's bald head?

God did...

"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 mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head.

And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the Lord. And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them. "-----2 Kings 2:23-24

 

Is this for real?

if so, how the (*)(*)(*)(*) do christians sleep at night?

 

Yep.. awful story, no?

 

it is awful. but is it actually in the bible?

 

Yes it is in the Bible.

 

I understand you view such things as allegory, Margot, but how do our literalists reconcile abjectly horrible stuff? how do they get to 'god is pure love'?

 

I can't make any sense of this one.

Here it is in context.


2 Kings 2:21-24

New King James Version (NKJV)



21 Then he went out to the source of the water, and cast in the salt there, and said, “Thus says the Lord: ‘I have healed this water; from it there shall be no more death or barrenness.’” 22 So the water remains healed to this day, according to the word of Elisha which he spoke.

23 Then he went up from there to Bethel; and as he was going up the road, some youths came from the city and mocked him, and said to him, “Go up, you baldhead! Go up, you baldhead!”

24 So he turned around and looked at them, and pronounced a curse on them in the name of the Lord. And two female bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the youths.

 

When you understand that the god of the bible is a malevolent prick, stories like this make sense. A problem arises when you try to reconcile his despicable behavior with the idea that he is a just and loving god. He just isn't!

 

1. It doesn't say they were killed.
2. There were more than 'some' small children. We read that 42 of the boys were mauled. How many more were there?
3. They knew the danger of bears so why did they hang around when they saw them coming.
4. 2 she-bears maul 42 boys? Bears concentrate on one at a time. Were the boys trying to stroke them?
5. When was the last time you saw 50-60+ small boys playing together apart from organised parties. Children play in smaller groups.
6. Elisha was walking towards the 'city' when the boys came out. Why then did he turn round to see them?

Perhaps I'm a sceptic but I'm always wary of 'Biblical' numbers. Is this another 'parable' - if you touch gods chosen servant you'll be punished.

 

that reads a bit ... ah, wishful thinking?

I dont think it matters whether it's parable or not, the overt violence and the hair trigger attributed to god are not good. no amount of softening the blow really changes the fact that violence and anger are the message.

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and violence to kids, no less.

 

In our day and age a gang of even a few "children" have been shown to rape, beat and kill. A huge mob of kids roaming the streets would be more then a nuisence. This story is more akin to a 13 years breaking into a house and getting shot. Over 42 hounding this one man? I wouldn't judge. I'm willing to bet you wouldn't think them innocent darlings and would thank the bear.

 

The way that christians support this psycho-god no matter what is akin to battered wife syndrome

 

Yes...even you would have appreciated that bear.

 

did you say that out loud?

un-(*)(*)(*)(*)ing-believable. actually makes battered wife syndrome seem sort of ok.

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they called him 'baldy'. are you right in the head?

 

. Are you right in the head! You have more then 42 youth--kids probably ranging from very young to teens-- lining the road taunting you....during a day and age when mobs of people could legally get excited and stone you to death. Please don't tell me you wouldn't be worried, because then I'm thinking you are more then a little out of touch with reality.

 

THEY CALLED HIM 'BALDY'

so god had bears tear them to pieces. there is no universe where that is ok - even as parable.

I was once momentarily held at knifepoint (attempted robbery) by a large gang of teens, and there was not the slightest desire on my part to see even one of them killed. arrested, yes, but not physically harmed.

 

. You simply can't see reality. They called him baldy. Doesn't matter how a pack of kids get worked up. In Baltimore police finally found a pack of just 7 preteens who beat up complete strangers. And you assume more then 42 unsupervised kids taunting one lone vulnerable man is harmless. Live in your world if it makes you feel good.

I thinking expecting others to be vulnerable isn't your place. You were held at knife point. Others are beaten until they are brain dead.

 

you've tried so hard to defend your toxic book you've managed to demonise kids for name calling - to the point of approving of their slaughter. well done.

 

It is kind of amazing.
1) Conviction: God can't be evil.
2) Evidence: Here is clear scripture where god is being obviously evil for petty reasons
3) Conclusion: god can't be evil.

Religious "thought" boiled down to its essence.

 

Here's the whole story.

http://skepticsannotatedbible.com/2kg/2.html

In the same chapter Elijah parted the Jordan River and walked across on dry ground.

 

Obviously, taken literally this God fellow is something of a prick. Taken as parable these Christians want him to be one.

Either way...I'll pass.

 

Even if the story is parable....it shows God as, as noted above, a "maleovolent prick" who his followers think would send bears to kill or even "just maul" CHILDREN because they made fun of one of his favorites being bald.

For the Literalists though...it gets even dicier.

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Grizzlies maul the Little Rascals....but an apologist sides with the bears?!?!? That's some religion you got there.

 

Id have liked it if a god or anyone else would have made an effort to intervene when I was attacked by teenagers.

The story of the bear is fiction, I can appreciate it that way.

As an account of actual events, it sucks.

 

And when "god" sent a shill to kill all those kids, and the livestock of innocent farmers in Egypt, caused all those people all that misery in different ways, hey, "god" is the definition of perfect, so whatever
someone thinks up and says goddidit, that is defined as perfect.

The stench of burned flesh, the sound of screams and cracking bones during the inquisition must have
been a transcendent experience for all involved.

 

My experience with teenagers was a lot more harsh than that, at the time if Id been armed Id have shot to kill, and anyone who cared to chop them to pieces would have been encouraged to.

The thing with the bible story is not about someone who actually was rescued any more than Paul's
"snake story" is an account of actual events.

The utter suspension of brains it takes to think those were real events, and then concoct ways to make it all true and holy is a marvel to behold. But once that is done, the flood, the 6 day poof, anything is a cinch.

I wonder if fundies are particularly susceptible to things like letters from ex oil ministry officials in Nigeria.