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

But you see I don't think it shows God as anything. I think it shows the way the Hebrews looked at God. If you read and study the OT. the same themes come out time and again. The Hebrews, rightly or wrongly, believed that God had called them to be his people. He had laid down laws etc that they were to follow so 9/10 times when something went against them they would put it down to their 'sinning' and they were being punished. And vice versa. Good things meant they were doing right. Of course sometimes they were right. If they were suffering it was probably the inevitable consequence of an action committed by them, not God punishing. Again if they were enjoying good times it was probably down to natural events or the fact that they had been wise in some way. Not because God was blessing them. You see it so many times in the OT.

I've been through the story and it seems to me a 'little' exaggerated. It makes a point to the Hebrew way of thinking.
Some of Jesus parables are based on OT parables and illustrations and if you read what is written that he said, the majority is based on the OT. and Hebrew thinking. Not necessarily what the Pharisees were saying, but OT teaching.

Let's stir things up. Jesus speaks of Noah and Jonah when addressing the people. Did he just use the examples because the people had been taught to believe them. Did he use the examples because he had been taught to believe them. Or did he really believe them?

I've always maintained that unless you know something of the culture, background and thinking of a people you cannot criticise them - only by your standards, culture and way of thinking.

 

They can talk "context" all they want...but the God of the Old Testament was a bloodthirsty and sadistic bastard. Yet supposedly the "same God" in the New Testament.

 

Again, two possibilities-

1. The story is "true"...literally true and God sent bears to attack 42 children for calling one of his "prophets" bald. Which makes God a psychotic.

2. The story is parable....which means, as you theorize, the Hebrews "thought of God" as psychotic who would send bears to attack 42 children for calling one of his "prophets" bald.

But if #2...then isn't everything in the Old Testament suspect? And if the OT is...why not the NT? And if you throw out the Bible as "culturally skewed"....what's left of Judaism and/or Christianity?

 

But then, this was the practise of the day.

Christianity was probably the first to emphasise the God of Love rather than the God of Judgement. Comparisons between the OT and the NT reveal this.
The OT is only suspect if you treat it as literal. There are historic facts that can be verified - the rest is down to interpretation, which as you know, can vary.
The NT is different if you ignore the supernatural. The gratuitous violence of the OT is gone in the main. The message is one of reconciliation. Of course some opposition religious/physical is to be expected.
Most scholars of antiquity, both religious and secular, accept that a man named Jesus existed. The only difference is the opinion as to what he was.
Most of the basics of events, people and places in Acts are verifiable one way or another.

 

That raises a problem doesn't it? If you ignore the supernatural, then Jesus died..and stayed dead.

Which means no Resurrection...and no Redemption of Man...and basiclly no Christianity, right?

 

The bible is only approximate at best, when it is not outright false.

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First in the world or first of the middle eastern sky god cults?

 

First of those we know about.. What the 'Chinese' of 4000BCE northwest 'China' believed in I have no idea.

 

We know something of what Native Americans said of "God" ("Grandfather Spirit", whatever)....and it was rather benevolent, wasn't it?

 

First of those we know about.. What the 'Chinese' of 4000BCE northwest 'China' believed in I have no idea.


Outright false? Is it? That surely depends on your attitude and understanding.

My belief is that most of the Bible is 'true'. But then I read it trying to understand what it was saying to the Hebrews.

They had no way of understanding creation so they followed earlier stories to explain it as best they could. 'Noahs' story to explain what we would call natural flooding today. None of this was deliberately to mislead. It was the best they could do to explain these things.
Egypt was the same. No-one knew that the Nile waters came from 3-4000 miles away in Central Africa. It was the 'gods' who supplied the water. When the waters failed it was up to Pharaoh (a god) to get them flowing again.
I believe many of the 'stories' in the Bible are to give the Hebrews a sense of belonging as a nation. Which are absolutely true and which are 'parable' one has to decide for oneself. I'm not going through the OT for anyone.

So is it 'outright false', or an attempt to explain things they don't understand.

You and I have the advantage of modern knowledge so we can see the real world. They couldn't.

Do we know exactly how creation happened? I wonder if in a 1000 years they will have the full story and look back and say 'what were they thinking, surely they must have known.....

 

Can't really comment with any authority as I know little about their beliefs, except their desire to shoot white men with their bows and arrows. Er...perhaps I'm a bit dated with that. Blame it on my playing cowboys and indians in my childhood.

 

I dont think Taikoo means false in that sense. rather that the supernatural claims are false.

meantime, putting this stuff in context really makes no difference. if the content no longer stands up to the scrutiny of contemporary context, what the hell is the point of it? why be guided by authors who had such ideas? why not seek (if seeking is your thing) something that has legs NOW. you'll get a good few decades out of it, at the very least.

I have enormous trouble understanding how christians can live with the bible.

 

sorry to hear things went that way for you. I was very lucky.

 

Elisha was a prophet...not God.

 

I have no problems with your comments. I agree that we should look to what we do know as true.
It has always been my interest in studying the Bible and its relationship to its time, background civilisations myths etc. And its relationship to the Jews.

As to seeking something that has legs now. At 74 I doubt I have a few decades to spare.

 

ididnt realize bears could be tamed.

 

Dont mock ppl and maybe you wont find out that there is something out there that will eat you for dinner.

 

The god of the old testament was made up by people. The only true god came later. Jesus. Thats why the old testament god is evil because he was made up by people.

 

of course. because calling someone 'baldy' is considerably more horrible than cursing children with death by bear.

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nice one, JM! you make our job incredibly easy

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at 74 you certainly have the POTENTIAL for a few more decades

 

You are welcome. A true christian knows the old testament god is BS. The only teachings that matter are the teachings of jesus. In the old testament there were many different gods that people followed. Its different to every story. When they mention god in the OT it can be any god. Not the son of jesus.

 

nobody died. if you were bald you would know how hurtful such a comment is. you clearly have no compassion for baldies! Also bears cant be tamed, therefore it was the bears own choice.

 

I called my best friend bald on facebook. He took me off his friends list and stopped talking to me.

 

I love this

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your ex friend sounds like god

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aha ..... finally some evidence your work is satirical!

 

You are part way there.
All of the gods in the non christian religions are made up. Check
The Ot is made up. Check.
One to go. See if you can figure this out.

 

Hold on a sec here.....isn't the old God the father of your new God?

How can the first one be fake if the second one is real?

 

In the same way that JMs christianity is fake.