Midnight Pete
Well-Known Member
If God commands it, it is not murder
But when does God really command it? And is there any limit to how much Scripture can be used for evil? Remember, the Devil is a better theologian than any of us.
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Christians: Kill family who mentions other beliefs to you?
- Thread starter Meow Mix
- Start date
But when does God really command it? And is there any limit to how much Scripture can be used for evil? Remember, the Devil is a better theologian than any of us.
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angellous_evangellous
Guest
Um, no. I just don't think that you're facing the reality of the terror that one should feel being before a God who could order the murder of a family (or a whole town).
I worked in a Methodist church while in school. I was their official "sexton".....not as sexy as it sounds.
I thought I addressed that in my post. I said it wasn't right for the Christians to throw those laws into people's faces, either.
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angellous_evangellous
Guest
Well, if one is a pastor, one's faith is one's occupation. This is unfortunate when the pastor is in in the situation where he/she experiences a loss of faith or needs a change in lifestyle (like realizes that they are GLBT).
The pastor is typically trained - which costs anywhere from $30k (just for the M.Div.)to $100k (Master's and Ph.D., like me) - and doesn't want to flush their lifelong training down the toilet.
Yes, there are many atheists in ministry. The lucky ones are those who began atheist and serve in the church in roles other than the pastoral ministry.
I don't see that ever happening, at least not in the mainstream. There are always cults that may do this, but they are rare.
Are you suggesting the Devil had part in the authorship of the Bible?
Not to derail, but a study by Daniel Dennett and Linda LaScolla on that very issue was recently released: http://www.epjournal.net/filestore/EP08122150.pdf
Reasons for staying in their position despite no longer believing range from the obvious- they have no training for anything else and they need to make a living- to not wanting to hurt their family/friends/co-workers.
He wasn't suggesting that at all. People can find and quote things from various books, and other reading material to fit their own needs and even twist the meaning around to something it doesn't even mean.
But "Kill your family if they speak to you about worshipping other gods" seems plain as day to me. What's to twist?
Wannabe Yogi
Well-Known Member
So what is your Christian solution for interpreting the violent passages of the OT. Do you believe as Rudolf Bultmann did that that modern Christians should engage in Demythology ( split between history and faith) when looking at Scripture; or do you toss the bible out and only worry about the leap of Faith in this "absurd" world.
They get what they gave, that's why we call it justice.
Midnight Pete
Well-Known Member
What does it look like when God orders the murder of a family or town? Who carries out that order?
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angellous_evangellous
Guest
I am influenced by Bultmann, but I think that he applied his expertise to the NT only.
For the Christian, like I said before, we should interpret the text as if it were only a human document.
Then, we extract from that document what speaks to us as belivers. That's not a very scientific method, but it should be restrained somewhat by the boundaries set by responsible interpretation. These boundaries include the constraints of language, historical contexts, and other interdiciplinary studies.
I personally believe that humanism should come first - the word of God only exists where it enhances and encourages the human experience. And then by faith we can realize the myth.
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angellous_evangellous
Guest
God can bring it about any number of ways. In many OT stories, however, it is the faithful followers of God.
Midnight Pete
Well-Known Member
It's possible to become so faithful that you become incapable of rational thought. :cover:
I don't think God would ever command me to kill for Him. If an angel of light appears to me in a dream and informs me of my grim mission, I would doubt the angel. Satan can trick people this way. I know he is capable of assuming pleasing shapes, even appearing as divine. He'll use your love of God against you. The stronger your faith is, the greater his hold on you can be. Father of Lies.
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angellous_evangellous
Guest
I'm impressed that you've managed to become a competent judge, particlarly considering the confused mess of a post you have here.
Midnight Pete
Well-Known Member
Why is it a confused mess? I think that's a litte harsh.
Again, does this mean you're suggesting that Satan wrote the part in the Bible that told family to kill one another?
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angellous_evangellous
Guest
For starters, it's not even loosely related to the OP.