Often Christians will argue that the violence attributed to their god in the Bible was justified by someone's sin or necessary for some greater purpose. When I was a Christian, I accepted this argument as well, but I was unaware of the extent of violence depicted in the Bible. After research for myself some more, I was shocked, not only at the violence in the Bible, but the outright bigotry and hatred. Here is a partial list of violent/bigoted Bible verses:
Jehova: "A Murderer and a Liar from the Beginning"
Some Christians argue that the use of violence is acceptable if it accomplishes a greater good. But this flies in the fact of the notion of a god who can do anything-if a man had to steal to get food, one would not call him "all-powerful". In the same way, if a good needed to use tremendous violence and destruction just to accomplish a single goal, one would not call him "omnipotent."
What are people's thoughts on this?
By christian definition of paganism and from a roman view, it's barbaric. It's barbaric in the NT to think of christ's death as a salvational tool. It's like if I killed my child (if I had one) and my children's children's on down the line think I did a good thing (since word of mouth and story are lost through time) and use that story of their sibling's death to better themselves.
Either that, or it's like killing someone to save the welfare of a nation; but, in this case, Jesus was not a threat to the people at whole he just offended the Jews and their customs. Nowadays, people do that just being on RF.
There are other ways to be saved, I'm sure god can figure out. I'm sure the "blood of christ" (like a blood of a warrior from his opponent on his knife) doesn't need to be what saves humanity. Those who believe in "the blood of christ"
to me and only me it feels like using someone's death for my own benefit. Plus, I don't even know the guy.
When you talk about Christians, you are referring to jesus christ in their minds as god or have the divinity of god but not god himself. They don't separate the two. If you're just talking about the father and not jesus, it wouldn't be Christianity given they believe in the gospels on up and before the gospels are commentary to support the gospels.
I'd argue that violence (such as above) doesn't create a greater good but makes people depend on "the blood of people" rather than the life of people. In today's view, killing isn't actual death anymore but repentance. Shedding the old (shedding unclean flesh) to live a new life. It's justifying violence or death, rather, by personifying the need to follow the teachings of christ even though he isn't alive to physically save anyway.
But, yes, the bible has a lot of violence. The issue is not the bible itself. If everyone threw away their physical bible's that won't change what they believe. What they believe is causing other people suffering. It's a play on a situation that if god does not approve X we have a right to follow through on someone else's rights so X won't happen. We don't need to commit any form of violence to see the mindset of the belief.
Anyway, I can talk a lot about the politics of christianity. It's not the bible. It's the people.
