Why does the Bible Exist?

@maxdancona,

Why did God order the midianites to be killed?
Same sorta reasons why God flooded the world, and will be returning soon in anger....human civilizations gone wrong. Moral bankruptcy and corruption!

They (midianites) seem to have been the principal instigators of the infamous scheme of seduction, planned to entrap the Israelites!

This should help clear up your misinterpretation of things.
https://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/jamieson-fausset-brown/numbers/numbers-31.html

I urge you again to Get both sides of the story, and collect ALL the puzzle pieces before drawing your conclusions.

1 Reply

@Helloandgoodbye,

Quote:

The president/chief/King in command ordered atom bombs to be dropped on men, women, and children. Why?
You see, such lives can be taken and not be morally wrong to do so.

You are comparing the collateral damage from a bomb to the deliberate slaughtering of individuals using swords? That is really something.

Quote:

These are usually ‘arguments by outage’(no logical or foundational basis)

The appropriate response to deliberate genocide is outrage. What is your go to response to it?

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@maxdancona,

You said: ‘If you are going to argue in favor of the Bible, you should at least read it first. Under the law of Moses, a girl who is raped was supposed to marry her rapist provided she was not already promised to another man.

Yet again, you misinterpret Gods word. I’ve heard this ‘twist on things so many times.

Here:
https://www.google.ca/amp/s/www.gotquestions.org/amp/Deuteronomy-22-28-29-marry-rapist.html

In other words, the law given for a woman to marry a man who slept with her, was to give her financial protection Smile

not that they had to live together....
An excellent law! Whereas you have it completely backwards (like your slavery interpretations)

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@maxdancona,

maxdancona wrote:

Quote:
Ok.. I don't know.. 1.) God works in mysterious ways 2.) for everything there is a season?

That makes it easy to justify anything. When God told people to crash planes into the World Trade Center... was that Him working in mysterious ways?

Why don't you explain Gukurahundi to me.. does that have anything to do with "God" or the devil or is it neither or both?

1 Reply

@Helloandgoodbye,

Quote:

They (midianites) seem to have been the principal instigators of the infamous scheme of seduction, planned to entrap the Israelites!

So, some Israeli men went chasing after some Midianite tail. And your position is that genocide was the proper response? Have you really thought this through. You seem to be of the opinion that if the god ordered it, then your job is to do your best to justify it, even to the extent that you would validate the correctness of genocide.

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@Glennn,

I agree with outrage against deliberate genocide.
But the action taken against the Midianites was far from genocide:
https://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/jamieson-fausset-brown/numbers/numbers-31.html

All I can do is hope you are not deliberately twisting Gods word, and twisting the truth, to create a false reality (mainly to live in ignorance) to try and justify your sinfulness, and so that you will not be held accountable on judgement day.

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@Helloandgoodbye,

It is funny.

I am posting the actual words of the Bible. You are posting explanations of what White modern Americans think the Bible is really saying. You think that an explanation of the Bible is more authoritative that what the words actually say. And that is why the Bible has no real effect. You make it say whatever you want it to say... as has everyone else in the past 1700 years. You might be surprised to learn this. The people who wrote the Bible weren't Americans.

If people read the Bible could agree on what it meant, maybe it would have an impact. As long as White middle-class Americans are the only ones who truly understand it, it has zero impact... because the only people who understand it apparently are already doing the right things anyway.

If you can tell me how the Bible has changed your mind, so that you have a belief that is different than the typical White middle-class American, it would help me feel a little less skeptical. It doesn't seem like the Bible has even had any effect on you.

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@Helloandgoodbye,

Quote:

But the action taken against the Midianites was far from genocide:

Max supplied you with the pertinent text. It describes in no uncertain terms the act of genocide. Why are you denying what is written?

Quote:

All I can do is hope you are not deliberately twisting Gods word, and twisting the truth, to create a false reality (mainly to live in ignorance) to try and justify your sinfulness, and so that you will not be held accountable on judgement day.

No, I just read the account of what happened and am not in denial as to what it tells me. Odd that you would suspect me of twisting the god's words when it is you who are trying to twist the meaning of the words that describe genocide and rape to a T.

And I am not trying to justify my sinfulness, as I have not murdered or raped anyone; nor have I defended those who have murdered and raped.

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@jerlands,

jerlands wrote:

maxdancona wrote:

Quote:
Ok.. I don't know.. 1.) God works in mysterious ways 2.) for everything there is a season?

That makes it easy to justify anything. When God told people to crash planes into the World Trade Center... was that Him working in mysterious ways?

Why don't you explain Gukurahundi to me.. does that have anything to do with "God" or the devil or is it neither or both?

1 Reply

@jerlands,

Let me explain this slowly.

The 9/11 terrorist attack was done in the name of God. The people behind that attack believed that they were attacking on God's orders and that the people who died deserved it because they were a part of a wicked nation that defied Him. They believed this strongly enough that they willingly sacrificed their own lives.

This is the same logic that you are using to justify the slaughter of the Midianites. You are claiming that they were a wicked nation that defied God, that men, woman and children should be slaughtered.

If you allow the Word of God to justify genocide... then anyone can justify any act of brutality.

3 Replies

@maxdancona,

maxdancona wrote:

Let me explain this slowly.

The 9/11 terrorist attack was done in the name of God. The people behind that attack believed that they were attacking on God's orders and that the people who died deserved it because they were a part of a wicked nation that defied Him. They believed this strongly enough that they willingly sacrificed their own lives.

This is the same logic that you are using to justify the slaughter of the Midianites. You are claiming that they were a wicked nation that defied God, that men, woman and children should be slaughtered.

If you allow the Word of God to justify genocide... then anyone can justify any act of brutality.

Frankly, I don't know that the bible isn't a lie shrouded deep within truth. I do see the wrong in killing children and don't support that but who am I? I see truth in the laws and also know there are mysteries associated with the Bible and some truths may require special initiation to understand. I wouldn't want to base an opinion on things I can't understand but rather work towards an understanding. I haven't studied the bible for many years but am only left with the impressions I've gathered from the past.

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@maxdancona,

I think we covered this but I'd like to reiterate. Those things written in stone may be the most significant. I can't truly speak to "God" commanding man to kill men, women and children. First, he wasn't addressing me (to go out and kill) and second I really think there's something more behind the story.

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@maxdancona,

9/11 done in the name of the god of Israel? Ordered by the true God? Nothing could be further from the truth.

How do we know the Bible is from God, or a person is?
The acid test of a prophet is given in Deuteronomy 18:22

Here:
http://reasons.org/explore/blogs/todays-new-reason-to-believe/read/tnrtb/2003/08/22/fulfilled-prophecy-evidence-for-the-reliability-of-the-bible
Astronomical odds.

1 Reply

@Helloandgoodbye,

This is really a tangent....

The real question I want to hear an answer for is why your beliefs fit so well into 21st century middle class White lifestyle. and, why people who aren't White, or American have beliefs that are so wrong.

The Bible wasn't written by White Americans. And, yet White Americans seem to think that their understanding of the Bible is the only right one. The Bible itself says that Christians are to be judged by how they love one another. The differences between White Churches, Hispanic Churches and Black Churches are a striking failure to follow this teaching. This is not to mention the complete disregard for the needs of Haitian Christians and Palestinian Christians.

Is there any way that your beliefs about the Bible differ from White American cultural beliefs?

1 Reply

@maxdancona,

So it appears you feel the bible is not good for humankind. In your mind does this prove the existence of evil or do you think there isn't such a thing as evil?

My original post was based upon this query. I see the bible as being the fixation of western civilization, it's major philosophical focus, so why do you suppose it was written?

1 Reply

@jerlands,

It is pretty clear why the Bible was written.

The Old Testament was written by men of a specific culture to support their cultural values and justify a Theocracy. The New Testament was mostly written by Saint Paul and people who agreed with him to promote their new religions, and fight what they saw as competing views (Gnostics and people who wanted to remain strict Jews).

The more interesting question is why it has become so influential in Western Civilization. I have answered that; the Bible is influential because it says whatever people want it to say.

You have a set of beliefs that fit your place in life, tell you that you are important, and make you feel good about yourself without having to worry about the uncomfortable parts of your life. You understand the Bible in a way that supports these beliefs... and so you like the Bible.

You see in the Bible exactly what you want to see, and so does everyone else. What is actually in the Bible doesn't matter. And that is why everyone says the Bible is important.

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@maxdancona,

So you think the bible is like a magical mirror. You can peer into it and see yourself in some enhanced image?

1 Reply

@jerlands,

No, it's not a magical mirror, though it can endorse the image of yourself that you already have . . . which I suppose is a sort of enhancement.

Why does the Bible Exist?

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