A lot of my friends think God really did get away with murder in the Bible. Well, here’s the truth. There is plenty of evidence that God not only encouraged murder, but commanded it! Some people tell me this is the reason they don't like reading the Bible. Others say this is the reason they reject the Bible altogether. But I think the issue is actually pretty complicated, and the concern about God's complicity in the violence of the Bible requires a closer look.
Modern misinterpretations of the ancient stories have resulted in disastrous outcomes. We’ve seen these Bible stories used as justification for everything from ethnic cleansing to enslavement to colonization. But this was never the intent of these authors.
When we look closer, we see there is a common theme in the accounts in which God is portrayed as the instigator of murder. In these accounts, God is acting as the protector of God's own people. The authors of these ancient books consistently conveyed a message of intolerance for people’s unwillingness to live in accord with God's rules of order. Disaster befalls the disobedient, and heavenly rewards come to the obedient.
I think God-through God's prophets-needed to portray how severe the consequences are for disobedience, but also needed to make clear how people were to behave in a right relationship to God.
Listen to this Bible and Beyond Video Essay by Dr. Shirley Paulson to learn more. Read the transcript on the Bible and Beyond blog here:
earlychristian...
18 сен 2024
