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MsMJAY -> RE: is religion a tool created to control knowledge (1/9/2014 11:52:27 AM)
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ORIGINAL: Milesnmiles
The simple fact is that most of that violence was not condoned by God and although the ones who did them may have said they were God's people and where doing it in God's name, they were not. Much of the "Old Testament" is history and is just the truth of what happen and because it is in the Bible it should not be assumed that all that happened was approved by God.
The Israelites said God told them to invade other lands, kill everyone than take the property for themselves. Christianity celebrates this as God giving his people victory. It still meant the genocide of the Canaanites the Hittites, the Amalekites, etc. Christianity teaches that this genocide was God ordained.
Hopefully you are not implying that those who were killed were innocent, as some will say. Some of those "innocents" burned their children alive as a sacrifice to their false gods. Hopefully you are not saying God should have let that continue.
None of us are innocent. (There is none righteous no not one. Romans 3:10) But it is quite a tap dance to say that because they were killing their own children the Israelites were justified in killing them AND their children (except the hot young virgins) and THIS is God ordained?
Yes, tell me about the despicable treatment of women like Sarah, Rahab, Ruth, Shiphrah, Puah and the widow of Zarephath.
Sarah was pimped out by her own husband, twice
Rahab was a whore who assisted in the genocide of her own people in exchange for her own life. (She is considered a hero.)
Ruth became a beggar because her husband died and her story is about her marrying well.
Shipirah and Puah were slaves
The widow of Zarpheth was poor and destitute and left to fend for herself (Yes, I know God helped her. I never said GOD mistreated women.)
Exodus 21 instructs fathers to sell their daughter then “redeem her” if she’s not sexing her husband in a satisfactory way.
If a woman could not “prove” she was a virgin on her wedding night her husband could have her put to death.
Inheritances went to the closest male relative (females were SOL)
If an engaged or married woman was raped and did not scream loud enough she could be stoned along with her rapist.
If she was not engaged or married the rapist just paid her father and she was forced to marry her rapist.
women were forced to drink poison if their husband thought they had cheated on him (Even though he could have 400 wives and 300 concubines if he could afford to buy them all.)
Numbers 31 the Medianite virgin women were taken as sex slaves. (the Israelites said God ordained it)
Women were given away as prizes Judges 1:12
Offered as sacrifice Judges 11:29
Gang raped, mutilated and murdered after being given by her own husbands- Judges 19:22
No, we cannot deny these things happened or that it "wasn't that bad" but these things are still happening all around us, it is the result of men using their free will without regard for God or the consequences.
All of the acts were free will. But a great many of them are still condoned and justified by most Christian sects. (the genocide I mentioned earlier, the stonings that took place under OT law, women being treated like second class citizens)
No, true Christianity has no "violent and brutal history" and any who believe that do not know what Christianity is.
Anyone who believes that Christianity did not stem from a violent brutal history either has not read the Bible or is in denial. The violence was definitely not what Jesus preached or taught; but when we call the Old Testament our "Tutor that led us to Christ" we are alluding to very bloody, violent and brutal history.
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