Hey Rob, I respect your path, but the vast majority of Christians don't feel that way. A minority group gets used to paint the rest that way.
BTS
"Draw close to God, and he will"....never speak to you.....
by oompa 74 Replies latest watchtower bible
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Robdar
but the vast majority of Christians don't feel that way. A minority group gets used to paint the rest that way.
Good point BTS. I forget sometimes since I live in the Bible Belt. And believe me, the Xtians around here cannot wait for the rapture and impending doom of civilization.
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Robdar
but the vast majority of Christians don't feel that way. A minority group gets used to paint the rest that way.
BTS, Thank you for reminding me to judge each situation accordingly instead of lumping it all together. This is wisdom, and you are a valuable friend.
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BurnTheShips
BTS, Thank you for reminding me to judge each situation accordingly instead of lumping it all together. This is wisdom, and you are a valuable friend.
You're one of the good ones Rob, I knew you really didn't think it through and that is not how you really feel.
BTS
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wildfell
and did he make a rule for virgins that are raped have to marry their rapist?......I dont get it
Oompa, the OT wrote about a middle eastern people and their culture. That culture remains largely unchanged. If a girl loses her virginity (albeit through rape), it is viewed by the community that that girl is now unfit for marriage. She will be rejected by her society and not be able to live as a functioning adult, fulfilling her role in society and being a valuable member of her community. In a culture that prizes virginity, marriage and motherhood for women, that is devastating to a woman. Instead, she would carry an immense amount of shame.
However, it would be a huge deterant to a would-be rapist that he would have to not only marry this girl - but that he would never be able to toss her off - ever. It gives her security. It gives her some power in the relationship, too, I imagine. And, it means tha she would never be shamed by him. Also, please remember that arranged marraiges were the norm back then (and still are in the middle east and elsewhere) and that most women would not have entertained any hopes of loving the guy. Love would come later, if you are lucky.
You were looking at it from purely a western perspective. If you looked at it from a middle eastern girl's perspective, you may see it as a protection and a kindness. God worked in with their cultural norms to provide protection for the vulnerable.
So I hope I can clear that one up for you at least. There are things that are hard to understand in the Bible, but it helps to remember that they happened in a different time and place and to a people whose culture and perception of the world is vastly different to our own. Why not start your quest to understand God and draw closer to him by thinking on the things that you do get emotionally? Why not think about Jesus, who represents God, and how he lived his life and tenderly helped so many people?
May the Holy Spirit help you to draw close to God, Oompa. This I pray.