2 kings 2:23-24: The 42 children killed by bears.

by bohm 68 Replies latest jw friends

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  exwhyzee

  This wouldn't be such a strange occurance to people who stoned their children to death when the were disobedient.

  If only they'd have had the Hair Club for Men....this never would have happened.
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  cult classic

  good point exyz - the ot has some of the most horrid stories in the name of god.
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  hamsterbait

  Whilst one or other of the bears killed a child, surely the others would have run away and hid themselves.

  If they managed to kill 42 kids, they must have just queued up and waited their turn! Even if they killed a child every 30 seconds, you are saying that the kids just hung around waiting to be killed for almost twenty minutes.

  And where were the parents? This happened in a village! The adults would have come out to save their children. In that case the bears fear of men and noise would scare them off.

  Incidentally 42 is a mystical number It is 7 (the number of perfection) multiplied by 6 (the number of imperfection)

  If Elisha cursed them, it just proves he was a vicious vengeful psychopath like his imaginary pal. Wise people know that children are cheeky little tinkers. A normal person would just laugh and go on his way.

  The tale is trash. Like the floating axehead.

  HB
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  hamsterbait

  A pre-menstrual she bear would be a terrifying thing to confront.

  Yep.

  'Strue - I eat my hat in shame.

  HB
• 

  belbab

  I s there a plausible scenario in which two bears could kill 42 children standing outside, other than having them stand in a line waiting to be mauled?

  On JWD some years ago the subject of Elisha and the she bears came up and the story was used by many to belittle and denigrate the Bible.

  
  Any posters that tried to explain the story were shot down.

  Here is my take on the story.

  Elisha had just taken over the mantle garments of Elijah. Elijah was recognized at a distance by his garments. He was a hated man in Israel; a famine of three years was attributed to him. Fire from heaven, (lightning?) killed a hundred men sent out to summon him to the king on two occasions.
  Elisha inherited from Elijah not only the office of prophet, but also the hatred of the inhabitants of the land. He was climbing the road from Jericho to Bethel. He would be spotted by the keen-eyed watchmen approaching from some distance.
  The text states that a group ( translated as young children) came out of the city to welcome him. (Back in 1952 while pioneering in Quebec, the priest in small towns sent out youths to harass and stone JWs who were going door to door.) They were not young babies out on a Sunday school picnic.

  
  David when he came up against Goliath, is described by the same word as the story with Elisha. So was Solomon when he started his reign.

  Like all rowdies down through the centuries, the youths, snuck up from behind, taunting Elisha. They were not brave enough to meet him head on. The prophet did not taunt them back. The word translated as “curse” does not always have the severity that it has for us today. One of the ways it its translated is “diminished”. Elisha did not defend himself, basically telling them he was leaving it in “Who Is, What’s So’s “ hands.
  In my understanding of the Bible, anything that happens caused at the hand of man, is attributed to man. Any act of nature that is not understood is attributed as an act of God.

  
  So what is a plausible scenario for the mauling of forty two children?

  
  David in his efforts to persuade Saul to allow him to take on Goliath, told him that he had once killed a bear, delivering a sheep from its mouth. Evidently the bear was hungry.

  There are three places in the Bible where it mentions the rage of she-bears bereaved of their cubs. If the bears were hungry, they would not kill forty-two people. They would kill one and eat. They came out of the forest, their natural habitat for another reason.

  Did the crowd of youths, greater than forty two, basking in their exhilaration of having taunted a prophet of God and gotten away with it , capture or kill the cubs and have them in their possession as trophies to show mom and dad? Did they feel there was safety in numbers and cling together in terror, not realizing if they dispersed and went off in different directions only a few of them would be mauled.?

  Remember, this is my scenario. I do not choose to taunt our predecessors nor the One-One-Who-Is.

  I was once was chased by an enraged she-bear when I stumbled upon a couple of her cubs and caught them by surprise. Ever since, if I come into the vicinity of a bear, even if it has left the area, I can still smell them.

  belbab
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  PSacramento

  Amen... and amen, dear Donuthole (peace to you, as well!). As our Lord is recorded to have said:

  "With the same judgment that you are judging, you will be judged."

  Thus, it might not only be loving to refrain from cursing; it might also be prudent!

  Indeed, for IF this event did happen, Elisha is gonna have soem seriosu explaining to do !

  God: So, Elisha, cursing children in My Name?

  Elisha: They called me baldy !!

  God: Dude, you have no hair !

  Elisha: yeah...true...but they called me baldy !!
  God: So, cursing them and allowing bears to kill 42 of them, because they stated a fact, that you are bald ??

  Elisha: I'm in deep shit aren't I?

  God: Yep and you aren't wearing any boots !
• 

  VM44

  They insulted the prophet, and therefore had to die!
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  Joliette

  Bring this thread back to life.

  Jehovah was a real douchebag for killing those kids.
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  Sharpie

  With this thread up after a year, might as just add this.