by minimus 33 Replies latest jw friends
There are many verse that seem to show that God allows certain things, but that isn't really the case.
Many times these are causical laws ( IF someone does this...) and other times they are shown to be God "accomodating" the Israeli's ( making the best of a bad situation).
"Is God a Moral Monster" by Paul Copan tackles this issues and more and it's an interesting read.
Of course, Jesus does make it clear that MOSES was accomodating of the hebrews "hard heartedness".
I think the real issue is the number of things in god's law that result in a violent and brutal death by stoning (go watch videos of that happening in modern countries and tell me that isn't ridiculous brutality), even adultery results in death, and if a woman touches another man's genitals in a fight her hand must be cut off and they are told "to show her no pity". But a man takes many wives? Well what can you do? Boys will be boys. Given that fierce brutality is the result of so many minor or even similar offenses, why is accomadation made for having multiple wives?
You have to stand back and ask "does this look like a legal system concocted by an omnipotent all wise being of love, justice and mercy?" or "does this look like a set of laws enacted by a barbaric male dominated tribe?"
It's very difficult to explain (and much time by apologists has been spent in the exercise) of why the supposed former looks exactly like the latter. Usually it just comes down to the societies response "don't judge god." Which makes the a priori assumption that those laws are from god.
I don't like gospels and especially Jesus being used to stigmatize Jews. Jesus was Jewish and died a Jew. Christianity started at Pentecost. Jesus mostly stays within 1st century Jewish tradition. The very first Christians were Jews and then Jews and Gentile synagogue visitors. Many Gentiles were drawn to Judaism, way before Jesus. The monotheism appealed to them. Only to convert one must undergo circumcision. I would choose to only be affiliated.
Some Jews, a tiny percentage, were described as hard-hearted. Jesus was commenting about his own people. African-Americans can call themselves the n word but others should not. Hitler and others drew certain verses in the NW out of historical and logical context.
Stephen was a Greek Jew. The Greek influence may have had him interpret events differently than the Jewish apostles.
Is there any race, tribe, gender, group, nationality that is not hard-hearted at times?
Regarding the kings, God gave the people what they wanted and BLESSED the kings that followed his laws. If that too is not a sanction, what is??
