Bible God in the image of old civilization

diamondiiz

How many descriptions of god or angels reflect on old civilization? I mean, the angels using swords? Wouldn't almighty have something better to arm them with? Why did angels need to wear robes like the ancient people? Jehovah's description as having a white beard also reflects old leaders who grew beards. Also why was bible god so blood thirsty? Why allow evil nations to procreate if he had the power to control it as seen with Abraham and Sarah? But he allowed these nation to have babies only to send armies to slaughter the old with the infants. He didn't like Cains offering because it wasn't a slaughtered offering?

If the bible was written today, god and angels would be wearing maybe suits or jeans. Angels would be carrying machine guns.... God would probably be clean shaven and not riding a chariot but maybe a spaceship. :)

While bible like other old books may have some useful moral guidelines, it doesn't make them inspired by anyone other than the men who wrote them. How much longer before the governments realize that religion is bad for it's citizens? I know that religion can play important role in controlling citizens, but that's generally in countries where there is one belief system or one prominent religion. In western nations where there are hundreds of sects of various religions, why keep them free of taxation as these can't be used to sway the public opinion to the same degree as in the past? God is an outdated idea that reflected ancient cultures and it may be useful for us to study the concept in history classes but it shouldn't affect us today.

Cold Steel

Based on the scriptures, I know of nowhere where God is dipicted as having a beard. But even if he did, it makes little difference.

Why is he so bloodthirsty? He wasn't. He did order the destruction of some of the Caananites; but these were wicked, profligate peoples who practiced the most sadistic, disgusting debauchery -- and the Lord knew these peoples would surely influence and lead away the children of Israel. He knew that it was better that these people perish so he could raise his people in righteousness. He also stipulated that all but young virgins would be put to the sword. He knew both the men and women who had participated in ritual sexual practices in honor of fertility gods would be almost impossible to break. (Even Solomon in his older days was led away by heathan gods.) The Lord didn't want sexual rites and human sacrifice, some of which included infants, to become a part of Israel. The Moabites, who seduced Balaam, also had been spared and the Lord told Moses not to harm them; however, when they attacked the Israelites, Israel destroyed them. After they found Balaam in a Moabite community, he confessed to having told the Moabites to destroy the Lord's relationship with Israel by having their women entice Israel's men to these heathan practices. Once they experienced the sexual orgies, the men of Israel were impossible to win back. And many of them were killed, as was Balaam.

Keep in mind too that God created all men and that he has power to bring the wicked en mass back into the spirit world. In other words, the wicked did not cease to exist. The scriptures are clear that all men will be judged according to the law given them.

So what of Cain's sacrifices? The Lord taught Adam and Eve how to sacrifice lambs without blemish to God. These lambs represented Christ, who also was without blemish. Satan led Cain away and told him that it wasn't fair that God should accept Abel's sacrifices and reject his. But fruits and vegetables didn't, and couldn't, represent Christ, neither was it the way the Lord had taught them to worship. In Moses' day, Nadab and Abihu (Aaron's sons) offered common fire to the Lord after they had specifically been to use fire from the brazen altar. Moses tells us that immediately the Lord's fire came from the tabernacle and consumed them. In other words, both of these priests had been carefully schooled in how to offer sacrifices. There's some evidence they may have been drinking, but the Lord was so angry that he commanded Aaron and his family not to go through the ritual mourning practiced at the time. Aaron was a broken man, but the scriptures said he held his peace and accepted God's judgments.

Angels are angels and can't be harmed by swords; however, they are symbolic of the judgment of God. The angel who appeared before Balaam held a sword and he told Balaam that if the donkey had not stopped, or collapsed, by the way, he already would be dead. In the book of Revelation, Jesus/Jehovah was shown with a sword coming out of his mouth. We shouldn't confuse this as literal, but symbolic.

Aussie Oz

cold steel completely missed the point.

Oz

cofty

The Lord didn't want sexual rites and human sacrifice, some of which included infants, to become a part of Israel. - Cold Steel

So god put a stop to infant sacrifice by having all the infants slaughtered - genius!

Anyway it is off topic.

Good points diamondiz. The bible reflects the cultural context of its authors.

truthseeker1969

Diamond so true about the swords I mean Luke Skywalker had a freaking Light Saber!

truthseeker1969

Maybe he would be known as Easy Jah and the 144's in the 21st century bible.

ProdigalSon

The Atlanteans had nukes, and they used 'em.

You can also find evidence of nukes at "Sodom and Gomorrah".

Just sayin'....

cofty

How are you using the word "evidence"?

diamondiiz

Maybe the bible doesn't include the God as having a beard but it seems every ancient depiction of him has a beard - like Jews and many other nations of the day.

Bloodthirsty, hell ya. If God allowed Sarah to be childless until she was 90 or so, He could have also done similar to the nations he deemed wicked so that by the time Israelites appeared in the are the nations would have had time to die off. If God was so caring as you and others imply, why would God continue to allow human population to soar to over 7billion only to slaughter them with millions of infants? What ever theology you ascribe to, there will be lots of unnecessary deaths by your God of make believe. As for the belief that all will be raised only to be judged again even though God decided to kill them one before adds to the argument that God loves spilling blood for what other reason would he raise people to judgement only to kill them the second time.

Also, if you notice in Gen 4:2 Cain wasn't a herdsman like Abel but offered sacrifices without a need of spilling blood, but I guess God really took pleasure in slaughter thus Cain's sacrifices weren't good enough. Jews invented a warmongering monotheistic God and thousands of years later many still continue to worship made up deity who can't speak or walk or perform any signs.

I doubt Jews thought of the swords in the garden of Eden or instances where angels held these as symbolic but rather as weapons. As humans advanced and created newer weapons the sword became symbolic as it is to you. It's easy to claim that, it's symbolic or figurative or that Jesus came - invisibly and so forth. Only a morbid god could write a book that no one can understand and a book that creates confusion and sects that kill each other in the name of the same god.

JAFO

Cold Steel: Why is he so bloodthirsty? He wasn't.

Ahhh.. so he sent bears to slaughter a bunch of bad-mannered children out of the goodness of his heart.. and here I was thinking it was because he was an evil, short-tempered schizophrenic megalomaniac... my mistake..

Bible God in the image of old civilization

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