Steve,
<<But these were extreme circumstances in which God had to do what he had to do!>>
I don't want to split hairs over this, but an omnipotent God can cure the sick, he would not need to kill them. And again, when I hear the story say that every single person in that city deserved to die, something in my gut says "wrong". What justified the death of the Philistines? They just happened to live on a piece of land that God had selected for his chosen people? If a crowd came out of the desert and told you that God had told them to take your land and kill you, what would you do?
<<I am not exactly sure of your position>>
Very simply, here it is.
I also do not believe that God has ever "chosen" one group of people over another. I have lived all over the world, among pagans, moslems, buddhists, and all manner of christians. In every culture I have met people who live honest, dignified, lives, not perfect but striving with all their ability to live up to their ideals. In every culture I've seen I've met people who use religion hypocritically, to justify their own grasping for power and their own tendency toward violence. I believe that God rewards the former and punishes the latter, regardless of the religious tradition from which they come.
I know that this is contrary to the bible, but I do not believe that the bible is the exclusive word of God. I believe that it contains a great deal of truth, as do all religious traditions, and all scriptures, whether written or oral. I believe that the assumption of exclusivity - that God prefers one religion to another - is wrong, and has caused and is causing an inordinate amount of pain.
I know that this makes discussion difficult, as our basic premises are different. None of us really knows who is right. We will all find out, sooner or later. Can we simply agree to disagree?
Steve
PS I don't recall Chris using anti-Semitic arguments. Perhaps he was simply lumped together, probably unjustly, with Emile. |
