Protestantism

» Brian Tubbs - Atrocities Then and Now

As I've stated, I don't have much more to say regarding the Old Testament atrocities. However, I can't sid idly by and allow the linkage of today's atrocities (microwaving babies) with Christianity.

When I read about adults murdering or torturing babies and children today, I renew my commitment to capital punishment. They should face the wrath of the state and then they will face the wrath of God for that.

However, do NOT link such grievous, shameful atrocities of today with the Bible and mainstream, evangelical Christianity!!!!

I'm sure Oliver, Migisi, and perhaps Pink will jump up and down - and demand: "Why not?"

First, it's an inflammatory, outrageous, and dishonest cheapshot - and you all know it. Mainstream, evangelical Christians don't go around killing children. It's frankly infuriating that I should even have to make this point!

Mainstream, evangelical Christian churches (and I define those as running the gamut from Falwell's Thomas Road Baptist to Rick Warren's Saddleback to Joel Osteen's Lakewood and so forth) are completely committed to helping children. Not hurting them.

Second, it is LOGICALLY fallacious and dishonest to selectively utilize the Old Testament to judge God. If you're going to cite passages in the Old Testament to indict God for atrocities, then you must take the WHOLE of the OT (unless you were THERE to verify that this part is true and that part is false). So, if those atrocities took place (as the OT records), then you must also confront what the OT says about the nature of God. He was all-knowing -- meaning He knew EVERYTHING about everyone involved. You must also accept that He was/is all-present. And you must also accept that the Israelites KNEW the reality of God and had seen His power demonstrated time and again.

God, after all, had delivered ten plagues to Egypt, parted the Red Sea (some say "Reed Sea" - but that's a different debate), thundered down on Mt Sinai, and dropped manna from heaven. So, it wasn't a matter of believing in some wish-based "faith" and then manipulating that to justify genocide. If you take the OT in its full context, then you must acknowledge that the children of Israel really DID hear from God and they knew that this all-powerful, all-knowing God (whom they had SEEN work wonders and make His presence known) was commanding them to take the land of Canaan by force.

If you're going to say that they should have stood up to God, well, then let's have that debate. But let's make it an honest one. Don't pick and choose what parts of the OT to accept as valid. BECAUSE....

If you believe the Bible is "fiction" (as Oliver said), then what are we debating? If you say the Bible is fiction, but then cite these "genocide" campaigns, then all we're doing is debating literature like Homer's "Illiad." Sorry. I'm not interested in doing that.