Week 26
Deuteronomy
Chapter 20
Verse 10. When thou comest nigh unto a city to fight against it, then proclaim peace unto it.
11. And it shall be, if it make thee answer of peace, and open unto thee, then it shall be, that all the people that is found therein shall be tributaries unto thee, and they shall serve thee.
12. And if it will make no peace with thee, but will make war against thee, then thou shalt besiege it:
13. And when the LORD thy God hath delivered it into thine hands, thou shalt smite every male thereof with the edge of the sword:
14. But the women, and the little ones, and the cattle, and all that is in the city, even all the spoil thereof, shalt thou take unto thyself; and thou shalt eat the spoil of thine enemies, which the LORD thy God hath given thee.
15. Thus shalt thou do unto all the cities which are very far off from thee, which are not of the cities of these nations.
16. But of the cities of these people, which the LORD thy God doth give thee for an inheritance, thou shalt save alive nothing that breatheth:
QUESTIONS
1. Compare and contrast Gandhi's methods of winning wars against oppressors with God's methods.
2. Contemplate what God means by the phrase "thou shalt smite every male thereof with the edge of the sword." Is this the same as the King knighting a subject or does it refer to slicing the neck from the body?
3. Consider whether slaughtering all males, regardless of age, infirmity or participation in battle, is the act of a kind and considerate God.
4. Discuss whether it is better to be smitten with a sword or become a sexual plaything for the Jewish victors? Explain why God believes that this is an acceptable outcome for the defeated.
5. Explain why this passage demonstrates that the Christian God of the Bible is full of forgiveness.
6. Interpret these passages in light of fundamentalist Christians view that God is loving.
7. Examine verses 10 and 11 and discuss whether God is proposing blackmail against the city.
Forward your answers to RBHill for marking.
Originally posted by MaustrauserNowhere in the bible will we find "and jesus spake, saying 'strewth mate, I'd love a cold beer'"
Additional question for extra marks
The word "death" appears 372 times in 342 verses.
The word "birth" appears 15 times in 15 verses.
What does this tell us about the nature of God?
What does this tell us about the nature of God?
Originally posted by MaustrauserShouldn't the question be What does this tell us about the nature of Man?
Additional question for extra marks
The word "death" appears 372 times in 342 verses.
The word "birth" appears 15 times in 15 verses.
What does this tell us about the nature of God?
Being picky, searching for contradictions, questioning the smallest before the biggest, arguing white is black, trying to find ways to kill the existence of God, rejecting the word of God, causing doubts, causing trouble, selective to what they want to hear and what not, desperate not to believe as if by not believing Heaven & Hell will cease to exist.
Zoom out to the bigger picture and look around you. God sent Holy Books as whole, and if Man decides to dissect it and analyse it down to the letter, ignoring the very purpose why these verses were sent in the first place, then "sword" & "death" are what man asks for and rightfully deserves.
Originally posted by Peachy
Shouldn't the question be What does this tell us about the nature of Man?
Being picky, searching for contradictions, questioning the smallest before the biggest, arguing white is black, trying to find ways to kill the existence of God, rejecting the word of God, causing doubts, causing trouble, selective to what they want to hear and what not, desperate n ...[text shortened]... in the first place, then "sword" & "death" are what man asks for and rightfully deserves.
If God's holy books are flawed, as many of these threads have demonstrated with their discussions of contradictions, absurdities and inaccuracies, then one can conclude that the God that divinely inspired their writing is also flawed.
A flawed God is open to questioning and inquiry.
What it says about God is you don't want to make Him angry.
Oops! Too late, you were born.
God is not only a God of mercy and forgiveness, He is also is a God of wrath.
And you think you have earned God's respect? You think you deserve some consideration? What did Israel do to be so blessed by God? All they did was complain and moan when lead out of captivity. God sets them free, provides for them, and all they did was complain and whine about the manna. "Fried manna, baked manna, manna soup, I'm sick and tired of manna!" They were a bunch of ungrateful babies. But God choose them so that they could be the object of his mercy and love. Not because they were deserving.
The truth is that God loves who He loves and hates who he hates. But that's not the same as the emotions that we mistake for love and hate, it's simply a reflection of our status before God.
Complain and whine and say it's not fair. Puff out your chest (and your lower lip) and demand God give you some RESPECT because you da man! And while your at it, go piss into a hurricane. It will have the same impact on you status before God. Maybe someday, after your paints have dried, you'll be lucky enough to see what a fool you are, what an arrogant idiot you are, and fall on your face and ask God to forgive you.
"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge." Proverbs 1:7 Read the rest and see what else it says. See also, Isa 11:3-4, Job 28:28, Psalm 19:9, Proverbs 1:29, Act 9:31 and 2Co 5:11. "The fear of the Lord" is found in 25 verses.
Don't take this personally - it's directed at anyone who thinks that God owes them any consideration. Which really means it applies to everyone - because not one of us has not had that thought. And I think it's a shame when Christians try to soft sell God or try to pretend God is all warm and fuzzy and here to build up our petty self esteem. That's not the God of Scripture. And if you find that a tiny bit scary to think about, then there's hope for you.
Originally posted by ColettiGod as the Boogie Man; Calvinist "thought" at its finest. Where does Jesus' teachings of love and compassion towards your fellow man fit in with your theory of man as lowly worm fit in (Nietzsche would be proud)? And what does this tidbit mean:
What it says about God is you don't want to make Him angry.
Oops! Too late, you were born.
God is not only a God of mercy and forgiveness, He is also is a God of wrath.
And you think you have earned God's respect? You think you deserve some consideration? What did Israel do to be so blessed by God? All they did was complain and moan when lea ...[text shortened]... of Scripture. And if you find that a tiny bit scary to think about, then there's hope for you.
What it says about God is you don't want to make Him angry.
Oops! Too late, you were born.
God is pissed at us for being born?
Originally posted by no1marauderWhat makes God's love a gift of grace is that He loves regardless of our good deeds. Grace is undeserved, free, without cost to the recipient.
God as the Boogie Man; Calvinist "thought" at its finest. Where does Jesus' teachings of love and compassion towards your fellow man fit in with your theory of man as lowly worm fit in (Nietzsche would be proud)? And what does this tidbit mean:
What it says about God is you don't want to make Him angry.
Oops! Too late, you were born.
God is pissed at us for being born?
Jesus does not say to only love only our neighbor does he? No, he says we are to love our enemies. Why? Because they love us? No. Have they done something to earn our love? Then they would not be enemies by definition. Jesus commands us to love our enemies because we have no right to hate them. If God loves us, and we do not deserve that love, who are we to turn around and hate our enemies? That is the how it all fits in.
Originally posted by Coletti🙄🙄🙄
What makes God's love a gift of grace is that He loves regardless of our good deeds. Grace is undeserved, free, without cost to the recipient.
Jesus does not say to only love only our neighbor does he? No, he says we are to love our enemies. Why? Because they love us? No. Have they done something to earn our love? Then they would not be ene ...[text shortened]... rve that love, who are we to turn around and hate our enemies? That is the how it all fits in.
Originally posted by NemesioYou are assuming that God has responded against his will. If God is angry - it is in accord to his perfect will. Do you believe you can violate God's will?
If a person can [b]make God angry, that person has influenced God into
a state that He would not otherwise be in had the person not acted in the
fashion.
Is that not control?
Nemesio[/b]
You can not do anything that God does not already know you are going to do. And you can not do anything God can not prevent you from doing. "God's will be done on earth as it is in heaven" - means just that - God's will be done. It is not a question or a wish - it is a statement of fact.
Originally posted by ColettiActually: You are. If God has acted according to His will, then you haven't
You are assuming that God has responded against his will.
made God do anything.
Furthermore, being omniscient, He would have been angry in advance of
your sin (because He would have seen it coming). In fact, this notion of
God's getting angry necessitates that God is angry all the time (because
humankind is sinning all the time).
But back on topic: You cannot make God angry. To say that suggests that
God has no choice in the matter. It is the carelessness of the term 'make
God angry' with which I object. If you accept that God gets angry, then if
He becomes angry, it isn't because he was 'made' to do it or even in reaction
to something you just did, but because there is sin in the world yet to be
committed (as well as being committed and having been committed).
Nemesio