I just can't accept the notion that a god who loves anyone at all could order mass murder the way he has. [Spirituality & Religion]

His chosen people are ordered to kill thousands of people, [i]nations[/i] of people not even sparing the women and children. After all, that Promised Land was far from empty when the Israelites showed up.
I can't accept that notion.
Or at least i can't love that kind of god. I certainly couldn't.

Where do you suppose that leaves me?

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ArishMell · 70-79, M

God (if there is any such thing) didn't order mass murder. "His" supposed wishes were just a convenient excuse.

Pikachu ·

@ArishMell

I'm just assuming for the sake of discussion that the bible is an accurate record of god's will.

ArishMell · 70-79, M

@Pikachu Careful! Carazaa might agree with you! :-)

Well, yes that notion of it "accurately" reflecting God's will is exactly the excuse used both by those who use religion as a tool of oppression; and by those who are afraid to admit all religious texts are simply statements of their (human) authors' beliefs.

Pikachu ·

@ArishMell

Well i am in agreement on the belief that the bible and other religious texts are the work of man and not a god.
But these threads are made with the conceit that the god of Abraham is real.

ArishMell · 70-79, M

@Pikachu I can see you need that assumption to be able to discuss it logically.

A fundamental weakness of very many religions or even sects is the assumption of monopoly of "truth" and the "reality" of their own deities. Much of the killing and misery inflicted in the name of one or another god stems from that flaw; with the pretence that its unfortunate deity is The One and Only Truly Omnipotent, capable of building a Universe but so insecure it needs violent humans to defend it.

A fundamental weakness of discussions like these is their binary Judaeo-Christian / None division created by fervent believers unable or afraid to see beyond their own scriptures, and accept that theirs has never been the only religious belief of any significance.

The fundamental weakness of blindly believing the "Promised Land" claim is in failing to see it for what it was: Israelite propaganda.