God all loving and merciful?

[Reverend Keith]

There are all sorts of totally confusing and contradictory passages in the Bible and it has been used to justify everything from slavery to genocide depending on which verses you decide are the most important.

Fortunately, Jesus gave very clear guidance on which verses are the most important.

"Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."

In other words, if there's anything in the Bible that seems to teach anything other than love, you have Jesus' permission to reinterpret or even ignore it.

If you need more encouragement, St. Augustine says the same thing:

“Whoever, then, thinks that he understands the Holy Scriptures, or any part of them, but puts such an interpretation upon them as does not tend to build up this twofold love of God and our neighbor, does not yet understand them as he ought.” [8. Augustine, On Christian Doctrine, 36:40]

In fact, Augustine goes on to say that if you interpret the scripture in such a way that it teaches love, even if you're WRONG, you're right. Doesn't matter if the author had something completely different in mind. Love is the only thing that endures.

If someone wants to think that the Bible justifies hurting babies (or ANYONE) I'm quite certain Jesus would respond as he did to James and John:

“You don’t know what spirit you are. For the Son of Man didn't come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them” [Luke 9:55,56 WEB]

Of course, if, like me, you don't think the Bible is literally, verbally inspired in every word, you don't need to go through such gyrations to make it say something benevolent.

Oh, and I did a youtube on this topic a while back.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zskyj4JPiB4

Amen, Rev. Keith

[Miss Hepburn]

Originally Posted by candyfloss28

If God God is all loving and merciful why does he enjoy smashing babies against rocks? that is sick, nothing loving about that at all. What about the old testmament with all the rape and murder? After you read all that, do you still believe the Bible is the word of God? I use to be a Christian but I wonder why now I ever even considered it after reading the atrocities he commited.

You can love and follow Jesus and at the same time know that
so many OT stories were made up by primitive savage minds that
loved to blame God for everything.

God is only Pure Love....this other stuff is bul*-onie.

A careful reading of the Bible with consideration of the times and cultures in which various parts are written and using a little common sense, will give good guidance to the person actually seeking guidance.

Take note of how Jesus handled the scriptures (Old Testament) in his teaching. Very astute. Very spiritual and very instructive. Follow him.

[Morpheus]

Originally Posted by Miss Hepburn

You can love and follow Jesus and at the same time know that
so many OT stories were made up by primitive savage minds that
loved to blame God for everything.

God is only Pure Love....this other stuff is bul*-onie.

There is the Earth, and this life centered perspective, which involves Ego and the survival instinct of the organic. A weaker viewpoint and understanding involving the mortal mind.

Then there is the timeless and Eternal perspective, involving Spirit.

God is love, but it is evident that He hates certain things. Certain behaviors, as example, which are not healthy for humanity, and His people.
He is involved with the greater birds-eye view, and Eternal aspect of things of the soul, and is not limited, as many are, to our Earth and, "ground based" perception, and, eyeview.

These things are well communicated to us in Scripture, which many reject.

Jesus told a story regarding this. involving the landowner and farmer, who's servants of the field came to him stating that there were weeds growing up with the grain.
Who then responded, "An enemy has done this.

But, let the weeds grow up with the grain, and they will be separated at the harvesting, and burned."
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew 13:24-30,36-43


"So the servants of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’

28 He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go and gather them up?’ 29 But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them.

30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers,

“First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.”’