EAllusion, I am happy to think that woodenness was an illusion resulting merely from the brevity of your comment. You suggest some developed thoughts about the relationship between desire for revenge and inflating certain political (religious) authorities. I am being approximate to invite you to expand.
I could wonder if you might exaggurate the importance of those instances of God punishing challangers. I can remember a couple instances when Moses was challenged. Otherwise authority is a bit too tentative to invite that sort of divine action. What I see in the Old Testament is that most of the time authority is transitory, corrupt or not in a position of power.
Elisha, bears and 42 children dead
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_huckelberry
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_huckelberry
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Re: Elisha, bears and 42 children dead
I doubt that any story can be tied down to one true meaning. Most stories even with more detail, accuracy and context than this bear story will suggest multiple readings. I am not incapable of seeing a meaning of "if you disrespect the prophet god will get you". That would fit with seeing the story as seeking to inspire fear.
If it is about fear then it is natural to picture 42 dead children. Myself I picture no dead children. I do not even feel obligated to picture seriously injured ones. Instead I see 42 chased away and frightend, some of whom pick up some cuts and abrasions. I think it might be silly to argue this point. I wasnot there , if there was a there, to get the real facts. I might be reacting to my own expectation of proportion. I do not know how a story audience 2600 years ago would picture it. I suspect the story had a comic element. If so, and that can only be a possible reading, it would have a bit of black humor fitting a violent and unsafe time.
Perhaps making it more difficult to relate my views, I do not think the story was told to inspire fear as much as to inspire courage. I see the hearers of the story as out of political power and in danger from the power figures such as king court and relatives of those powers. The prophet receives protection which is a reflection of a hope for protection despite lack of pollitical power. I suppose that need can generate fantasy. It also causes people to ask where their strength lies.
If it is about fear then it is natural to picture 42 dead children. Myself I picture no dead children. I do not even feel obligated to picture seriously injured ones. Instead I see 42 chased away and frightend, some of whom pick up some cuts and abrasions. I think it might be silly to argue this point. I wasnot there , if there was a there, to get the real facts. I might be reacting to my own expectation of proportion. I do not know how a story audience 2600 years ago would picture it. I suspect the story had a comic element. If so, and that can only be a possible reading, it would have a bit of black humor fitting a violent and unsafe time.
Perhaps making it more difficult to relate my views, I do not think the story was told to inspire fear as much as to inspire courage. I see the hearers of the story as out of political power and in danger from the power figures such as king court and relatives of those powers. The prophet receives protection which is a reflection of a hope for protection despite lack of pollitical power. I suppose that need can generate fantasy. It also causes people to ask where their strength lies.
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_Everybody Wang Chung
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Re: Elisha, bears and 42 children dead
What a total crap of a town Bethel must have been if the best prank 42 kids could decide was to call someone bald? Lame, lame.
Maybe they deserved to be mauled.
Maybe they deserved to be mauled.
"I'm on paid sabbatical from BYU in exchange for my promise to use this time to finish two books."
Daniel C. Peterson, 2014
Daniel C. Peterson, 2014
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_Darth J
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Re: Elisha, bears and 42 children dead
Simon Belmont wrote:Darth J wrote:If Elisha felt bad about being bald, why didn't he pray for God to give him hair, rather than praying for the miracle of revenge against those kids who were making fun of him?
He may have been autistic.
What you do, Simon, is compare my statement about "de facto autism" to the way that I never made fun of TAO (a board member here who actually is autistic) for his condition.