Questions about the God of the Old Testament

[_ludwigm]

... many people have a view of life, our existence, and purpose on earth all mixed up ...

Those people are called religious.

[_Drifting]

I have the feeling that many people have a view of life, our existence, and purpose on earth all mixed up. Let me share my view so that some will see at least where I come from with some of my comments.

...

What may appear as a heartless act can be used as a teaching moment for the spirit children. The life of the flesh has but one purpose. To teach us what we came here for. We need to be surrounded by evil and good and witness evil and good to see and feel what they are. God has set this stage. It was our choice to come here. To fall into the world and surround our self with its treats is to abandon our chosen path and lose our self. God respects free will and will respect our choice even in this world.

Can you articulate for me the potential teaching aspects that arise from the (alleged) sexual abuse of a 9 year old Mormon girl by her Mormon Primary Teacher during Mormon Sunday School lesson time?

Also, can you articulate for me what you think we learn about the Holy Ghost and his spiritual influence in the chain of events leading up to this horrific incident?

[_Shulem]

Now enters Jehovah, the God of the Bible:

Abraham, come here my servant.

Yes, my Lord, speak and I will do your bidding.

I want you to take your son Isaac and slay him on an altar. That is my will. Do it.

Yes, Jehovah, I'll round the boy up and take him to the mountain and cut his throat for you.

You are ever so righteous, my son, Abraham. Killing animals is simply not enough.

Thank you, my Lord, Jehovah -- and for giving me the opportunity to serve you and kill my family.

Paul O

[_Hoops]

I'd like to add an additional question to the list:
Is there any circumstances in which the slaughter of children is morally acceptable?

If the answer is yes, repeat that to yourself. I believe in certain circumstances the slaughter of children is morally acceptable. Do you understand why some people might take exception to that? Do understand why someone might be offended by that? Do you understand why some people might refuse to believe that?

'I don't understand how anyone can believe anything as hideously, wickedly immoral as that or even imply it.'

What is the answer to your own question?

[_harmony]

So what lesson is there to be learned from the murder of children? What lesson can we glean from this?

1. Can you provide evidence that any of this ever actually happened... outside the Bible, of course.

2. Can you provide evidence that God had anything to do with any of it?

[_Buffalo]

I'd like to add an additional question to the list:
Is there any circumstances in which the slaughter of children is morally acceptable?

If the answer is yes, repeat that to yourself. I believe in certain circumstances the slaughter of children is morally acceptable. Do you understand why some people might take exception to that? Do understand why someone might be offended by that? Do you understand why some people might refuse to believe that?

'I don't understand how anyone can believe anything as hideously, wickedly immoral as that or even imply it.'

What is the answer to your own question?

The answer for any decent human being is a resolute 'no.'

If you have the morals of a cockroach, you might come up with some other answer.

[_just me]

So why did the Amalekites get killed? Those of you who do not actually believe in God should be clear enough to not use any God told the Isrealites to kill them sort of reason. (actually it appears that a wider variety of people than just Isrealites decided it was a good idea). Unbelievers do not have a god to lead or mislead these people. There must have been some other reason for Amalekite unpopularity.

Do you have evidence for a swift genocide against the Amalekites outside of the Old Testament?

[_Franktalk]

I read the article. It doesn't support your hypothesis, Frank. It speaks nothing about the decay rates being different in the past. You're clutching at straws.

Here is part of the article:

"But as you can see, carbon dating makes one huge assumption: radioactive decay rates remain constant and always have been constant. If this new finding is proven to be correct, even if the impact is small, it will throw the science community into a spin."

I guess the English that I know is totally different than the English you know.

[_Buffalo]

I read the article. It doesn't support your hypothesis, Frank. It speaks nothing about the decay rates being different in the past. You're clutching at straws.

Here is part of the article:

"But as you can see, carbon dating makes one huge assumption: radioactive decay rates remain constant and always have been constant. If this new finding is proven to be correct, even if the impact is small, it will throw the science community into a spin."

I guess the English that I know is totally different than the English you know.

You'd have to discredit all dating techniques simultaneously, as they all accord with each other. :)

[_Morley]

I read the article. It doesn't support your hypothesis, Frank. It speaks nothing about the decay rates being different in the past. You're clutching at straws.

Here is part of the article:

"But as you can see, carbon dating makes one huge assumption: radioactive decay rates remain constant and always have been constant. If this new finding is proven to be correct, even if the impact is small, it will throw the science community into a spin."

I guess the English that I know is totally different than the English you know.

After reading the whole article, obviously.

But you seem to be trying to change the subject. I note that you still don't have any kind of answer for Stormy's question:

So what lesson is there to be learned from the murder of children? What lesson can we glean from this?