How can we understand the biblical, theological, philosophical, and ethical implications of. And we took all his cities at that timethere was not a city that we did not take from themsixty cities, the whole region of argob, the kingdom of og in bashan. To say that the god of the bible is a fiction doesnt help answer that at all, and to say that the incidents under. The dilemma of genocide in the old testament matters because it keeps people from believing in god. Top 10 worst bible passages a list of the top 10 worst biblical verse has been drawn up, which includes approval for sexism, genocide and slavery. The drama of esther is unique among the books of the bible.
At least, this is the way i have been learning to read scripture, but it is still something i am working on. Did god really command genocide an interview with drs. The bible describes small children as not knowing right from wrong, and in. But as reasonable and noble as that desire may be, the bible is simply not that kind of book. The book of esther 6 powerful life lessons from the bible.
The most controversial books included in the bible grunge. New atheists like richard dawkins, christopher hitchens, and sam harris accuse him of genocide, and most christians have no idea how to answer. Did god really command genocide coming to terms with the justice of god paul copan on. Clicking on a book of the bible will show you that book. Enemies of the faith frequently refer to the destruction of the canaanites as a form of genocide and then reject the god of the bible as evil. This link is provided solely for the users convenience. The book of esther in the bible is a dramatic account which can give us insight into gods special and purposeful plan for our lives. Preface 1994 in this, the bible story is dissimilar to the both the memphite story and the babylonian in that the hebrew bible says the divine gift of working with god in creation is limited to humankind, meaning, for the hebrews, humans alone are part of gods being. The purpose of the white genocide conspiracy theory is to scare white people in countries that are diversifying and justify a commitment to a white nationalist agenda, using evidence of a declining birth rate in support of their extremist views and calls to violence. This is the final post in a fourpart series titled answering gosptacles. Consider some examples showing that science and the bible agree and that the bible contains scientific facts that differed greatly from the. Books as disturbing as this tend to age well with me.
The last gosptacleobstacle of the gospeli look at is the alleged canaanite genocide in the old testament. They eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, thereby incurring death for themselves and all of mankind for ever after. Doesnt the bible condone slavery, sexism, and genocide. And we took all his cities at that time, and utterly destroyed the men, and the women, and the little ones, of every city, we l. The story gives us six powerful lessons about courage. Daniel hawk avoids easy responses to violence in the biblebut then enters.
These violent stories are often passed over altogether or explained away as cultural remnants of the time when the stories were transmitted and written down. It use to be illegal for anyone other than clergy to read this book the bible talk about control. Learn more about the history of genocide in this article. Im not kidding, this book really bothered me, which means i will probably return and change my rating to 5 stars if i follow my previous pattern. At face value, it comes across more like a political novella than a movement in the biblical narrative. Studies in hebrew narrative and poetry 2000, is a model of close literary and.
My view all alongand especially in the recent booksis first that the biblical narratives are indeed stories, often. It relates the story of a hebrew woman in persia, born as hadassah but known as esther, who becomes queen of persia and thwarts a genocide. Wwjd questioning genocide and slavery in the bible red. Ravi zacharias international ministries 54,795 views. It contains many different genres like poetry, letters, epic sagas, creation myths, biography, and theological history. Esther is read during the purim feast on 14th and 15th adar februarymarch. The hebrew title, daily matters like the english title, implies an important and detailed narrative account. Bible commentary old testament, and has authored many articles and books. More than any other such book, the christian bible contains very specific endorsements of the most violent and bloody campaigns of genocide. Psychological undercurrents of history volume iv returns to the holocaust and the analysis of antisemitism in a time when racial hatred, ethnic cleansing, and apocalyptic fantasy are resurgent. Reconciling a violent old testament god with a loving jesus. How could god command genocide in the old testament. In the bible, words having to do with killing significantly outnumber words having to do with love. The only way to explain away the problem of the old testament mass killings is to.
We have just added many new sources, including the expositors bible commentary, bengels gnomon, langes commentary, hastings great texts and many more. It was always assumed that if more people took a page out of the bible the world would be a better place. In the british popular science magazine focus, astronomer and author bill napier answers the question, what is the most important book of all time. Many atheists, muslims and some careless christians also ask this question after reading a few old testament accounts. Ethnic cleansing and genocide refer to destruction of a people due to. The bible seems to say that god once commanded such actions. And we took all his cities at that time, and utterly destroyed the men, and the women, and the little ones, of every city, we left none to remain. Click the commentary tab or pulldown menu for a full selection of commentaries over any bible passage you are researching. We might wish the bible were a book to tell us the right answer to moral questions so we could open it up and find out what gods will is. What would you say to someone who has rejected god because of verses like these. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Making sense of the old testament god by paul copan paperback. While it is true that some only use the issue as a justification for unbelief, for many others it is a legitimate question that brings the very nature and character of god into question. After leaving his medical career, he worked for six years for a church in belfast and now lectures full time for belfast bible college.
The book of esther, also known in hebrew as the scroll megillah, is a book in the third section ketuvim, writings of the jewish tanakh the hebrew bible and in the christian old testament. Below, i give a few verses where the bible says that many of the population of canaan were alive after the wars of conquest ended. Genocide in the old testament will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked. How christian fundamentalists plan to teach genocide to. Our society accepts that genocide is the greatest evil ever, if that genocide happens because armed men shove people into camps. References of the bible were cited to justify the killings of tutsis. Hence it belongs to the bestknown ot books with the jews and it is also the book, which has the oldest copies. That means that genocide does not really comply with notions of race then or now, and is not about genetics. Terrible parts of the bible part 1 genocide whistling in. Apr 18, 2012 terrible parts of the bible part 1 genocide most my life, i, like most people assumed the bible was a book about love, peace, tolerance and rules for a good life. I read in the old testament about how god commanded the israelites to kill the amorites and the malachites. Just as when jeremiah preached jerusalem was going to fall the first time, the jews did.
Generational punishment in the torah bible contradictions. Elie wiesel shelved 101 times as genocide avg rating 4. It is interesting that many of those who claim the bible is not a historical book and its historical narratives cannot be trusted are quick to accept the historical nature of the statements in the old testament regarding the israelites destroying the inhabitants of the land of canaan. Leading apologetics author helps readers understand how the violent commands of the old testament god can be reconciled with the new testaments ethic of love as taught by jesus.
In old testament law, were children to be punished for the sins of their fathers. Watch our overview video on the book of joshua, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. No direct matches for your keyword exist in the king james bible. The holy bible is probably the most discussed, debated, and argued book in the. Forgotten role of the church in the genocide in rwanda. Pastor ignace yirirwhahandi who took part in the genocide of tutsis taught people to completely wipe out the tutsis. The bible contains both applicable laws and prophetic revelations throughout the text. This sense of honoring or empowering humankind is not in any of the. In fact, the old testament clearly says that most of the canaanite population were not conquered. Criticism of the bible is an interdisciplinary field of study concerning the factual accuracy of the. Yet it is worth knowing that these unseemly accounts still exist in the bible, because some tend to treat this book as a homogeneous document that. And since the triune god is inherently relational, the bible says that god is.
At least four events would probably qualify as genocides under modernday definitions of that term. Ethnic cleansing and genocide refer to destruction of a people due to their ethnicity, and therefore this would be an inappropriate category for the destruction of the canaanites. Dec 04, 2008 seems to me that all the evil written about the alleged god in the book called the bible is further evidence that it is simply an invention of evil men wanting an excuse to do horrible things to humanity and to control the masses. The discussion in the introduction to the book of joshua in the. This is clearly seen in the books of joshua and judges. He is the author of several popular apologetics books, including is god a moral. We often avoid reading difficult old testament passages that make us squeamish and quickly jump to the enemyloving, forgiving jesus of the new testament. Buy the bible in one year a commentary by nicky gumbel bible commentaries by gumbel, nicky isbn. The very idea of human whiteness is not, for me, one of fundamental identification. We certainly dont suggest that all christians today favor genocide but the problems with the bible remain. Questioning genocide and slavery in the bible huffpost. A testimony of jesus christ is a commentary that explains some of the mysteries of revelation. Click the search button below to search the entire website including all scripture translations, comments, commentary, bible dictionary, articles, and other pages.
The bible, god, genocide, slavery, misogyny, and other. Old testament, verses where gods own violent actions of punishment are described, 100 passages where god expressly commands others to kill people, and several stories where god irrationally kills or tries to kill for no apparent reason. I could have added a fourth possibility to the three above. We have read all the major holy books of the world. The book of revelation in the bible is one of the more difficult books of the bible to understand. And we cant begin to understand any particular passage until we first recognize its genre. To understand this, it is important to begin with what the bible is. The holocaust was foretold by jeremiah introduction the holocaust of the nazis was ghastly beyond imagination. He is on the advisory council of the biologos foundation, and is the old testament editor for the revised expositors bible commentary and general editor for the story of god bible commentary old testament, and has authored many articles and books on the psalms and other old testament books. Often the mass killing of the canaanites is described as genocide or a. Genocide, evolution and the bible focus magazines answer to the question.
We find in its pages things like genocide, gang rape, and slavery not only being sanctioned, but at times even being commanded. But jehovah warned a great slaughter was coming and predicted the years a massive genocide of jews would happen. In much of the bible, especially the old testament, there are laws that command that people be killed for absurd reasons such as working on the sabbath, being gay, cursing your parents, or not being a virgin on your wedding night. He is the author of several popular apologetics books, including is god a moral monster. Book of revelation explained a testimony of jesus christ. Go to the bottom of that page to see the index chapters, which. How, on the one hand, can hashem be so perfect and loving and on the other hand command us to kill babies.
That doesnt address the question satisfactorily, though, since the question is whether god as he is revealed in the bible is guilty of the genocide charge. Paul, there are some really horrible scripture passages in the bible especially the old testament. Yahwehs thoroughness in inciting and supporting mass killing is consistent, and extraordinary p. The bible clearly indicates that at present the devil, not god, rules the world. The church literally asked the people to kill the tutsis. Mark johnstons saving god, however, makes a more troubling case.
Herbert did ancient israel commit genocide against the canaanites. God allowed the holocaust for the same reason that he has permitted all human suffering. Esther with book summary versebyverse bible commentary. No, god didnt command genocide in the old testament. Jan 04, 2014 i once thought bible passages portraying god as commanding and committing mass murder could mostly be found in its first few books. By accepting this message, you will be leaving the website of the united states conference of catholic bishops.
In joshua, after moses death, joshua leads israel and they settle in the. Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it. He has spent the bulk of his career wrestling with the book of joshua, arguably the bible s most troubling book, with its account of the conquest of the land. Written by the priests of israel, the books of chronicles view israels religious institutions, the temple, priesthood, offerings and feasts, as the essential elements of her national life. Learn explanations for violence in the old testament from dr. Seems to me that all the evil written about the alleged god in the book called the bible is further evidence that it is simply an invention of evil men wanting an excuse to do horrible things to humanity and to control the masses. The assault on theism by the socalled new atheists has principally focused on three areas.
Whenever its teachings on repentance and faith to god and on loving our neighbour as ourselves have been followed, down the ages, the bible has achieved both of these objectives. Matthew flannagan about their book, did god really command genocide coming to terms with the justice of god baker books, 2014. Genocide in the old testament rational christianity. Is god a moral monster making sense of the old testament god by paul copan. The anchor yale bible commentaries cloth 2015 656 pp. What it will not accept is that genocide can happen by policy. Building an american movement to prevent genocide hirsch, herbert on.
The hebrew scriptures old testament of the bible describe many events which involved major loss of life. The bible has thousands of passages that may serve as the basis for. Yes, for although the bible is not a science textbook, it is accurate when it mentions matters of science. This is an important aspect of genocide which genocide scholars have yet to come to grips with. In 2006 conservative rabbi jack reimer, bill clintons rabbinic counsel during his presidency, created a stir when he associated islamic fundamentalism with the biblical nation of amalek. A commentary on the greek text new international greek testament commentary. Dr paul coulter has a background in medicine, and also holds degrees in theology and genetics. It is one of the five scrolls megillot in the hebrew bible. Click on a book listed below which will take you to its introduction page. Genesis exodus leviticus numbers deuteronomy joshua judges ruth 1 samuel 2 samuel 1 kings 2 kings. Sadly enough, in recent years, some christians of a more liberal theological persuasion have effectively conceded this point to those who reject the bible altogether and have responded in one of three ways. As we saw in the previous posts on midian, amalek, and the canaanites, the individuals and families who follow yhwh and become part of israel are on one extreme of a spectrum the caleb end, while those who attack israel are. Bible verses related to genocide from the king james version kjv by relevance sort by book order 1 samuel 15.
Jan 20, 2015 would a good, kind, and loving deity ever command the wholesale slaughter of nations. The canaanite destruction is the major ethical problem in the old testament. Jan 02, 2015 why would god allow for immoral things like genocide or slavery to be portrayed in the bible as gods will if they are not. It seems that god ordered a holocaust including smashing babies heads on the rocks. The bible is gods message to man on how to have peace with god and with our fellow man. I am becoming convinced that islamic fundamentalism, or, as some people prefer. To say that the god of the bible is a fiction doesnt help answer that at all, and to say that the incidents.
In the guide for the perplexed, maimonides explains further that the. I am becoming convinced that islamic fundamentalism, or, as some people prefer to call it, islamofascism, is the most dangerous force that we have ever faced and that it is worthy of the. Torah and genocide faq on the mitzvah to kill innocent. As the encyclopedia of the bible explains, the first five books of the bible. Each person should be executed for their own guilty acts. The bible in one year a commentary by nicky gumbel. The term was derived from the greek genos race, tribe, or nation and the latin cide killing. Genocide, the deliberate and systematic destruction of a group of people because of their ethnicity, nationality, religion, or race. We might wish that the bible was a book that would tell us the right answer to moral questions, so we could open it up and find out what gods will is.
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