Accusations Against God
Sunday,
March 3, 2024
God’s
invitations to accuse:
Jer.
2.5 What
iniquity have your fathers found in me?
Isa.
5.3,4 judge betwixt me and my
vineyard. What could have been done more?
Isa.
41.21 Produce your cause, bring
forth your strong reasons
Isa
1.18 Let us reason together
Isa
43.2 Let us plead together,
declare thou
Micah
6.2 LORD hath a controversy,
will plead with Israel
Rom
3.19 Every mouth stopped
Accusations
found in the Bible
God’s
way is not “equal”?
Equal as in “balanced on a scale”. In this context possibly means God’s way is
not “fair” which is a common accusation in our day as well. But also might mean God’s way is not “consistent” which fits the
context, in that Israelites were upset that God was changing his treatment of
them.
Eze
18.25-29 ye say, the way of the LORD
is not equal
Eze
33.17-20 say, the way of the LORD is
not equal.
God’s
Sovereignty: He is sovereign and also judges us? If God gives us no choices
how can he judge anyone?
Rom
9.18-20 who hath resisted his will?
Job
9.12-15 who can hinder him?
Job
23.13-14 he is one mind and who can
turn him?
Isa
46.10-11 I will do all my pleasure
Dan
4.35 none
can stay his hand or say what doest thou?
Rom
3.5-7 if our unrighteousness
commend God, is God unrighteous who taketh vengeance?
Rom
8.20,21 the creature was made subject
to vanity, in hope
Deu
32.39 I kill, and I make alive,
none can deliver out of my hand
Psa 58.10,11 righteous
shall rejoice when seeth the vengeance, a God that judgeth in the earth
Sunday,
March 10, 2024
Accusations
from Unbelievers
Micah
7.1-3 Testify against me!
God
treats our judgment as worthy of hearing! Yet today scorners, unbelievers,
Buddhists, Hindus, Deists and Atheists accuse God of
immorality! Modern Atheists copy Robert Ingersoll of late
19th century, who in his day simply copied Thomas Paine’s arguments,
such as those found in his “Age of Reason”.
Genocide
Thomas
Paine, Age of Reason p. 87: God is guilty of genocide.
Richard
Dawkins, God Delusion: God of the Bible is, among other things, a bloodthirsty
ethnic cleanser, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, capriciously malevolent
bully.
Numbers
31.13 kill every male, woman, but women
children keep alive for yourselves.
Deu
7.1-6 When the LORD hath cast
out many nations before thee, thou shalt smite them and utterly
destroy them; make no covenant with them, nor shew mercy unto them.
Superficially
God commanded Israel to commit genocide.
Observations:
1. If God is real, such an objection is
futile.
Deu
32.39 I kill, and I make alive,
none can deliver out of my hand
God
needs no defenders. He can defend himself.
We
are really ignorant compared to God, who sees
beginning and end, as well as thoughts and intents of the hearts. When the fog
of human ignorance is dispelled by God’s light all our objections will be seen
as absurd.
2. We live in a historical bubble, which
in fact was caused by the Bible’s influence
Scientific advances
Political empowerment of
individuals
Sophisticated government
principles, such as jurisdiction
Humanistic outlook, image of God,
every human life counts
3. Before the modern influence of the Bible on
all societies, genocidal war was commonplace, and often justifiable.
When enemies are implacable, and are intent on
destroying your society, war must be waged in the most severe manner. George
Washington became famous for his campaign against the Indians who were
destroying settlements with impunity, because they were more mobile than the
Europeans. But Washington refused to chase the Indian army, and instead went to
their home territory and burned their villages and fields. This left them
without sustenance for the winter, and forced them to stop their attacks, to
rebuild and survive the coming winter. He became a hero, but today this is
called a war crime.
4.
There is a difference between Murder and Judgment. (See 1970s film
called Hang ‘Em High with Clint Eastwood).
Collective judgment (where a whole
society is considered guilty of crimes) is often unavoidable
God showed much patience with the
nations of Canaan. Gen 15.12-21, ten nations, but not ready yet (400 yrs)
God chose judgment by war, which actually gives the guilty the opportunity to defend
themselves.
God was not obligated to offer
mercy to unrepentant nations, but the opportunity existed, (Rahab, Gibeonites)
Sunday,
March 17, 2024
Slavery
Exo
21.20-21 And if a man smite his servant, or his maid,
with a rod, and he die under his hand; he shall be surely punished.
Notwithstanding, if he continue a day or two, he shall
not be punished: for he is his money.
Superficially
God did endorse “slavery.”
Accusations:
John
Spong, Episcopal Bishop of Newark, Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism, 2000
years of disbelief p. 316)
The
slave is his money (so the master may beat him mercilessly)
Matt
Dillahunty in a video excerpt railed on a Christian for hesitating when trying
to explain God’s treatment of slaves in the Bible. Dillahunty demanded an
unequivocal condemnation of the Bible for calling one person the property
of another person.
Other
problems
with the passage quoted:
Corporal punishment of
servants, criminals and children. Nowadays rejected,
but in the past universally practiced. When there is no other possible
incentive, corporal punishment is the only option, and unavoidable. Beating is
not the only corporal punishment. Solitary or any other confinement,
uncomfortable bedding, forced exercise, even standing in a corner, etc. are all
forms of corporal punishment. Modern disdain for beatings is hypocritical.
The punishment of the master is
not specified. Was he stoned as a murderer? Or fined? Ambiguous.
True meaning of “continue a day
or two.” Servant temporarily disabled? Takes a
couple of days to die?
Is his money. Word
translated “money” is literally silver.” Property is not an accurate
translation.
Notice:
The law of Moses is not identical to the Law of God. The law of Moses is not
ultimate righteousness, nor the ultimate standard of morality. (See Rom 2.26
where a Gentile keeps the righteousness of the law, yet remains uncircumcised,
against the law of Moses.) The Mosaic covenant was not intended as perfect
righteousness, but provided guidelines and incentives for a functional society,
especially intended to set up the Messiah. The punishment of the master who
exceeded in punishment was an incentive for masters to
use caution in corporal punishment. But one incentive already existed, that the
servant was valuable to the master for economic reasons. So excessive
punishment of servants cost the master financially, and that served as
incentive enough without a law prescribing further penalties against the
master.
The
change in terms
New
versions change the words “servant” and “maid” to “slaves.” Also new versions
change the word “money” to “property.” This allowed the scorner to accuse God
of endorsing slavery and considering humans property, both of which are
universally decried in modern America. Scorners assume the moral high ground
and press the point without allowing contextualization, as if there could be no
possible justification for “slavery” in any circumstance. This is a cheap shot
against the Bible, and a completely false narrative.
Property. This text does not call
humans “property.” But servants were collectively called possessions not
identical to personal property but indicating an economic commodity to be
invested in and traded.
Lev
25.44-46 thy bondmen shall be of the
heathen, they shall be your possession
Slavery. Notice the inflammatory
use of the word slavery, by all modern versions, and by scorners to accuse God.
When the KJV was translated “slave” was an uncommon word, used only twice in
the Bible to describe bondage. “Servant” is used hundreds of times, as well as
bondage, bondservant, bondman, bondmaid, maid etc.
The
reason this matters: During the fight for prohibition,
the term “slavery” was the universal term to describe the American (European)
system of chattel slavery. American slavery was unique in several ways.
Industrial: The industrial
revolution in Europe produced incentives to mass produce and mass market goods.
The experience of slaves in America was horribly worsened after the invention
of the cotton gin, which caused a mass transfer of domestic and small farm servants,
to large farms. This mass transfer greatly increased the break up of black families, the selling off of small
children, and many other horrible experiences. This great affliction is now
embedded into the term “slavery” which does not fit the Bible’s treatment of
servants.
Racial: Historically slaves have come from all
peoples. Europeans were sold as slaves by the millions during the middle ages, trafficked especially by Turks and Arabs. But
in the European economic boom after the printing press, the European craving
for sugar incentivized slaveholding in tropical plantations in the islands and
Americas. But all ethnicities of slaves tended to die of malaria and other
tropical diseases. Sub-saharan Africans are
genetically more resistant to malaria, and tended to survive in these
plantations, making African slaves more valuable. This produced the Atlantic
slave trade, where coastal Africans would capture inland Africans, and sell
them to European ships, which would deliver them to plantations in the
Americas. This led to the worldwide perception of blacks as slaves. This
perception is embedded in the modern term “slavery” which does not fit the
situation in the Bible.
Anti-Biblical rationalizations:
“Christianized” Europeans stereotyped Africans as inferior, and several myths
became widespread stigmatizing them over the color of skin. The “mark of Cain”
was unequivocally absurd, as if African skin was somehow related to the mark
God gave Cain, which mark was intended to protect Cain from violence after
murdering his brother. Another was the “curse of Canaan,” the son of Ham. The
idea is that Ham was father of Africans, and God cursed him. But the Bible
specifically mentions the 10 nations of Canaan, later reduced to 7 nations,
that were cursed, and Israel warred against them in their land. No indication
exists that they were black, or that they were related to sub-saharan
Africans.
Menstealing:
The African slave trade was condemned by all ethical standards even at its peak
in the late 1700s, because it was intentional capture of free people, to sell
into bondage for the purpose of profit. This is not “chronological snobbery,”
where moderns condemn ancients without walking in their shoes. This is
contemporary ethical thinkers and lawmakers condemning
the practice during the entire time. But money talks, and the slave trade
produced money.
Human
bondage is not inherently immoral. There are obvious justifications, and
historically bondservice was
practiced universally without ethical objections. (Even the ethical objections
by Christians against the American system of chattel slavery came from the
Bible.) Justification for servitude hinges on mutual
benefit of both servant and master. The Bible regulates master-servant
relationships, and counsels servants to be obedient (1
Co 7.20-21, Eph 6.5, Col 3.22) The Bible treats at least 5 categories of human
bondage, none of which are immoral, and all of which provide some benefit even
to the servant.
1.
Contractual bondage.
Ex 21.2 If thou buy an Hebrew servant, six years
he shall serve: in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing.
All
Hebrew servants were contractual servants. The maximum term was six years.
There were benefits on both sides of the contract. It was voluntary, or at
least better than the alternative. It is estimated that more than half of
immigrants to America before the 20th century were “indentured
servants.” That is they were contractually obligated
to serve a period of time to pay off their debt, either for the passage, or
some other debt. Many parents would indenture their children as a means of
training them in some field of labor. We still have interns working for
nothing. Benefit for both sides.
2.
Debtor bondage.
Isa 50.1 which of my creditors is it to whom I have sold you?
Debtors
who could not pay would be subject to being sold against the debt. Whether this
was for a term of years, or because of the size of the debt, perpetual, it was
not immoral. Benefits both sides. Debtor servants
could buy their own freedom, or others for them. While servants they were
protected by God’s laws governing the treatment of servants, as in our text
above. Debtor prison has proven counterproductive in modern society, so
bankruptcy laws now protect borrowers from financial misadventure.
3.
Judicial bondage.
Exo 22.2-3 If a thief be found breaking up,
he should make full restitution; if he have nothing,
then he shall be sold for his theft.
Imprisonment,
hard labor encampments, road gangs, community service, etc. are all derivatives
of judicial bondage. When a crime is committed, punishment can ethically and
morally include bondage. Historically they were sentenced to galley slaves on
ships, mines, armies, etc. This benefits the condemned in that he can be
sentenced proportionately for his crime.
4.
Spoil of war captivity.
Deu 21.10,11 when war against enemies, taken them
captive, bring them home to thy house, etc.
Genocidal
wars were, and still may be, sometimes unavoidable, but they are universally
devastating to all sides. When Santa Anna commanded the murder of all
surrendered survivors at the Alamo, and then at Goliad, he made his war
unwinnable, since no Texan would ever surrender again. The value of human
servants incentivized the avoidance of indiscriminate killing of enemies.
Taking them captive was beneficial to both sides. As servants they were
protected by God’s incentive guidelines.
5.
Social bondage.
Lev 25.47 If thy brother wax poor, and sell himself unto the
stranger, his brethren may redeem him.
All
ethical societies provided a social safety net, to keep their people from
starving. Having a system of human bondage allowed extremely poor, or destitute
people, to have a way to keep from starving. While not ideal, selling oneself
into servitude guaranteed food and shelter for self and family. Benefits both sides.
Menstealing
Bible
condemns menstealing as immoral
Exo 21.16 And he that stealeth a man, and
selleth him, he shall surely be put to death.
Deu 24.7 If a man found stealing brethren, maketh merchandise of
him, that thief shall die.
1 Tim 1.10 For whoremongers, menstealers, liars, perjured persons, contrary to sound
doctrine
The
Bible universally condemns menstealing with capital
punishment. The Bible specifically condemns unequivocally the American system
of slavery. Abolitionist movements were indisputably Christian.
Abolitionism
sparked by the Bible
1 Cor 7.21-23 if thou mayest be made free, use it
rather…be not ye the servants of men
Originally
the Quakers, but eventually believers from all denominations joined
abolitionism, decrying American chattel slavery as immoral. Some were fanatical
and died as “martyrs” such as John Brown and his four sons. Southern religious
leaders who used Bible passages to defend American slavery were forced to
ignore the injunctions in the Bible against what the modern slave system had
done, stealing people from Africa, and holding them and all their children in
bondage for perpetuity.
Modern
scorners that accuse God of endorsing slavery are wrong factually, and
intellectually. They must shut down dialogue as morally outraged,
because calm consideration of the Bible’s treatment of servants dispels
the myth. The Bible and Christians were the inspiration against modern slavery,
and trying to accuse God of immorality by conflating modern menstealing
with the Bible’s regulation of bondservice is not
just a “cheap shot,” it is an inexcusable distortion of the truth.
Sunday,
March 24, 2024
Romans
9:14-24 Who art thou that repliest against God?
God
invites to frankly accuse him, and judge him, but be careful, and be warned:
you may make inappropriate arguments!
Does
a potter have power over the clay?
What
if God had reasons for what he did?
Other
Accusations:
Dawkins,
God Delusion p. 31: The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most
unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust,
unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser, a
misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal,
pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully.
“Unpleasant”
in the following ways:
*Jealous he carefully guards what is his own
Proud
of his jealousy considers it commendable
Petty his complaints are minor
Unjust he acts or judges wrongly
Unforgiving he refuses to forgive even
when he may without inconvenience
Control-freak he obsessively wants to
control others’ business
Vindictive he is characterized by
a strong desire for personal revenge
Blood-thirsty he is eager to kill and
enjoys it
Ethnic-cleanser he
expels unwanted ethnicities from his society
Misogynistic he despises women
Homophobic he fears or hates ‘homosexuals’
*Racist he considers his race superior
Infanticidal he kills babies
Genocidal he systematically kills
members of a group intending to destroy the whole group
Filicidal he kills his own children
*Pestilential he causes, or is like a disease
Megalomaniacal he is obsessed with his own power
Sadomasochistic he gets pleasure from pain, his own
or others
Capricious he acts according to
whims, or fleeting emotions
Malevolent he wishes or wills harm
to others
Bully he uses
superior strength or advantage to inappropriately intimidate
Jefferson's
letter to William Short of August 4, 1820, (also quoted in Dawkins, The God
Delusion)
The
Christian God is a being of terrific character – cruel, vindictive, capricious and unjust.
Thomas
Paine, Age of Reason
p.
8, footnote: God visits
the sins of the fathers upon the children.
Moral justice cannot take the innocent
for the guilty, even if the innocent would offer itself
Misogynistic
Order
in Family
Gen
3.16 thy desire shall be to
thy husband, he shall rule over thee
1
Co 11.3 head of the woman is
the man
1
Co 11.8-10 man is not of the woman,
nor created for the woman, but woman for the man
1
Co 11.11-12 neither is the man
without the woman, neither the woman without the man in the Lord. As the woman
is of, the man is by.
Eph
5.22-24 Wives submit, husband is the
head of the wife, in every thing.
Eph
5.33 love wife as himself,
wife see that she reverence her husband.
Col
3.18 Wives submit unto
husbands, fit in the Lord.
1
Pe 3.1-6 wives be in subjection
to husbands, Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him lord.
Order
in Church
1
Ti 3.2 A bishop must be
blameless, husband of one wife
Titus
1.6 if any be blameless, the husband
of one wife
1
Ti 3.12 deacons
husbands of one wife
1
Co 14.34,35 Let women keep silence in
the churches, not permitted unto them to speak (notice “as also saith the law”
which is notoriously silent about it.)
1
Ti 2.11,12 Let woman learn in
silence with all subjection, not teach nor usurp authority
Acts
21.9 had four daughters, which
did prophesy.
Exo
15.20 Miriam the prophetess,
sister of Aaron
Jdg 4.4 Deborah,
a prophetess,
2
Ki 22.14 Huldah the prophetess,
communed with her
Joel
2.28 sons and daughters shall prophesy
Acts
2.17 sons and daughters shall prophesy
1
Co 11.5 Every woman that prayeth or prophesieth
uncovered dishonoreth her head.
[Noadiah
evil prophetess Neh 6.14, Jezebel, evil prophetess
Rev 2.20]
Order
in Government (apparently
no text of Bible rejects the idea of women ruling or reigning or judging. Notice
of many queens and female rulers no man of God rebuked them for it. Think John
Knox: The Monstrous Rule of Women)
Gen
1.28 God blessed them, replenish
the earth and subdue it, have dominion
Jdg 4.4 Deborah,
a prophetess, judged Israel at that time
Isa
3.12 children are their oppressors,
and women rule over them (a shame for men, because in competition men have the
advantage)
Women
esteemed more in the Bible than in other cultures:
Num
27.1—8 if no son, give inheritance to
daughter (daughters were given a dowry, just like non-firstborn sons were given
partial inheritance, but land was normally passed to sons)
Mal
2.14-16 did not he make one? Take heed none deal treacherously against wife
Mark
10.11,12 Whosoever shall put away his
wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against her. If a woman
put away her husband!
Women
worshipping
Exo
38.8 women assembling at the
door of the tabernacle
Luke
2.37 widow departed not from
the temple, served God fastings and prayers
Acts
16.13 river side where prayer was
wont to be made, spake unto the women which resorted
thither.
Luke
10.39 Mary sat at Jesus’ feet,
heard his word (not rebuked)
Women
serving in ministry
Prov
31.10-31 industrious capable woman
Luke
8.3 Joanna, Susanna and many
others ministered unto him of their substance (offerings sustaining Jesus’
ministry)
Luke
10.38-42 Woman learning at Jesus’ feet,
not rebuked, but praised
1
Co 7.34 unmarried woman careth for the things of the Lord
Acts
9.36 Tabitha, Dorcas, woman
full of good works and alms
Acts
16.14,15 woman named Lydia, attended,
baptized, abide there, constrained us.
Acts
18.2,26 wife Priscilla, they took
him, and expounded the way of God
1
Co 16.19 Priscilla, church in
their house
Rom
16.1,2 Phoebe, servant of the
church, receive her, assist her in whatsoever business, succourer
of many, and myself also
Rom
16.3,4 Priscilla, my helpers in
Christ Jesus
Rom
1.6 Mary, bestowed much labor
on us
Rom
16.12 Tryphena and Tryphosa
(feminine names) labor in the Lord.
Rom
16.13 Rufus, his mother and mine
Rom
16.15 Julia, Nereus and his
sister,
Php 4.3 those
women which labored with me in the gospel,
1
Ti 5.10 brought up children,
lodged strangers, washed feet, relieved afflicted, every good work
John
20.15 touch me not, not yet
ascended, go to my brethren, and say unto them,
Women
spiritually and morally equal to men
Gen
1.2,27 man in his own image, male
and female created he them (woman included in the image of God)
Gal
3.28 neither Jew, Greek, bond
free, male nor female
1
Co 7.14 unbelieving husband is
sanctified by the wife, else children unclean, but now holy.
1
Ti 5.16 if any man or
woman have widows, let them relieve them (woman financially responsible for
her widow)
1
Pe 3.4 the hidden man
of the heart
Mat
22.30 (Mark 12.25, Luke 20.35) in the resurrection they neither marry nor are
given in marriage.
Mark
9:35 if any man desire to be
first, the same shall be last (whatever lost in this life will be recovered in
the next)
Conflicting
Objectives
(Modern society has narrow self-centered objectives. These can’t help but
conflict with God’s greater objectives)
Enlightenment
Rationalism/Humanism: God,
Christian worldview
Unalienable
rights Unmerited and unconditional gifts
of life, liberty and property: Grace,
Pursuit
of happiness Pursuit
of the knowledge of God, and conformity to his image
Universal
equality Maximum
functionality
Human
potential Glory
of God
Individual
empowerment Empowerment
for service (usefulness)
Personal
fulfilment Eternal
life
Immediate
gratification Eternal
reward
Homophobic (Transphobia, etc.)
Phobia
is fear, not hate. God is not phobic! No fear.
But
God does hate sin, anything that dishonors his will or creative purposes.
All
forms of fornication are sin, including homosexuality.
God
specifically hates homosexuality.
Note:
The narrative is that a person is a homosexual, as opposed to
engaging in homosexual behavior, which presupposes it is part of his nature, he
cannot help it, it is God’s doing, etc.
But
homosexuality in the Bible is the excess of lust, or the corruption and
confusion of lust by our wicked nature. The idea that “orientation” is
immutable is clearly false. Married people commit homosexual acts. 46 percent
of adult homosexuals report they were raped as children by homosexual
predators.
Gen
13.13 sinners before the Lord
exceedingly
Gen
18.20 the cry of Sodom is great,
their sin is very grievous
Judg 19.22 sons of
Belial, bring forth the man, that we may know him
Isa
3.9 they declare their sin
as Sodom
Eze
16.9,50 this the iniquity of
Sodom, pride, fulness, abundance, idleness…haughty, committed abomination
Many
things in OT were commanded to be an abomination to Israelites, but this is an
abomination to God
2
Pe 2:6-8 Sodom condemned, live
ungodly, wicked, filthy conversation (manner of life)
Jude
7 Sodom giving selves over
to fornication, going after strange flesh
Deu
23.17 no whore
of daughters, nor a sodomite of the sons of Israel
1
Ki 14.24 were also sodomites in
the land, abominations of the nations
1
Ki 15.12 he took away the
sodomites out of the land
1
Ki 22.46 remnant of sodomites he
took out of the land
2
Ki 23.7 brake down the houses
of the sodomites, were by the house of the Lord, where women wove hangings
Lev
18.22 thou shalt not lie with
mankind as with womankind: it is abomination
Lev
20.13 If a man lie with mankind, both have committed an abomination: death
Rom
1.26,27 vile affections, against
nature, burned in lust, unseemly, error
1
Co 6.9 nor effeminate
(passive homosexual), nor abusers with mankind (active homosexual) [criticism
of KJV, too euphemistic]
1
Ti 1.10 whoremongers, them
that defile themselves with mankind
Transphobic
Deu
22.5 The woman shall not wear
that which pertaineth unto a man, neither a man a
woman’s garment, do so are abomination unto God
Manipulative
and deceptive terminology: I recommend Websters Unabridged 2nd Edition to
study genuine meanings. Internet (and modern dictionary) definitions are
grammatically biased against traditional usage. The argument over language is
neither irrelevant nor insignificant.
Gay joyous
and lively VS homosexual (especially male)
Gender grammatical
association of words or objects with masculinity or femininity VS personal sexual
exploration, imagination, how one feels inside
Assigned
gender biological
sex VS imposed sex
Cisgender Cis-
prefix means on this side (hasn’t changed), trans- prefix means on other side
(has crossed over)
Genderfluid can’t decide…in
reality all people are genderfluid, anyone can imagine themselves as the other sex
Identifies
as says
so (doesn’t make it so)
Hetero-normativity no
such thing as normal, only normal in your narrow thinking
Latinx dislike
of grammatical gender expressions in Spanish
Misgender noticing
the actual sex of an individual who has tried to change
Orientation current lust
preference
Transgender term
justifying exploration of sexuality, by cross-dressing, claiming to have
‘gender dysphoria’ (a genuine but rare mental health disorder)
Deadnaming Using
original name instead of newer make-believe name