Let me first say that yes, the Old Testament, the Jewish Tanakh, contains some barbaric events. Throughout history, a number of justifications have been offered to excuse such actions, but I think this approach is misguided. Instead, I think we should look at what the book of Samuel is. Now, while current Bibles have First…
Exodus 22:18 is part of a larger framework of civil and criminal laws set down with the intention of creating a just society. The formulation of these laws are quite common among ancient Near Eastern societies, and we even see some laws that are similar to laws we see outside of the Israelite community. So,…
I’m currently working on a larger work on the book of Psalms, as it is a fascinating piece of literature. It’s really an anthology, and as such, it contains so many ideas. It’s one of the few Hebrew works that is still regularly used within Christian services, which really speaks to its reach. When looking…
In Hosea 13:4, 9, and 16, we get a series of verses that tell of how the people of Samaria must bear their guilt for having rebelled against God. Because of that, they will die by the sword, their little ones dashed on the ground, and their pregnant women ripped open. Truly a horrific portrayal….
While looking for Bible verses to discuss, I found an article by Dan Barker on the Freedom from Religion Foundation website. Barker wrote a book, GOD: The Most Unpleasant Character in All Fiction, which, if I get my hands on a copy, I will review. But after writing that book, he ended up putting together…
When faced with the reality of suffering, the classical view of God becomes exceptionally difficult to defend. The idea that God is all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-loving is challenged by the existence of evil. It brings up the age-old question of theodicy: how do we reconcile our notion of a loving God, a God who has…
I would say that is a hard yes. What comes to mind is the scene in the Temple, the symbolic destruction of the Temple. This would have been a direct slight to the Jewish leaders. As a bit of background, during Passover, or really any time an offering was going to be made at the…
TLDR: To sum this all up, the reason Jews settled in Argentina was because of the Jewish Colonization Association that set up a Jewish colony in the country. It was a way for Jews, initially, to flee from Russia. As WWII was ramping up, the JCA continued to help Jews flee from Europe, and Argentina…
This is a massive question. Regretfully, in some cases, we don’t know how the religion was created, or why it was formed, as the religion stretches too far back, and we don’t have the sources. I’m thinking primarily of Hinduism. But we do have ideas on other ones. I’ll start with Christianity, as we have…
The topic of suffering has been a difficult idea to reconcile with a loving God. The question, why do bad things happen to good people, has been at the forefront of this. The book of Job tries to answer this question, while also examining various popular beliefs at that time. Yet, unlike what many would…