Scientific progress and the general improved level of knowledge in modern society has changed what parts in the Bible that still can be considered as valid truths, and what has to be considered as allegorical stories. The eternal truths of yesterday are today only metaphorical allegories. Parts of the doctrine the Church used to burn people alive for not believing, even the theologians themselves do not believe in anymore.
The
very strange "love" of Jehovah
Our “knowledge” of Jehova/Yehowah aka Yahweh is the texts in the
Old Testament (OT). In this part of the Bible the Lord's actions, his laws
and rules, opinions and personality are presented for the readers. It is also
in OT he speaks directly to his subjects and directly intervenes in history.
God is portrayed as an obsessive, strict, intolerant, unpredictable, judgmental,
punishing, revenging and cruel God. “It
is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God”.
(Heb 10,31). His only “good”
side is that he sometimes assists his chosen people in their endless quarrels
with their desert- neighbours, by killing thousands and unleashes nasty plagues
over the enemies of the Jews. However, killing men, women and
children by the thousands, is hardly qualifying as a “good quality”
by any standard.
The Lord Almighty is mainly occupied by demanding to be worshipped as the
only true God, and to receive sacrifices from his humble subjects. He is,
according to the OT, particularly fond of burnt offerings; especially he likes
the wonderful scent of scorched birds, charred lambs, goats and cattle. Any
violation of any of his multitude of strange rules is harshly punished, usually
with death. He is also prone to send all kinds of disasters and mayhem over
his mortal creations. So the concept of “boundless love” is not
exactly the most prominent characteristic in the Bible’s presentation
of Jehovah. The concepts of sin, shame, punishment, fear of God, sacrifice,
penitence, vengefulness and intolerance are on the other hand very prominent
in the texts. Jehovah’s very peculiar and strange definition of love
is also solely reserved for his own chosen people, that is, if they obey and
worship him. Even so, his chosen people cannot always count on his goodwill,
because he also enjoys punishing them too now and then (1
Chr 21,14; 2 Chr 13,15-17; Ex 32,25-28; 2 Sam 24,15; Num 16,46-49; Num 25,3-11;
Am 4,10-11: Judg 20,18-21: Judg 20,25; Ezek 11,6-10; 1 Cor 10,8-10).
(By the way, where was he when six million of his own chosen people
were killed in concentration camps during WW II??)
Even if we choose to read the unpleasant parts of Gods rampant punishments
and slaughtering of people as only allegories, they are can hardly be seen
as “allegories” of “a loving God”, or interpreted
as a “message of love” in any way whatsoever.
In short, in OT God is portrayed as, and acts
like, a deranged devil!
For
the love of Jesus?
In the four gospels Jesus enters the scene, and it’s usually him the
theologians like to refer to when working themselves up preaching about the
fabulous “message of love” in Christianity. According
to the gospels, Jesus says one should love your enemies, answer evil with
good and turning the other cheek. Firstly, this is hardly something original
for Jesus, but sayings we find in earlier texts (ex. by Plato; Confucius,
Buddhism, Hinduism a.o.) Secondly, Jesus also have enemies, he calls
them vipers
and serpents
(Mt 3,7; 23,33;
Lk 3,7)
and commands his enemies to be brought before him and slaughtered (Lk
19,27), and those who are not with him are against him, - and thus
condemned to eternal torture in Hell (Mt. 12,30;
Lk 11,23, Mk 9,40). (read more here).
Jesus is fact the only prophet in the Bible constantly threatening people
with eternal pain in Hell if they
don’t believe in him as the Messiah. This categorical intolerance and
threatening with hellfire can hardly be considered as a “message
of unbounded love and compassion”. Jesus’ teachings are at
best confusing, at their worst disturbing. So where the theologians got the
idea that the core message in Christianity is God’s love and compassion,
I do not know. You certainly don’t find much of it in the Bible.
The Church's wonderful history of love
How has the theologian’s alleged “message of love”
in Christianity been practiced through history by the Church and God's representatives
on earth? Where is the love and compassion in the numerous religious wars,
in the 2000 year long persecutions of Jews, in the crusades or the slaughtering
of natives in America, in the Inquisition and flaming heretic- and witch pyres,
in the brutal and merciless Christian criminal laws?
Nowadays, the Bible, the very infallible and holy foundation of Christianity,
inspired by the Holy Ghost himself, - is suddenly not infallible anymore?
According to the theologians, we now have to read the Bible in view of its
time. Oh, I see! The theologians and the Church obviously mean that an evil
felony becomes less evil if it is a long time since it was committed, and
if that kind of thing were more common at the time? For example, that an old
killing is less criminal and sinful than a brand new one, and that one murder
justifies another, after the good old “an eye for an eye”-
rule.
The usual defence is that God is not to blame for the Church’s intolerance,
violence and crimes up through history, the atrocities were all done by evil
men. And that all these men when acting on behalf of and in the name of God,
were not really “genuine Christians”. But,
at which point in history were the Church and the Christians “genuinely”
Christian then?? During the Religious Wars? During the Crusades, the Inquisition,
the Witch hunts? During the 1700 year long persecutions of the Jews?! The
Christian Church has not been really “Christian” until recent
times then??
Right!
“And what can we say about a Church, which
indeed promises its followers eternal salvation, but at the same time condemns
the non-believers and everyone thinking differently, to eternal torture in
hell? – If that Church wants to talk about love, then it should do so
very, very quietly.”
Arnulf Øverland (Norwegian author and poet)
Book tip:
The Bible
See also here
