Oh, how easy it is to twist the word of God and deceive the masses!
In search of new study topics, I Googled “controversial bible verses” because I love busting wrong thinking wide open! And boy did I get an eye full. I found lists of bible stories that are portrayed by some to be proof of a diabolical creator God.
The Apologists’ Approach
The first site I came across tried to explain away negative versus saying they were metaphors or taken out of context – an apologist’s article. Essentially, apologists tend to defend their beliefs about God and scripture, rather than defending the reality of them both. The articles I came across, attempted to explain that bad things weren’t really bad just misrepresented. Well, that’s just not always true. Sometimes it simply was bad.
Remove the Rosey-colored Lenses!
As in everyday life, actions have consequences and not all consequences are good and positive. So, let’s first acknowledge that bad things happen in scripture and in life. The same God authors both! Period!
Many people imagine the God of Abraham as a magical problem-solver in the sky, a ferry Godfather of sorts. This is FALSE! If you want to try and fathom what he’s like, imagine a dad or mom who loves their child and raises them in a way that nurtures them and prepares them for the world while protecting them from their own ignorance. It’s some hugs and kisses, gifts and yeses, but it’s also discipline, disappointment, the silent treatment, and a whole bunch of no’s and even some HELL NOs. That’s the God of Abraham!
The Antagonists’ Approach
Other sites I went to really caught my attention. While my own views might be considered anti-religious, one particular article wasn’t about religion at all. It was a direct attack on the God of Abraham. As I read its list of the top ten worst bible verses, even I was saddened by its portrayal of “God”. It promoted every word as coming from the mouth of God and every act as approved by or carried out by the hand of God. After I read a few, I found myself feeling a sense of disappointment. It even twisted David’s passionate poetry!
(In my original draft of this post, I listed this source but as I prepared the final draft everything in me said do not give this person power. So, excuse the vague references to said entity.)
Manipulation & Deception
I always find it ironic that atheists and anti-God people seem to attribute bible stories to God as if they were actually written by a god and every word is literally out of the mouth of a god and every interpretation and translation precise? Thus they use it to argue that God is not real. How is it even possible that such a person would not, as I do, see this collection of stories, poetry, and documents written by an ancient civilization and interpreted and translated by generations far-removed, as just that? Having no belief in God, how is it possible that in their minds, every single English word in scripture is, without context or cause, perfectly interpreted and representative of the will and character of a god in whom they do not believe?
The only group of people I know that generally believe in the infallibility of the English versions of scripture are traditional Christians. Is it that such people who publically argue against God in this way intentionally target people who believe in this infallibility?
Are You The Target?
See this is how wisdom recognizes a deceiver and manipulator. These proponents of a godless existence don’t believe scripture is the direct word or will of God. They believe that if they tell readers “God said” and “God did” horrific acts without rhyme or reason, it’ll plant and grow seeds of doubt and confusion, even foster resentment toward the God of Abraham in their target audience, traditional Christians.
The God of Abraham is Not A Religion!
I’m always baffled by non-believers who see God and the entities that proclaim belief in him as one and the same but then says God is not real. Apparently he’s as real as the institutions they believe are in fact God. My point is, the God of Abraham doesn’t have anything to do with religion. Though some religious groups attach certain of his qualities and resources to their cause and clubs, they are not representative of Yahuah. Scripture tells of the lives, development, culture, and beliefs of the ancient family of Hebrew people who attributed their lives and experiences to their God called Yahuah.
Anti-religious or Anti-Yahuah?
Why isn’t the anti-religious advocates attacking Catholicism, Protestantism, Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, Judaism, or Hindu? Why is it their beef with the God of Abraham, in whom they do not believe?
Now that I’ve pointed out the tell-tale signs of a deceiver, let’s see if ten of those bible stories commonly mentioned are indeed proof of a diabolical god or of a just god?
Rather than arguing in support of my own beliefs or against someone else’s, I’ll examine these stories from a Hebraic and literary perspective and in context, as always. Enjoy!