On Psalm 109 and Faith

[scaeagles]

I will point out that in Christianity, there is a tremendous difference between the old covenant and the new covenant. In the old covenent with the Jews as the chosen people, it was pretty much kill everyone who stood in the way. After the new covenant, being the death and resurrection of Jesus, the gospel was available to all and there was no more call to completely obliterate all the non chosen. I think that context is frequently lost, even at times among the Christians. I suppose the crusades might be the biggest example of that.

For that reason, unlike with the Quran (though I am NO expert on the Quran, certainly), I beleive that the old testament calls for vengeance, etc, are to be discounted and they are historical in nature, not to be applied today.

Of course this does not mean every Christian thinks that way. It would be a better world if they did.

[flippyshark]

Originally Posted by scaeagles

I will point out that in Christianity, there is a tremendous difference between the old covenant and the new covenant. In the old covenent with the Jews as the chosen people, it was pretty much kill everyone who stood in the way. After the new covenant, being the death and resurrection of Jesus, the gospel was available to all and there was no more call to completely obliterate all the non chosen. I think that context is frequently lost, even at times among the Christians. I suppose the crusades might be the biggest example of that.

For that reason, unlike with the Quran (though I am NO expert on the Quran, certainly), I beleive that the old testament calls for vengeance, etc, are to be discounted and they are historical in nature, not to be applied today.

Of course this does not mean every Christian thinks that way. It would be a better world if they did.

I am, of course, relieved that most Christians agree with you. What I don't understand is why any of them think the old testament god was anything but a monster. (If they really think the old testament is historical and true, that is.) Christians are fond of saying that Jesus/God is unchanging, (the same yesterday, today and forever) but they also seem quiet certain that this god did in fact change for the better.

Anyway, that discussion could go on forever. I will repeat my earlier contention that some of the most frightening curses and imprecations in the OT were very likely written much later than tradition would tell you, and written expressly to freak out post-exile leaders in Israel. As Judaism was busy assimilating itself into the metropolitan culture at large, and temple worship was in steep decline, psalms such as 109 make a lot of sense. They are the voice of reactionaries warning a straying people that they had sure as heck better not anger YHWH, because look at how mad it makes him!

I've also read that many/most of the stories of massive slaughter are almost certainly fictitious, and amount to chest-thumping. ("You guys may be in charge now, but look at what we did to the Midianites a few centuries ago! And we just might do it again!")

Such scholarly revelations, if valid, do much to de-fuse the nastiness of the biblical texts. It beats having to make justifications for a deity who gleefully engages in atrocities.

[Strangler Lewis]

Originally Posted by flippyshark

I've also read that many/most of the stories of massive slaughter are almost certainly fictitious, and amount to chest-thumping.

This is where faith comes in.