NowTHINK!AboutIt

Avoiding Hackneyed...Making Sense

Egypt Destroyed In Exodus

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The following is a report on recent findings in Egypt by Breaking News correspondent Al Quiet.

Egyptologists recently uncovered a news story which broke shortly after the Exodus. The translation reads…

“On a certain day, God showed up unexpectedly in the court of Pharaoh and through His minister, Moses, made demands on Pharaoh to let His people go. After many rounds of negotiations and following several minor irritant plagues, in which God showed He was more than capable of pulling this thing off, our great leader, Pharaoh, put his back up and God had no choice but to eventually destroy the entire Egyptian army.

The outcome? After many years of enslavement, Moses led Israel to freedom and they took most of the Egyptian Gross National Savings with them as they went. Watching their exit toward the horizon we had to admit that we sort of had it coming.  They were basically a peace loving people, non-militaristic, who took care of our undesirable tasks, herding animals, and we unilaterally relegated them to slavery making their lives very hard, at one point even trying to kill their male born children. And the moral of the story? What goes around, comes around.

There are many in Egypt who believe Pharaoh should have backed off from the start and with his demise a more reasonable successor will be sought. His cabinet will be replaced also but this time with counselors who hopefully can be more persuasive than the last group.

It was a bad phase in Egyptian history but we are glad to put it behind us. Admittedly, rebuilding the economy will be a challenge without all the slaves.” [Read more…] about Egypt Destroyed In Exodus

Who’s The Terrorist God or Pharaoh

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Answering An Atheist

Original arguments are found in the post “Top Ten Worst Bible Stories”
On the web site “Not A Potted Plant” (NAPP)

In a previous post I began responding to an atheist’s (TL) criticisms of certain Bible stories and the first one focused on Jesus’ response to the Pharisees and Herodians when they queried him about Roman taxation. TL suggested Romans were the enemy and Jesus’ response was collaboration. You can read his arguments here and my response here.

Since atheists are not believers and usually judged as indifferent by those who are, some might wonder why I bother responding. It might seem like a waste of time.  But, the truth is, an atheist will often ask openly what believers only wonder about quietly. And these questions need to be explored.

It is only the fearful and insecure that react defensively and run.  So, we should be thankful the criticisms are made and diligent in our efforts to think through them.

The next criticism (number 2 on his list) involves God’s handling of the Egyptians during the Exodus, particularly in the matter of the Passover. You are probably familiar with the story.

At midnight on the evening of the Passover any family who failed to comply with the ceremony (evidenced by no blood on the door post) suffered the death of their firstborn child as well as the first born of all cattle.

Cattle were included because the bull was the Egyptian symbol of deity and owning cows was a symbol of status. In response, TL accuses God of terrorism. His words…

Terrorism is good if God says it is

In developing his argument he makes several observations some of which are misaligned with the facts and others just plain miscalculated. The arguments are: [Read more…] about Who’s The Terrorist God or Pharaoh

Jesus – Good Citizen or Collaborator

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Answering An Atheist

Original arguments are found in the post “Top Ten Worst Bible Stories”
On the web site “Not A Potted Plant” (NAPP)

I recently came across a blog post entitled “Top Ten Worst Bible Stories.” The blog goes by the name “Not A Potted Plant” (NAPP) which obviously says nothing about the author or the content but he does explain the reason for the title in the FAQ’s and a little additional perusing helps to fill in other gaps. He goes by the pen name of “Transplanted Lawyer” and I refer to him by the acronym LT.

From the profile you learn the author is a normal sort of guy and the content clearly indicates he is coherent, observant and thoughtful. He is an atheist and a bit glib on occasions but always fair. The fair part is what got my attention.

Any person can pick a side and be belligerent about it and there are many who do exactly that. They are completely intolerant toward and offer no fair discussion on points of difference. Fortunately, that description doesn’t fit LT. Unfortunately, that is particularly true of the “religious right” (RR1).

Actually, RR are my roots but honestly speaking, I have to admit that the most dominant characteristic of this political sector is the inability to carry on a fair discussion regarding any issue. They don’t talk nicely to each other and they don’t discuss issues with an open mind.

  • Taking the “half loaf” approach to negotiation doesn’t figure into their political or religious strategies.
  • The capacity to “agree to disagree” is dwarfed.
  • Building relationships around common issues in the hope of influencing change on others is not a skill they own.
  • If ideologies don’t match up to the letter, the differing parties are shunned or worse, run out of town, the modern day equivalent of burning at the stake. Thank God better minds have changed that trend.

It would be nice if the RR folks would just “take their ball and go home” but unfortunately that isn’t an option. Humanized religious chivalry requires a fight to the death, although they wouldn’t admit to the humanized part.

Anyway, back to the “Top Ten Worst Bible Stories” by LT.2 I’ve decided to answer a few of his observations. I chose him not because Bible critics are few but because he is articulate (unlike some atheists, he actually knows and uses words longer than “four” letters) and he spars the issue rather than the opponent.

I doubt I will change his mind on the issues or anyone else’s for that matter but debate, when healthy, fair and respectful, is always useful.

I’ll answer only one (or a few) issues at a time, not in his order and not necessarily in consecutive posts. Here goes. Hope you enjoy. [Read more…] about Jesus – Good Citizen or Collaborator

Abraham Committed Adultery Got Divorced

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Was Hagar another woman or another wife?

Marriage Connections
Are Both Legal
And Personal

Some people make the assumption that Abraham’s relationship with Hagar did not constitute adultery because the biblical text refers to her as his wife.

And the presentation of Hagar to Abraham even has an official tone, like a wedding ceremony:

“Sara…gave Hagar to her husband Abraham to be his wife.” Genesis 16:3

So, Sara’s suggesting the arrangement in the first place followed by her official presentation of Hagar makes it sound like a genuine marriage.

But was it really?

A superficial reading might imply this but a thorough consideration of the text suggests otherwise.

There are actually several things to consider: adultery, marriage and divorce.

Adultery

Some suggest that adulterous “do’s and don’ts” were neither defined nor explained to Abraham so we can’t accuse him of adultery. We can’t hold him responsible for information he didn’t have.

But nowhere in the Bible is a technical definition of adultery provided. We have the word and we know the definition but Abraham had the word, and the definition long before we did.

The first biblical mention of the word didn’t occur until the Ten Commandments (Ex. 20:14) but it surely was understood long before that. After this it is used no more than 37 times (KJV). Some versions have less.

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That means, of course, that our definition of adultery is insinuated from the text and the primary text is found in Genesis chapter two where the first wedding is recorded. [Read more…] about Abraham Committed Adultery Got Divorced

Gospel Contradictions Explained

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After casually reading the Gospels people sometimes assume they contain contradictions and there are several instances when this seems to be the case. But a closer look helps to rectify the situation.

There were four different Gospels. Three of them were very similar (Matt, Mark and Luke) and are referred to as the synoptics. The fourth, John, had some similarities with the other three but for the most part was very different. Despite the similarities, however, none of them reported the words and actions of Jesus in exactly the same way and we shouldn’t be surprised by that.

Why have four different writers if they all report the same things in the same way?

It is also true that none of the Gospel writers reported everything Jesus said or did during His ministry. None gave an all inclusive account.

In fact, John, at the end of his Gospel (21:25), said there were many other things Jesus did but there weren’t enough books in the world to contain the meaning of it all. He obviously wasn’t familiar with the mass publication of the 21st century but what he said is still true today. There is no end to the efforts made to write and publish insights from the words and actions of Jesus. And, there is no end to those who try to explain it away. [Read more…] about Gospel Contradictions Explained