Comments on: Religion: When Blood Cries Out

By: Katherine Anderson

Katherine Anderson — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 21:34:04 +0000

Makes perfect sense to me, Andy. I got ya.

By: Katherine Anderson

Katherine Anderson — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 21:28:58 +0000

Stopping the killing and having justice are two different things. If justice means revenge, then justice simply creates more situations in need of relief from the killing. If justice means “to behave justly” then that could be taken care of by stopping the killing. In some ways of thinking, it would seem that one way to do that is by killing the killers. But then, more killers are born. Everyday. And the killing continues.

What if we could instead change our thinking about killing as a means to stop killers, and instead begin to negotiate with those who believe that violence and death suits their purposes in order to persuade them that other means suit the attainment of happiness ever so much better than any form of justice or poetic justice or getting someone back.

Cuz right now the whole world, as Gandhi once said, is blind and toothless (without the power they really need for getting what they really want out of life). Instead the way we’re going about it means that NO ONE gets what they want without paying many times the price for it in eyes, teeth, arms, legs. You name your happiness that doesn’t cost, I’ll name your happiness peace.

By: Andy

Andy — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 14:13:55 +0000

When we are told that ALL of scripture was inspired of God we need to put a * next to that statement. Our sacred text may be inspired of God, however our interpetation of that text certainly is not in many cases. If our interpetation was and is correct then I would guess we would have but one real denomination, instead what we have are probably 100′s of so called Christian denominations proclaiming they have the REAL TRUTH. I would also suspect that over the last several thousand years truth has become relative or maybe irrelavent. Everyone of us (and I would also add as well) those folks who gave us the Bible, has or had diffrent life experiences and we develop beliefs of varying degrees from those life experiences, it doesn’t mean that it is right or wrong it just means for ME it is right, for me to say YOU are wrong for believing the way you do probably comes from my own insecurities about my own life, so I want to confirm my own life’s experience by trying to convince others that what I believe about the BIBLE or about moral issues or whatever is the real TRUTH. Anyway now I am really confused!!. I am hoping what I am trying to say comes out clearer then the way I wrote it!! Thanks all, everyone here are tops in my book!!

By: timking

timking — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 23:02:43 +0000

It wasn’t a plea for ‘justice’ but ‘vengeance’ — big difference. Justice is good if/when properly defined. Vengeance merely perpetuates the bloodshed.

As per your recollection of the Sinai event, even if someone takes that literally — which I don’t — you have to set that against Hebrews 12, esp. v. 22ff. It’s a different day, a different covenant, a different understanding of how God loves, serves and embraces his creation.

God is love, perfect love casts out all fear — you can’t have an O.T. system without fear — therefore we must be extremely careful in invoking it.

By: Mary

Mary — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 22:18:21 +0000

Hi Tim… thanks for giving voice to thoughts that many of us have. The bottom line is who do people of faith want to believe God is? …. The Father of Christ who gave us the unfathomable thought of turning the other cheek or the Vengeful, Jealous God who strikes down the transgressor. The Later just does not square with the free gift of salvation anyway you look at it. It may not be popular with the established denominations, etc. but those of faith that want to live as Christ did and be His have to be brave, step out , step up, and leave violence out of that which is of God’s. Christ did not get justice but I would rather be like him than the Sanhedrin.