Pakistan

Interpratation, of the bible at least, is to be of a metphorical nature. You are not supposed to focus on the actual event but the meaning that you are meant to get from it. It's when things start to be taken literally that problems arise. For one you have to take the times, or even your location, in to consideration before you can fully grasp any situation. What was acceptable or common practice 2000 years ago or even 100 may be unnaceptable in the present. Times have changed as well as culture and I for one believe it is more important to take what you can out of a story and what it means rather than focusing on the action or literal interpration.

It does us no good to argue amongst ourselves on who's religion is worse or better. Theology is meant to give people hope and faith that things can be better that we ourselves can be better and to inspire to live our lives in a way that benefits not only ourselves but the community around us. I think that message gets lost a long the way many times and when it comes to practice many times falls short. I believe when people tell you that God forgives all sins it just means that you may falter and make mistakes but rather then give up know that you can get past those mistakes and move on with your life.

Another thing that you may already realize is that no one is perfect and no organization is either. It doesn't mean you should let anyone off the hook but it also doesn't mean you should condemn the entire group for the actions of a few and that goes for any religion or any type of group. I don't ask that anyone change or believe I just think that people should have respect for someone else's views and beliefs and i'm also not saying that religion exempts you from antyhing either so yea.

Basically though I think Elanabelle is just trying to speak on a topic that is felt to be important to him/her but I may disagree how they went about it. It's a lot easiar to get people to favor your cause if your not so dismissing of a certain group. killing children is definitely a grave matter but i'd try a more diplomatic approach to get people to take a greater notice in the issue at hand.

For some that may be so, for others it may not be so. Most things have their ups and downs.

Did I say that God's actions were correct? I'm in no place to make such an assertion one way or the other.

Either way, the Bible is meant to teach people lessons about life and God. Whether this story actually took place or not is up in the air from a historical stand point.

@Kara
I'm sorry if I seem upset, I just happen to be feeling a little impatient today.

It's really nothing personal =D

I can't be mad at you for taking these verses out of context when many Christians take the Bible out of context quite a bit more than anyone else does.

Lunar worship is cyclical?

Is that a serious comment?

So it's ok to kill children as long as a) it's to right a wrong and b) God is doing it.

Also Psalms 137:9 refers to the city of Babylon and the Jews are not free to worship their God.

Psalm 137
8. O Daughter of Babylon, doomed to destruction,
happy is he who repays you
for what you have done to us—
9. he who seizes your infants
and dashes them against the rocks.
....
He shall be reputed happy, prosperous, and highly commendable, who shall destroy Babylon.
reference

Ya, thats not calling for baby killing at all.

Yes, but exactly what is this supposed to teach?
Revenge is sweet/best served cold?
Do onto others?
The victor writes the history?

From the Egyptian point of view, God would be acting in a "Satanic" manner.

Also, exactly what does this teach about God?

@Wombat

Yes I'm feeling a bit impatient today too.....since whenever I get to read people quoting the Qur'an it's how that it always calls for violence and can't be a peaceful religion

All religions have called for violence. My first post was in reference to someone who just pulled some violent quotes out of a book and expect that to prove that one religion > another or people > another people.

Well, some people may think religion makes the world spin slower, other people will say its the moon/general gravitational effects that make the world spin slower. Something which has ups and downs would be cyclical.

So, you could say it was a serious comment. For some that may be so, for others, it may not be so.

How would you feel about a nation who burned your holy city, holy temple and a large portion of your population to the ground; only to finish by taking the "usable" portion of the population and exiling them from your homeland to their capital to work for them?

This Psalm is a plea to God from such an exiled individual. These are his words, saying that he wants the same evil to be visited upon Babylon in retribution.

It's not right. It's incomplete theology. It was spawned from anger and malice. It is an example of human desperation and what we are capable of desiring when we have been deeply hurt.

I agree with you. If the OP hadn't taken such a condesending attitude towards everyone of one faith I would see this as an issue s/he was interested in. Instead I see it as a finger pointing contest on who is the better person/people/religion especially considering this is happening in Western countries too.

I'd say this is about how people who are unrepentant about the evil they bring to others, will have evil brought upon themselves.

But then God would be bringing the evil?

I'm not as well versed in interpreting the Qur'an, so I can't defend it; nor do I know if there is anything there to be defended. If I was able to, I would do so.

People picking on religious texts cheeses me off a bit because it's presumptuous to think you can understand all of what a faith stands for by picking out a few sentences from an ancient book. Faiths (particularly ones that are developed into mainstream religions) are far too complex and multifaceted for such treatment to be anything short of silly.

See I understand the despair and the want for revenge but I do not see the advocating of killing of innocents. To me that is beyond wrong and I would never wish for that. The death/revenge of those who've wronged me, yes. The death of their children especially in such a brutal way, no.

And as you or someone else said these stories are not supposed to be taken literally, but they are to some people. To some practicing Christians these stories are the literal truth.

This is the same as in the Islam faith where passages are not to be a literal interruption but some people believe them to be.

I believe I was suggesting that the evil is a natural result of evil. That is, they brought it upon themselves.

Or perhaps, I could go more cliche and say: God didn't bring evil, he brought judgment.

Good theology would probably dictate that both of these things are true.

People suck. End of story.

People have used religion as an excuse to kill for thousands of years and they will continue to do so.

Yep, people suck. End story.

FTFY

true.

If there were NO religion, people would still kill thousands just for the fun of it.

Stop blaming religion when people are able to make their own decisions.

I dunno if it's always just for the fun of it.
You can make a multitude of reasons to kill another person, sadly none of them are really all that good.(my opinion)

Are you saying there would be less hate, murder, and intolerance if these religions did not exist?

There's no denying that religion has led to innumerable amounts of death. You'd be stupid to think otherwise. However even if there wasn't religion, killing wouldn't stop. It may not come on a grander scale but it would still persist. Wars have been fought over territory, resources; hell even fought over ideas. There's no mistaking the cause is human inadequacy but religion was the tool used to justify the killings. Even without religion, another tool would just be substituted in its place.

I'm sure the fear of going to hell has deterred a fair number of murders over time.

Man has the ability to make his own decisions regardless of what's in The Bible or any other Ancient Book. Man is NOT blameless. I don't believe that people should be so quick to blame God for things that are their own fault.