Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Most Biblical religions are not Biblical literalists. Very few are in fact, just the extreme fundamentalist sects.
Right -- more sophisticated people just believe in the good stuff. The bad stuff is myth and legend.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Jesus brought the message of a loving God. Before that it was violence and destruction.
You have not read revelations, then:
Revelation 20:9
And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.
Granted, this is just the plan to kill them. but apparently it is coming.
The link also includes Ananias and Sapphira, a story I did not know, who are killed for lying about money.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ananias_and_Sapphira
Anonymous wrote:Jesus brought the message of a loving God. Before that it was violence and destruction.
Anonymous wrote:Jesus brought the message of a loving God. Before that it was violence and destruction.
Anonymous wrote:Most Biblical religions are not Biblical literalists. Very few are in fact, just the extreme fundamentalist sects.
Anonymous wrote:
I don't know if you've noticed, but most gods in the great majority of religions, are violent and irrational creatures. It's only recently that human beings have developed this concept of the loving God, and that ethics and decency should be godly attributes. Most of the old gods were modeled on the worst of human behavior, because humans thought that given supernatural powers, obviously they would just take what they wanted without fear of consequences.
I believe it's only economic stability and a sense of security that makes humans believe in fair and gentle gods. In centuries of abject ignorance, disease, constant fights and the struggle to survive, gods are going to be pretty vengeful.
Essentially the pantheons reflect the state of societies that create them.