Sunday, October 04, 2009
Sunday Reflection: Jericho v. Belief
This morning we studied Joshua 6, which contains the famous description of the Israelites defeat of the ancient city of Jericho. God tells them to march around the city for six days, and on the seventh day to blow trumpets and shout, and then the walls will come down so the Israelites can destroy the city. They do so, and after entering the city they kill all the men, women, and children (except those with Rahab), then burn the city.
What kind of a God is this? The God that directs this carnage in the interests of land conquest seems very different than the God described by Christ in the gospels.
This passage has driven some away from Christianity, and others to divorce the Old Testament from the New, seeing the OT as simply a mythical tale which in part provides the context for Christ's teaching.
What do you make of this?
What kind of a God is this? The God that directs this carnage in the interests of land conquest seems very different than the God described by Christ in the gospels.
This passage has driven some away from Christianity, and others to divorce the Old Testament from the New, seeing the OT as simply a mythical tale which in part provides the context for Christ's teaching.
What do you make of this?
Comments:
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Don't shy away from the hard questions, now!
Seriously, I don't have a good answer. I hope someone does.
Seriously, I don't have a good answer. I hope someone does.
# posted by 
: 2:34 PM
: 2:34 PM
I have no reason to doubt whether the Biblical account of the destruction of Jericho is true. I also accept that Jesus Christ is Jehovah, or Yaweh--whichever you prefer---come in the flesh. I believe that He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. And I also believe that everything he does is just and right.
So He must have had a very good reason to order the destruction of everyone and everything in Jericho, and there must be a fate worse than death.
Thankfully, God has given additional guidance as to why He did what He did when the Israelites invaded Canaan. Consider the following scripture: http://scriptures.lds.org/en/1_ne/17. Focus on verses 23-40.
The context is three brothers who were from Jerusalem but who had fled Jerusalem with their family just before it was destroyed by the Babylonians. Two of the brothers had resisted leaving Jerusalem and denied that it would be destroyed.
Of course, it wasn't the first time that God destroyed entire civilizations. Consider the Great Flood.
So He must have had a very good reason to order the destruction of everyone and everything in Jericho, and there must be a fate worse than death.
Thankfully, God has given additional guidance as to why He did what He did when the Israelites invaded Canaan. Consider the following scripture: http://scriptures.lds.org/en/1_ne/17. Focus on verses 23-40.
The context is three brothers who were from Jerusalem but who had fled Jerusalem with their family just before it was destroyed by the Babylonians. Two of the brothers had resisted leaving Jerusalem and denied that it would be destroyed.
Of course, it wasn't the first time that God destroyed entire civilizations. Consider the Great Flood.
Mark, a fascinating question you pose.
How can we trust or believe in a God, let alone worship a God, who condones, or actually, orders the death of an entire city: men, women, and children?
A popular theologian, I do not remember his name, once said: "Any God who can be killed ought to be."
Perhaps, the God we encounter in Joshua 6 is one such god. Perhaps, S/He is a tribalistic god who fights only for our side as we seek to dispossess the Canaanites of the land which God has promised to us.
A number of scholars have argued quite convincingly that this was essentially the mindset which our ancestors had when they killed and displaced Native Americans. Our ancestors even named one of their towns: New Canaan.
At least some of the difficulty we have with reconciling this story with our Christian faith committment arises from our Protestant predilection to make the Holy Bible an if not the object of our faith. Also, it helps to put it over and against as well as next to the Tradition (whether that of Israel, the Jewish community, the Christian Church, first century Palestinian Judaism, the Deuternomists and others who constructed the Old Testament, etc.)
As for the Christoligical question which you raise: namely, "How can Jesus Christ, the Son of God and the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, be the Jesus whom we believe Him to be and order the murder of women, men, and children?" We must ask, "Did God order this destruction of Jericho or did the Israelites validate their atrocity by ascribing the order to God?" Could we not hold this story in contradistinction to the teachings of the prophets and of Moses? Moreover, could we not hold this story in contradistinction to the message of Jesus, a recapitualation of the shma which the Levitical priests taught the people, "Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, mind, and strength" (which Jesus concludes with "and love thy neighbour as thyself.")
Also, does God tolerate slavery, racism, rape, etc? Does God find these actions permissible or even palatable or do the victors write the history.
Perhaps, another critical question to ask is, "Do the victors have a faith obligation to right the history?" If so, is this not what justice making aims to do?
Just some thoughts; I hope it helps.
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How can we trust or believe in a God, let alone worship a God, who condones, or actually, orders the death of an entire city: men, women, and children?
A popular theologian, I do not remember his name, once said: "Any God who can be killed ought to be."
Perhaps, the God we encounter in Joshua 6 is one such god. Perhaps, S/He is a tribalistic god who fights only for our side as we seek to dispossess the Canaanites of the land which God has promised to us.
A number of scholars have argued quite convincingly that this was essentially the mindset which our ancestors had when they killed and displaced Native Americans. Our ancestors even named one of their towns: New Canaan.
At least some of the difficulty we have with reconciling this story with our Christian faith committment arises from our Protestant predilection to make the Holy Bible an if not the object of our faith. Also, it helps to put it over and against as well as next to the Tradition (whether that of Israel, the Jewish community, the Christian Church, first century Palestinian Judaism, the Deuternomists and others who constructed the Old Testament, etc.)
As for the Christoligical question which you raise: namely, "How can Jesus Christ, the Son of God and the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, be the Jesus whom we believe Him to be and order the murder of women, men, and children?" We must ask, "Did God order this destruction of Jericho or did the Israelites validate their atrocity by ascribing the order to God?" Could we not hold this story in contradistinction to the teachings of the prophets and of Moses? Moreover, could we not hold this story in contradistinction to the message of Jesus, a recapitualation of the shma which the Levitical priests taught the people, "Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, mind, and strength" (which Jesus concludes with "and love thy neighbour as thyself.")
Also, does God tolerate slavery, racism, rape, etc? Does God find these actions permissible or even palatable or do the victors write the history.
Perhaps, another critical question to ask is, "Do the victors have a faith obligation to right the history?" If so, is this not what justice making aims to do?
Just some thoughts; I hope it helps.
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