Psalms Part IV

     Psalms Part IV

Here we are with Part IV of questions for the Book of Psalms in the Bible. Again, if you have answers please post them in the comments section. If you decide to use Bible verses in your answer please be sure to include the passage location.

1. Psalm 19:7
     7 The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.

Questions
     1. Sooo...the laws of the Lord are perfect? Does this mean that stoning the man who works on the Sabbath is a perfect law? How about the law that says that when a man rapes a woman she has to become his wife? How about the shedding of blood to atone for sins? WHERE is the perfection in these laws?


2. Psalm 19:9
     9 The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The decrees of the Lord are firm, and all of them are righteous.

Questions
     1. Pure fear? Pure fear that lasts forever? That sounds like something from one of those Freddy Kruger flicks, doesn't it? If God/the Lord is so great why does He need any kind of fear at all? Wouldn't His greatness, limitless greatness at that, eliminate the need for fear?


3. Psalm 23:1
     1 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.

Questions
     1. You lack nothing? What you really mean is you lack nothing in the afterlife, right? Are there not plenty of sheep of the Shepherd's flock that suffer for want of just about everything, to include food, water, shelter, and basic safety?

     2. Are not children in particular supposed to be very special to this Shepherd? Sooo, are the children languishing in the cancer wards of the hospitals for children lacking nothing?


4. Psalm 23:3
     3 he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.

Questions
     1. Sooo, he guides you along the right paths for HIS sake and not YOUR sake, right? It is for HIS sake. Now why would it be worded like that?


5. Psalm 27:6
     6 Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me; at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the Lord.

Questions
     1. Sooo, basically you will do ANYTHING to be with your Lord...even kill and spill innocent blood in His presence? You will kill and shout with joy while doing it just so you can be with this Lord?


6. Psalm 27:13
     13 I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

Questions
     1. You will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living? Do you mean that as opposed to seeking the goodness of the Lord in the land of the dead? Wouldn't the goodness of the Lord be everywhere at all times? If the goodness of the Lord is everywhere at all times why would anyone have to seek it since it would be by nature APPARENT?


7. Psalm 29:11
     11 The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace.

Questions
     1. If the Lord gives strength to His people and brings them peace...what the freak happened to all of that happiness during World War II when the Jews were slaughtered, hummm?


8. Psalm 31:5
     5 Into your hands I commit my spirit; deliver me, Lord, my faithful God.

Questions
     1. Sooo, first the spirit is committed into the hands of the Lord and THEN the request is made to be delivered by the Lord? This sounds suspiciously like selling your soul to the devil, except here you are selling your soul to the Lord under threat of destruction, right? Isn't this totally creepy?


9. Psalm 31:15
     15 My times are in your hands; deliver me from the hands of my enemies, from those who pursue me.

Questions
     1. Okay, so, if the Lord is so ever-loving great and powerful and if everyone knows this then why would the enemies pursue someone who they knew was defended by such a great being that never fails and is the ultimate in power, hummm? Wouldn't that be the ultimate in stupidity?


10. Psalm 32:7
     7 You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.

Questions
     1. If the Lord is so great and someone believes in Him, why in the hell would they have to hide from anyone or anything? If you believe in the Ultimate Being who is supposed to be the greatest ever and of all time WHY would there be the need for the deliverance of anything? If you are truly protected by the greatest and most powerful being ever you would not need any kind of deliverance, song or otherwise, would you?


http://www.amazon.com/Turkey-Broth-Spirit-Questions-Pentateuch-ebook/dp/B00GVLQ0CY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1398955898&sr=8-2&keywords=ester+lighthorse

Turkey Broth for the Spirit: Just a Few Questions Part I: The Pentateuch

FINALLY here!

     I have finally put together all of Part I of my book series that questions the verses of the Bible. This first book covers solely the first five books of the Bible, the Pentateuch, and is the total compilation of the posts in the corresponding blog. You will notice that in the book many of the verses read differently than they do in the posts since it was absolutely necessary for me to ONLY use the World English Bible translation.

     With ALL of the questions posed in regards to the Pentateuch in one compilation there is no need whatsoever to flip-flop between various posts. However, I would still like for people to post their answers to the questions and hopefully you will do just that.

http://www.amazon.com/Turkey-Broth-Spirit-Questions-Pentateuch-ebook/dp/B00GVLQ0CY/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1385311266&sr=8-4&keywords=ester+lighthorse

II Chronicles Part I: Just a Few Questions

The Wheels on the Bus Still Go Round and Round

So where are we in the plod through the Bible asking questions about each of the books presented? We are at the book of the Old Testament called II Chronicles. Much like its elder brother I Chronicles, II Chronicles is basically a much unneeded recap of the hoopla of the people and kings of Israel as they stumble through their dusty existence of being used and abused by God Almighty as He goes about sprinkling fairy dust and destroying His people time and again.

And...away we go...

1. II Chronicles 1:1

1 And Solomon the son of David was strengthened in his kingdom, and the LORD his God was with him, and magnified him exceedingly.

Questions

     1) How can it be said that the LORD/God magnified anyone other than Himself when everything He does and anything He does for anyone is to glorify Himself?

2. II Chronicles 1:12

12 I will certainly give you the wisdom and knowledge you requested. But I will also give you wealth, riches, and fame such as no other king has had before you or will ever have in the future!"

Questions

     1) Is this of ALL the kings of the earth EVER or only at this time in history? I ask because there have been some amazingly wealthy kings in history, right?

3. II Chronicles 2:5

5 The house that I am to build will be great, for our God is greater than all gods.

Questions

     1) Sooo...there ARE other gods?

4. II Chronicles 2:6

6 But who is able to build him a house, since heaven, even highest heaven, cannot contain him? Who am I to build a house for him, except as a place to make offerings before him?

Questions

     1) Well, this verse says it all, doesn't it? How can a frigging house be built for a God Who is everywhere?

5. II Chronicles 6:26

26 “When heaven is shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against you, if they pray toward this place and acknowledge your name and turn from their sin, when you afflict them,

Questions

     1) Is this normal discipline? Should it be considered normal discipline and why?

6. II Chronicles 7:1-3

1 As soon as Solomon finished his prayer, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the LORD filled the temple.

2 And the priests could not enter the house of the LORD, because the glory of the LORD filled the LORD’s house.

3 When all the people of Israel saw the fire come down and the glory of the LORD on the temple, they bowed down with their faces to the ground on the pavement and worshiped and gave thanks to the LORD, saying, “For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.”

Questions

     1) And this sounds normal? This sounds believable over all the other beliefs? This sounds more credible?

7. II Chronicles 7:4

4 Then the king and all the people offered sacrifice before the LORD.

Questions

     1) What is good about sacrifice? What is good about killing something or someone in order to please another?

8. II Chronicles 7:14

14 if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

Questions

     1) Hear from heaven? Isn't God/the LORD supposed to be everywhere?

9. II Chronicles 7:19-20

19 “But if you turn aside and forsake my statutes and my commandments that I have set before you, and go and serve other gods and worship them,

20 then I will pluck you up from my land that I have given you, and this house that I have consecrated for my name, I will cast out of my sight, and I will make it a proverb and a byword among all peoples.

Questions

     1) Why say that it will be your house forever when you know that will not be the case? Why even say the people will be your's forever when all you constantly do is try to destroy them?

10. II Chronicles 20:15

15 And he said, “Listen, all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: Thus says the LORD to you, ‘Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God’s.

Questions

     1) That's right. The battle is God's/the LORD's because He is the mother fucker that keeps people fighting, keeps them starving, keeps them full of fear, right?

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Judges Part IV: Just a Few Questions

Moving Right Along

This is the last posting of questions for the book of Judges in the Old Testament of the Holy Bible. If you get a hankering to answer any of the questions noted please do so by clicking on the comment link at the end of the post. If you use Bible verses as references please note the location so that I may look up the verses.

1. Judges 18:1
1 In those days there was no king in Israel. And in those days the tribe of the people of Dan was seeking for itself an inheritance to dwell in, for until then no inheritance among the tribes of Israel had fallen to them.

Questions
     1) Now hold on a minute here! Are you saying that this whole time the Bible has made it sound like the people of Israel as a whole at least have some of the promised land when the truth is that some of the tribes have nothing in regards to their 'inheritance' that was promised them?

     2) Why has the Bible made it sound like each tribe has at least something when this is not the truth?

     3) Why would the Bible mislead readers in this manner?


2. Judges 18:9-10
9 They said, “Arise, and let us go up against them, for we have seen the land, and behold, it is very good. And will you do nothing? Do not be slow to go, to enter in and possess the land.

10 As soon as you go, you will come to an unsuspecting people. The land is spacious, for God has given it into your hands, a place where there is no lack of anything that is in the earth.”

Questions
     1) Oh, this is just peachy, isn't it? Is THIS how the LORD provides land for His people? Does the LORD lead His people to spy on other people just to assess their weaknesses in order to exploit such people and take whatever they have in order to 'turn' it into their own?

     2) Is this God's/the LORD's version of giving inheritance...taking from an unsuspecting people and giving to His own? 


3. Judges 18:11, 21
11 So 600 men of the tribe of Dan, armed with weapons of war, set out from Zorah and Eshtaol,

21 So they turned and departed, putting the little ones and the livestock and the goods in front of them.

Questions
     1) Is the reason the women and children were put in the front so that if there was a frontal attack they would be killed first and not the soldiers?

     2) Whose idea was this? The LORD's?


4. Judges 18:27-28
27 But the people of Dan took what Micah had made, and the priest who belonged to him, and they came to Laish, to a people quiet and unsuspecting, and struck them with the edge of the sword and burned the city with fire.

28 And there was no deliverer because it was far from Sidon, and they had no dealings with anyone. It was in the valley that belongs to Beth-rehob. Then they rebuilt the city and lived in it.

Questions
     1) What kind of a fucked up God allows a quiet, unsuspecting people to be completely destroyed, their belongings taken and their city burned to the ground?


5. Judges 19:22-24
22 As they were making their hearts merry, behold, the men of the city, worthless fellows, surrounded the house, beating on the door. And they said to the old man, the master of the house, “Bring out the man who came into your house, that we may know him.”

23 And the man, the master of the house, went out to them and said to them, “No, my brothers, do not act so wickedly; since this man has come into my house, do not do this vile thing.

24 Behold, here are my virgin daughter and his concubine. Let me bring them out now. Violate them and do with them what seems good to you, but against this man do not do this outrageous thing.”

Questions
     1) Okay, do you think whoever wrote this portion of the Bible thought people would not notice this story is almost word for word the same as the story of Lot and the two angels who visited him and the people/men of the town were demanding that Lot send out the men so that they could 'know' the men?

     2) In the story version with Lot didn't Lot offer his own virgin daughters to the men outside of his house, something extremely similar to what is done here?


6. Judges 19:25-29
25 But the men would not listen to him. So the man seized his concubine and made her go out to them. And they knew her and abused her all night until the morning. And as the dawn began to break, they let her go.

26 And as morning appeared, the woman came and fell down at the door of the man’s house where her master was, until it was light.

27 And her master rose up in the morning, and when he opened the doors of the house and went out to go on his way, behold, there was his concubine lying at the door of the house, with her hands on the threshold.

28 He said to her, “Get up, let us be going.” But there was no answer. Then he put her on the donkey, and the man rose up and went away to his home.

29 And when he entered his house, he took a knife, and taking hold of his concubine he divided her, limb by limb, into twelve pieces, and sent her throughout all the territory of Israel.

Questions
     1) Why did this man even allow the woman to be given to the crowd of men who assaulted her? Doesn't this make him an accessory?

     2) When this man sees the woman lying at the threshold to the door why doesn't he respond in a helpful, concerned manner? Why is his tone cold and uncaring?

     3) There is nothing in these verses to allow for the assumption that the woman was dead before the man took her home, is there? 

     4) Are we to believe that this man put a dead woman on his donkey and took her all the way home without knowing she was dead?

     5) Did HE kill her because she was assaulted by other men and thus found her to be unworthy and of no value to him?


7. Judges 20:4-6
4 And the Levite, the husband of the woman who was murdered, answered and said, “I came to Gibeah that belongs to Benjamin, I and my concubine, to spend the night.

5 And the leaders of Gibeah rose against me and surrounded the house against me by night. They meant to kill me, and they violated my concubine, and she is dead.

6 So I took hold of my concubine and cut her in pieces and sent her throughout all the country of the inheritance of Israel, for they have committed abomination and outrage in Israel.

Questions
     1) Oooohhh no. No, no, no. This mother fucker cannot try to push this shit all on the assholes of the town, because he LET his concubine be given to the crowd of men who assaulted her, DIDN'T HE?

     2) Considering the above question, isn't this man, the husband of the wife who was murdered JUST AS RESPONSIBLE for the woman's death as the men who raped her?

     3) Why is the murdered woman referred to as both a wife and a concubine?


8. Judges 20:17-18
17 And the men of Israel, apart from Benjamin, mustered 400,000 men who drew the sword; all these were men of war.

18 The people of Israel arose and went up to Bethel and inquired of God, “Who shall go up first for us to fight against the people of Benjamin?” And the LORD said, “Judah shall go up first.”

Questions

     1) Can you imagine what kind of SNAFU the military would be if, say, during the Gulf Wars General Schwarzkopf assembled all the troops together and then decided to pray and consult God/the LORD where he should place the troops and what should be done with the troops? And I mean that the General has no idea whatsoever what he should do with the troops he has assembled and consults God/the LORD to find out troop placement and assignment. What would you think about that? 

9. Judges 20:23-25
23 And the people of Israel went up and wept before the LORD until the evening. And they inquired of the LORD, “Shall we again draw near to fight against our brothers, the people of Benjamin?” And the LORD said, “Go up against them.”

24 So the people of Israel came near against the people of Benjamin the second day.

25 And Benjamin went against them out of Gibeah the second day, and destroyed 18,000 men of the people of Israel. All these were men who drew the sword.

Questions
     1) Is this God's/the LORD's own special version of culling His people? Why would He do such a thing?

     2) Does God/the LORD use these situations to cull His own people when He realizes He cannot come through with His many promises and cannot provide for all of His people, so He does what He can to turn things in His favor as much as possible?


10. Judges 20:28, 35
28 and Phinehas the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron, ministered before it in those days), saying, “Shall we go out once more to battle against our brothers, the people of Benjamin, or shall we cease?” And the LORD said, “Go up, for tomorrow I will give them into your hand.”

35 And the LORD defeated Benjamin before Israel, and the people of Israel destroyed 25,100 men of Benjamin that day. All these were men who drew the sword.

Questions
     1) And here is a very good example of why you do NOT want religion in politics, right? Dear God, should I fight and kill people (my own people) or not? Dear Believer, yes, you should kill your brethren. Do you see a problem with this idiocy?


11. Judges 20:48
48 And the men of Israel turned back against the people of Benjamin and struck them with the edge of the sword, the city, men and beasts and all that they found. And all the towns that they found they set on fire.

Questions
     1) Sooo...if the people of the tribe of Benjamin were struck so hard, to include all men and beasts and setting all towns on fire, how in the hell are there surviving Benjamites later on? How are there Benjamite men left to kidnap women so they can be forced to bare the men children for the continuation of the Benjamites?


12. Judges 21:2-3
2 And the people came to Bethel and sat there till evening before God, and they lifted up their voices and wept bitterly.

3 And they said, “O LORD, the God of Israel, why has this happened in Israel, that today there should be one tribe lacking in Israel?”

Questions
     1) Sooo...these idiots kill their own brethren and then have the gall to ask the LORD why there is one tribe lacking in Israel?

     2) Don't these verses show both the stupidity of the people of Israel at this time as well as the idiocy and lack of control of God/the LORD, a divine being Who is supposed to be in total control of everything (but obviously is not)?


13. Judges 21:10-11
10 So the congregation sent 12,000 of their bravest men there and commanded them, “Go and strike the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead with the edge of the sword; also the women and the little ones.

11 This is what you shall do: every male and every woman that has lain with a male you shall devote to destruction.”

Questions
     1) Is this more of God's/the LORD's generosity of suffering the little children unto Him?

     2) Is God/the LORD ordering the killing of the children as well since He is already ordering the killing of the women and does not want the children to be motherless as well as fatherless? Is THIS how the LORD shows His love for the children?

     3) Sooo...it says to kill the women who have lain with a male. Does this mean a woman's value, something already fairly low with the LORD as well as with men, falls even lower once she has lain with a man?

     4) Would you agree that 'devote' is a positive word, or should be a positive word? Would you agree that 'destruction' is a negative word? Why would you use the words 'devote' and 'destruction' together?


14. Judges 21:20-22
20 And they commanded the people of Benjamin, saying, “Go and lie in ambush in the vineyards

21 and watch. If the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in the dances, then come out of the vineyards and snatch each man his wife from the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin.

22 And when their fathers or their brothers come to complain to us, we will say to them, ‘Grant them graciously to us, because we did not take for each man of them his wife in battle, neither did you give them to them, else you would now be guilty.’”

Questions
     1) What the hell is this treachery? Kidnap the women so that they can have wives and reproduce?

     2) God allows this crap to happen, eh? Should you be surprised considering all of the incest God has already allowed up to this point in the Bible?

     3) Again, what does this say for the character of God/the LORD and what He thinks of women and their value?

     4) If God/the LORD is the same now as He ever was...doesn't this mean He would also approve of this disgusting, debasing behavior nowadays?

     5) If this is something God/the LORD would NOT do or allow nowadays, then wouldn't that mean the WORD of the LORD does not stand forever without fading as the Bible claims and that the LORD is not the same now as He always was?


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Deuteronomy Part III: Just a Few Questions

With ALL of these questions posed in regards to the Bible wouldn't it be nice to be able to access the questions in one place instead of flipping between blog postings? Now you can! The questions for the first five books of the Bible, the Pentateuch are now in one compilation, and there is no need whatsoever to flip-flop between various posts! Go here for your copy:
http://www.amazon.com/Turkey-Broth-Spirit-Questions-Pentateuch-ebook/dp/B00GVLQ0CY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1385651545&sr=8-1&keywords=ester+lighthorse

The Truth in a Message:

Is it in the story, in the message of the story, or in the words of the story?

What is the truth of a message? Is the truth of a story in the message, as in the retelling of the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears? Is the truth of a message in the story itself, as in the recounting of Goldilocks' actions and the bears' actions? Is the truth in the literal translation of the story, as in did three bears really live in a fabulous house in a gorgeous wood where upon one sunny morning Papa Bear, Mamma Bear and Baby Bear all went for a walk while their porridge cooled? What happens when the truth of a message is slippery enough to escape the scrutiny of the questioning individual?

Perhaps the best that a questioning individual can do is approach whatever the subject is from all possible angles. Consider the purpose of the story being told. Is the story being told out of boredom or a sense of entertainment? Consider the message of the story. Is the story meant to convey some kind of ideal or requirement that people are supposed to recognize and assimilate into their day to day lives? Consider the literal words of the story. Were the words of the story actually intended to be taken literally or in a different manner?

Think about what truth is to you, what you have been taught about truth, what you understand truth to be and why. Is truth something that cannot change? Does truth comply and conform to reality regardless of whether or not ANY individual recognizes the truth in question or the reality that truth exists within?  

Now, take this mesh of understanding of what you think truth is and apply it to the Bible, actually, to any religious text for that matter. Think about everything you are reading in the Bible, everything in the Bible that you are expected to take as literal truth (that would be the ENTIRE Bible, right?). Think about this TRUTH that is supposedly within the Word of God. Ask yourself if truth requires fact, a showing of indisputable evidence, because if truth DOES require such then individuals who hold the Bible and God to be indisputably true are in BIG trouble. Why?

They have zilch when it comes to possession of indisputable evidence.

To compound the problem, when many believers are asked to show something, anything in the way of indisputable evidence a common response is to demand that the questioner prove (provide indisputable evidence) that God does not exist. The questioner's inability to provide indisputable evidence for the NON-existence of God is then used by the believer as proof that there IS God. This is a stupid, poor, and pointless response since an atheist does not need to prove the non-existence of someone/something that they hold does not exist. 

The burden of proof is on the believer. The burden of proof has ALWAYS been on the believer. Trying to use a non-believer's lack of knowledge or understanding as to where everyone and everything came from or what first cause is does absolutely nothing to strengthen the argument FOR God. I do not know first cause. I do not know how man really came to be. While I do not know the answers or all the possibilities what I DO know is I will keep searching, questioning, considering, and striving for more knowledge. I refuse to place stock in absurd beliefs that hold about as much water as a bucket made out of Swiss cheese.

So, Christians and Believers, answer these questions for each book in the Bible. Provide something indisputable, solid, true, and consistent. Do not give half-ass answers where you solely try to prove the truth of the Bible by using the Bible itself as proof of that truth. That is a pathetic cop-out. Be creative, inventive, philosophical...whatever you need to do to provide what you hold to be indisputable evidence.

These questions are part of why I DO NOT believe that the Bible is anywhere near or similar to or even remotely resembling the truth, why I DO NOT believe in the existence of God. Now, you tell me your reasons WHY you DO believe. Show me what I am missing. Provide consistent and valid thought patterns and reasoning. Give me a TRUE reason to believe.

And now we continue with the questions for Deuteronomy.

1. Deuteronomy 6:10-11
10 And when the LORD your God brings you into the land that he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give you—with great and good cities that you did not build,

11 And houses full of all good things that you did not fill, and cisterns that you did not dig, and vineyards and olive trees that you did not plant—and when you eat and are full,

Questions
     1) Is the reason why God didn't give them the land sooner because God wanted to wait until all the work was done by the regular inhabitants of the land?

     2) If God DID wait until someone else did all the work of building the cities why did He order the destruction of so many? Isn't that a huge waste of time and resources, not to mention spiteful?


2. Deuteronomy 7:2
2 and when the LORD your God gives them over to you, and you defeat them, then you must devote them to complete destruction. You shall make no covenant with them and show no mercy to them.

Questions
     1) Wow...wow!! How does this work out being as though God is supposed to be a God of mercy, but apparently He shows no mercy?

     2) Is it even possible for a God of endless mercy to speak in such a horrific manner, much less behave so?

     3) They cannot make a covenant with them? Sooo...does God believe that it is better to kill them all instead of make a peace accord with them? Geeze, that could go a long way in explaining the problems in the Middle East.


3. Deuteronomy 7:15-16
15 And the LORD will take away from you all sickness, and none of the evil diseases of Egypt, which you knew, will he inflict on you, but he will lay them on all who hate you.

16 And you shall consume all the peoples that the LORD your God will give over to you. Your eye shall not pity them, neither shall you serve their gods, for that would be a snare to you.

Questions
     1) So basically God is saying to do everything He says to do and so long as you do that He will keep you alive and healthy? Of course the inverse of that is implied as well, correct? So the people will suffer evil diseases unless they do what God wants?

     2) Oh, and as an added bonus God will protect you from the people who hate you because of what you do to them under God's direct command?

     3) Oh, and remember to show NO MERCY because showing mercy just may lead to showing pity, and of course showing pity just might mean you will let someone live when God really wants you to kill them?


4. Deuteronomy 8:2-3, 5
2 And you shall remember the whole way that the LORD your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not.

3 And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.

5 Know then in your heart that, as a man disciplines his son, the LORD your God disciplines you.

Questions
     1) God might humble the people? Don't you mean that God will more than likely break their spirit in a thousand unpleasant ways?

     2) Man shall not live by bread alone but by the Word of God? Doesn't that really mean that man does not eat unless God says he can eat and allows him to eat and decides that man even deserves to eat?

     3) What is the deal with the Bible trying so hard to hide the cruelty of God in pretty little lines of poetry?

     4) God disciplines man in the manner a man disciplines his son? I don't fucking think so! What do you think would happen to a father that does half the shit to his son that God does to man? 

     5) If a father treated his son in the same manner that God treats man, out of necessity wouldn't he be labeled a sadist?



5. Deuteronomy 9:3
3 But recognize today that the LORD your God is the one who will cross over ahead of you like a devouring fire to destroy them. He will subdue them so that you will quickly conquer them and drive them out, just as the LORD has promised.

Questions
     1) The LORD God goes ahead of the people to devour their enemies, to subdue them? How can this possibly be true when the people still have to send in spies and figure out what the freaky-doo is going on before they 'take possession' of the supposed promised land?

     2) Doesn't God still tell the people to freaking slaughter ENTIRE cities, including women and children, and is allowing such a wretched thing to happen what qualifies as subduing in God's terms?

     3) Sooo...if God is using the term 'quickly conquer' are we to assume that He is NOT including the nearly forty years that His people stumbled around the cat box desert in the Middle East?


6. Deuteronomy 9:18
18 Then, as before, I threw myself down before the LORD for forty days and nights. I ate no bread and drank no water because of the great sin you had committed by doing what the LORD hated, provoking him to anger.

Questions
     1) Being as though the average human being can survive without water up to seventeen days and without food for up to eight weeks, are we to assume that since Moses made it forty days (there's that magic forty number again) without food AND WATER that he survived with divine intervention?

     2) Why does God absolutely press the people of Israel to the extreme limits of needing water, needing food, and needing proper provisions and then when the people freak out (as any human or group of humans in extreme need would do) and seek ANY kind of help (other godly or not) God claims that the people are provoking Him?

     3) Isn't it true that with all of His persistent meddling and cruel manipulation it is GOD doing the provoking and not anyone other then God alone?


7. Deuteronomy 10:17-18
17 For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is not partial and takes no bribe.
  
18 He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing.

Questions
     1) And WHY doesn't God take bribes? Could it be because He has all the power and so figures He can do whatever the hell He wants to do at any time and at any place?

     2) And how in the world is God NOT partial when everything He does must be His way and when everything others do must ALSO be His way? Wouldn't that qualify as being partial to Himself?

     3) Considering that God often tells the people of Israel to eliminate entire cities or kill all the adults (making many fatherless) or kill all the soldiers (making many widows), to take whatever they want from the people of a land or the land itself whenever He freaking feels like willing the property of one to another individual...how in the blue blazes can God ever be considered to be one Who executes for justice?

     4) Wait...is it okay for God to pervert what justice is and morph truth into some kind of ugly tool to kill other cultures with, is it okay for Him to do that because He is God?


8. Deuteronomy 10:22
22 Your fathers went down to Egypt seventy persons, and now the LORD your God has made you as numerous as the stars of heaven.

Questions
     1) See this verse here? This is one of those verses that people point to when other people claim that EVERYTHING in the Bible is literal and total truth, right? How is this verse NOT an outright LIE, hum? There are more than a HUNDRED THOUSAND MILLION STARS in the Milky Way Galaxy alone. ALONE. Many scientists agree there could be one hundred BILLION galaxies in the universe....SO...
     ...Does God need to adjust or amend His definition of what "as numerous as the stars in heaven" means? Because I gotta tell you, if the 'stars in the heavens' refers to all the stars in the universe God just proved to everyone He is one...big...giant...LIE, isn't He?

     2) What is the mathematical formula for God's original group of seventy going down into Egypt and metamorphosing into one hundred billion hundred thousand million people? He DID say the descendants WOULD number as the stars in the heavens, right?

     3) This is one of those 'between a rock and a hard place' things for proponents of the Bible as absolute truth, isn't it? If they say that God meant something else when He said the descendants would number as the stars in the heavens then they have to admit there are things in the Bible NOT intended to be taken literally, and Lord forbid if God really didn't mean that people who believe differently or who are gay or who have psychic powers should be literally killed, right? 
     Then again, what can total truth proponents do to explain away the idea that the descendants of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob would be as numerous as the stars, something that is clearly impossible? I mean, how many earths would God need in order to accommodate that many people? 


9. Deuteronomy 11:17
17 then the anger of the LORD will be kindled against you, and he will shut up the heavens, so that there will be no rain, and the land will yield no fruit, and you will perish quickly off the good land that the LORD is giving you.

Questions
     1) Sooo...is THIS God's version of free will? God basically says, "Go ahead, Man. You are free to choose 'A' or choose 'B.' Just remember that if you choose 'B' I will starve you, send legions of armies after you, will let you die from great thirst, will not send rain so that your fruit trees with not give you their bounty, and for good measure I will shrivel your wombs after I strike you with great plagues."
     What is the explanation(s) for this, hummm? Make it good. Make it count. Make it at least a teeny bit believable. 


10. Deuteronomy 12:6
6 and there you shall bring your burnt offerings and your sacrifices, your tithes and the contribution that you present, your vow offerings, your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herd and of your flock.

Questions
     1) If God is commanding, demanding ALL of these offerings from His people, shouldn't He find a different name for the so-called "freewill" offering being as though if He is commanding and demanding the people make this offering it is therefore no longer something that may be reasonably considered having been presented by the freewill of the offering individual?


11. Deuteronomy 13:6-9
6 Suppose someone secretly entices you--even your brother, your son or daughter, your beloved wife, or your closest friend--and says, 'Let us go worship other gods'--gods that neither you nor your ancestors have known.

7 some of the gods of the peoples who are around you, whether near you or far off from you, from the one end of the earth to the other,

8 you shall not yield to him or listen to him, nor shall your eye pity him, nor shall you spare him, nor shall you conceal him.

9 But you shall kill him. Your hand shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people.

Questions
     1) So are the repressive, murderous commands of these verses supposed to be expressions and examples of God's endearing and enduring love that He has for all men?

     2) If the word of God never changes and withstands the passage of time and all of that hoo-hah that goes along with that, doesn't that mean that these verses must STILL be taken as God originally intended them to be taken?

     3) If God no longer intends that His people/believers should kill people as He specifically instructed in these verses in His holy and enduring and everlasting Word of Truth (the Bible) how can you rectify the assertion that this absurd edict from God is no longer good but still insist that the Word of God stands FOREVER and NEVER fades or changes or withers?


12. Deuteronomy 14:2
2 For you are a people holy to the LORD your God, and the LORD has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.

Questions
     1) Why is God showing preferential treatment to one group of people over all the others? Isn't this wrong and a direct impediment to anything that is supposed to be JUST and righteous?

     2) Out of all the peoples on the earth why did God choose this group? Was it because they were the ones most likely to be bamboozled by His bullshit promises of land and riches? Or, was it because they were the group MOST frightened by this jealous, vengeful, assuming, cruel, emasculating, womanizing, sadist deity that seems to have an attitude problem and a violent streak a mile wide to match?


13. Deuteronomy 15:11
11 For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.’

Questions
     1) Sooo...if there are always going to be those people of Israel who will always be poor and needy then how can it be claimed that God provides for all of His people a share of this mega promised land where milk and honey apparently flow together?


14. Deuteronomy 16:20
20 Justice, and only justice, you shall follow, that you may live and inherit the land that the LORD your God is giving you.

Questions
     1) What version of justice is God referring to because the definition I found says justice is a concept of moral rightness based on reason, laws, ethics, fairness and all that happiness, and I do not see anything that indicates God is concerned or will ever be concerned with any of these things?


15. Deuteronomy 17:16-17
16 Only he must not acquire many horses for himself or cause the people to return to Egypt in order to acquire many horses, since the LORD has said to you, ‘You shall never return that way again.’

17 And he shall not acquire many wives for himself, lest his heart turn away, nor shall he acquire for himself excessive silver and gold.

Questions
     1) Uhmmm...didn't many of the Israelite kings in the Old Testament have oodles of wives and sometimes even more concubines? 

     2) Didn't the kings spend a lot of time acquiring great wealth, usually by smashing the hell out of some hapless town and taking all of their valued goods as everything else was left to burn?

     3) Weren't David and Solomon fairly freaking rich in things like silver and gold, especially when it came to the temple of the Lord? Are the valuables 'owned' by God for temple worship NOT included in a king's value of accumulated wealth?


16. Deuteronomy 18:10-12
10 There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer

11 or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead,

12 for whoever does these things is an abomination to the LORD. And because of these abominations the LORD your God is driving them out before you.

Questions

     1) Sooo...you cannot offer your son or daughter as a burnt offering? But didn't God instruct Abraham to do that with Isaac? I mean, sure God stopped him at the last moment, but the point is that God still instructed him to freaking do it. So how is this explained?

     2) How in the fuckey-doo are the people of Israel who freaking killed animals for burnt sacrifice offerings EVERY DAMN DAY any fucking better than or more deserving of anything good than the charmers, mediums, necromancers, dream interpreters, or sorcerers? Is it because the people in such groups are seeking answers and if it is anything God does NOT want people having it is any answer other than the twisted ones He provides His people with?

     3) Isn't the true meaning of abomination "...anything contrary to what God demands, commands, or directs..." regardless of the place or time or situation or the people involved?

17. Deuteronomy 18:21-22
21 And if you say in your heart, ‘How may we know the word that the LORD has not spoken?’—

22 If the prophet speaks in the LORD's name but his prediction does not happen or come true, you will know that the LORD did not give that message. That prophet has spoken without my authority and need not be feared.

Questions
     1) How can so many believers around the world believe the bullshit crap evangelists and television preachers just love to spew and NOT take these verses into consideration?

     2) How many preachers and how many times will those preachers pop off at the mouth about the Antichrist and the end of the world before people finally figure out they are full of shit?


18. Deuteronomy 20:10-15
10 When you draw near to a city to fight against it, offer terms of peace to it

11 And if it responds to you peaceably and it opens to you, then all the people who are found in it shall do forced labor for you and shall serve you.

12 But if it makes no peace with you, but makes war against you, then you shall besiege it.

13 And when the LORD your God gives it into your hand, you shall put all its males to the sword,

14 but the women and the little ones, the livestock, and everything else in the city, all its spoil, you shall take as plunder for yourselves. And you shall enjoy the spoil of your enemies, which the LORD your God has given you.

15 Thus you shall do to all the cities that are very far from you, which are not cities of the nations here.

Questions
     1) How in the hell does forced labor qualify as a friggin' term in a peace agreement? Can a so-called peace agreement even contain such a term and still be considered a peace agreement?

     2) Sooo...if they do not accept your offer of peace for all of them to participate in forced labor you may then kill them and take everything they own, or kill some of them, still take everything they own, and then force the rest of the living to labor for you?


19. Deuteronomy 20:16-17

16 But in the cities of these peoples that the LORD your God is giving you for an inheritance, you shall save alive nothing that breathes,

17 but you shall devote them to complete destruction, the Hittites and the Amorites, the Canaanites and the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites, as the LORD your God has commanded,

Questions
     1) Isn't the most common excuse provided by believers when asking them for an explanation of why God kills so many freaking people or why He commands others to kill so many people that God will not stand sin to be in the midst of His people and so destroys it, or something similar?


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