Ideas on different religions

Submitted by Kepha Hor (United States), Oct 15, 2014 at 19:59

Fifi, re Ezekiel 9:6, I am not the cherub of the LORD commanded to carry out a punishment on apostate Judah that happened back in the 500's B.C. Nor am I Solomon, who was admonished not to let Shimei off the hook. As for the commands to exterminate the Canaanites, I can only note from texts in the 30's of Numbers that the Israelites were themselves warned that if they fell into the same sins, they would face a similar punishment. It seems that God's command to the Cherub in Ezek. 9:6 is part of that covenantal curse taking place.

The ban on the Canaanites and warnings to Israel about Canaanite abominations are a reminder that whole nations can become so corrupt that they can only be cast out and trampled under foot--perhaps, after the Sermon on the Mount about salt losing its savor, the same applies to a once-Christian West that tells God, "Leave us alone to practice our perversions and immolate our first children to the goddesses of Righttochoose and LIberation; let us return to the days when alpha males may do what they wish with their underlings, and the Harvey Milks who prey on teenaged runaways are heroes."

Horrible thing to contemplate, I'll allow. But Thomas Jefferson said he trembled for his country (and wider civilization, perhaps?) when he considered that God is just. Deist that he was, he there showed that there were 17 centuries of taking the Bible seriously in his mental makeup.

I further cannot help but notice that in Genesis, Abraham is not allowed to inherit the land of Canaan, for the sin of the Amorites was not yet full; Jeremiah told the exiles to seek the Shalom of the city in which they found themselves exiled; and Paul tells us to seek peace with all men, as much as it is up to us. These seem to be the admonitions which the prophets and apostles would have us follow all the time; in Islam, waging jihad seems to be one of the admonitions the Muslim is supposed to follow and feel guilty in ignoring.--perhaps just as the misnamed "secular humanist" seems commanded by his religion to pour contempt on anyone whose working religion predates the 19th century.

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