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Old 02-12-2012, 12:16 AM
 
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The old testament is filled with stories of extreme violence, murder, rape, stonings, dismemberment, sacrificing of children to God, and exterminations of entire peoples or nations.

Most Christian parents would not allow their child to watch a movie with violence in it. So should they allow their child to read the old testament?

 
Old 02-12-2012, 04:59 AM
 
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Yes All children should read the Whole bible , as in Luke 2 :40-52... Here is 12 year old Jesus who go to Jerusalem and stays at the Temple , And from verse 46 Jesus was found in the Temple teaching ...``And that after three days they found Him in the Temple , sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions ..and they that heard Jesus were astonished at his understanding and answers .... And Jesus told His parents ``How is it that you could not find me ? did you not know I must be about my Fathers business?``........ See Here is young Jesus reading and studying the Old Testament , and Jesus grew up and lived his life and was an innocent Righteous man .... See children study the Whole Bible and have faith In Christ then God will take care of His own and develop them and teach them to rightful divide the Word of God to discern Good fruit from evil fruit
 
Old 02-12-2012, 08:30 AM
 
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Why do most churches spend a lot of money on "study guides" for children? Shouldn't the bible be simply read like a book?
 
Old 02-12-2012, 08:44 AM
 
Location: FL
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I think the Old Testament might have contributed to my son's anxiety disorder. I am only being halfway facetious.

I tried to help him with his fears by buying him a "Veggie Tales" (Christian) video about fear. It didn't help. Finding a good Child Anxiety Program is what helped him.

I still don't completely object to introducing children to the OT. But I certainly don't recommend a "fire and brimstone" approach in introducing children to Christianity or any other religion.

I think the focus, for started should being on trying to do what's right. Teaching that God loves us. There is forgiveness in the universe, but that doesn't mean we can choose bad while relying on forgiveness and a "get out of jail free" card.

There are Children's Bible's out there. I purchased one and that's what I read to my children when they were younger. It covered the "highlights" while not getting into too many of the gory details.
 
Old 02-12-2012, 08:49 AM
 
Location: FL
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TXboomerang View Post
Why do most churches spend a lot of money on "study guides" for children? Shouldn't the bible be simply read like a book?

Can a 5 year old read the Bible cover to cover without any help comprehending it?

That would be kind of like having them read War and Peace or any other really long book.

I assume the "pamphlets" are created to help introduce children to their religion (or their parents religion) on their level and a pace that is best suited to their age.
 
Old 02-12-2012, 10:07 AM
 
Location: SC Foothills
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TXboomerang View Post
The old testament is filled with stories of extreme violence, murder, rape, stonings, dismemberment, sacrificing of children to God, and exterminations of entire peoples or nations.

Most Christian parents would not allow their child to watch a movie with violence in it. So should they allow their child to read the old testament?
Absolutely not!! It's funny how growing up in Sunday school they skip right over those horrible "stories' and go right for the Jesus stuff or stories only appropriate for children. If the Bible was such a great thing, then ALL of it should be taught, don't ya think? I never knew about the bad parts until later in life because I was sheltered from it.

But I digress, if I had it to do over again my child wouldn't read ANY of the Bible. But I was conditioned to believe I was doing the right thing, even buying him a children's Bible. He's a Christian and I'm not, but I think for him it's more about the social aspect of it and not so much the Bible. He probably doesn't even realize the atrocities in it since he was sheltered from it too. I wouldn't dare try to change what he believes, but I certainly have changed what I believe and it suits me better.

I listened to a pastor this morning talking about Abraham and how "God" asked him to kill his own son as a sacrifice. I heard him try and reason through that and he finally said "if God hadn't stopped the killing, then he would have raised him from the dead anyway".....what?? How does he know what God would have done? Why the hell would a god ask someone to do that in the first place? It's too far-fetched to be believable and obviously it is simply some man's interpretation of some other guy sacrificing his own son to a sick and twisted god, but changed his mind at the last minute.

If there is a God, then he's not anything like what the Bible portrays. That's why the darn thing shouldn't be read at all. It's nothing but fairy tales and hallucinations.
 
Old 02-12-2012, 01:14 PM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ilene Wright View Post
I listened to a pastor this morning talking about Abraham and how "God" asked him to kill his own son as a sacrifice. I heard him try and reason through that and he finally said "if God hadn't stopped the killing, then he would have raised him from the dead anyway".....what?? How does he know what God would have done? Why the hell would a god ask someone to do that in the first place? It's too far-fetched to be believable and obviously it is simply some man's interpretation of some other guy sacrificing his own son to a sick and twisted god, but changed his mind at the last minute.

If there is a God, then he's not anything like what the Bible portrays. That's why the darn thing shouldn't be read at all. It's nothing but fairy tales and hallucinations.
While I still do believe in God, the bible is full of man's writings. Much of it reflects the love and will of God. Some of it is barbaric violence beyond what any society on earth today would consider acceptable in anyway. That is why I rely on prayer and guidance by God to understand truth and his love.

Judges chapter 11 actually covers a father that DOES kill his daughter supposedly for God, offering her up as a sacrifice by BURNING HER. Jephthah burned his daughter supposedly for God allowing him to win a battle. So apparently just winning a battle isn't good enough, Jephthah burned his only child, his virgin daughter, as a sacrifice to God BECAUSE SHE WAS THE FIRST ONE TO COME OUT AND GREET HIM WHEN HE CAME HOME.

Quote:
Judges chapter 11:
30And Jephthah vowed a vow unto the LORD, and said, If thou shalt without fail deliver the children of Ammon into mine hands,

31Then it shall be, that whatsoever cometh forth of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, shall surely be the LORD's, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering.
............
34And Jephthah came to Mizpeh unto his house, and, behold, his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and with dances: and she was his only child; beside her he had neither son nor daughter.

35And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he rent his clothes, and said, Alas, my daughter! thou hast brought me very low, and thou art one of them that trouble me: for I have opened my mouth unto the LORD, and I cannot go back.

36And she said unto him, My father, if thou hast opened thy mouth unto the LORD, do to me according to that which hath proceeded out of thy mouth; forasmuch as the LORD hath taken vengeance for thee of thine enemies, even of the children of Ammon.

37And she said unto her father, Let this thing be done for me: let me alone two months, that I may go up and down upon the mountains, and bewail my virginity, I and my fellows.

38And he said, Go. And he sent her away for two months: and she went with her companions, and bewailed her virginity upon the mountains.

39And it came to pass at the end of two months, that she returned unto her father, who did with her according to his vow which he had vowed: and she knew no man. And it was a custom in Israel

BTW, the bible says not a single word about God telling him not to follow through with it, nor does God bring her back from the dead after her father burned her body for God.


As a child in church, I remember occasionally deciding I wanted to read beyond the handful of cherry picked verses that our Sunday School teachers had decided we should study. I remember many times being horrified when I did so and laying awake in bed at night wondering how the God of love that I knew in my heart could also be the God who seems to revel in murder, rape, rage, and jealousy in many parts of the old testament.
I slowly learned to suppress those horrible verses and just basically decided there must have been a good reason for it. Eventually, a few years ago, I began to read some of those same stories in the old testament again and instead of ignoring it, suppressing it, or believing that a God of love, mercy, forgiveness, and joy would also be a God of anger, rage, murder, destruction, hatred, jealousy, and support the regular stories of murdering women and children found in the OT, I realized they are not the same God.
 
Old 02-12-2012, 02:11 PM
 
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