In times of yore religious wars were traditionally fought with pitchforks and swords but today they are often fought with books. A few years ago it seemed strange that an all seeing God didn’t smite such authors as Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris and Christopher Hitchens. They penned books about faith based religions that practically invited retribution.
Then the fundamentalists wrote the left behind novels, in which Jesus returned to earth to battle the Anti-Christ. Meanwhile devout atheists put up websites like www.whydoesGodhateamputees.com
They said that while believers commonly give credit to God for healing cancer, he never replaces limbs for amputees. And they demanded an end to to divine discrimination against amputees.
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Now books that are less combative are out. One of them by Robert Wright “The Evolution of God” tells us how religions have changed and improved over the years. He says God has mellowed and is no longer the capricious warlord he was in the Old Testament who often ordered genocides.
In 1 Samuel 15:3, the lord ordered a mass slaughter of the Amalekite tribe: Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them. But kill both men and women, infant and nursing child. Wright says that the belief that there is but one God emerged gradually among the Israelites, and that the God familiar to us may have resulted from a merger of the creator god,El, and a warrior god,Yahweh. He says that the belief in one god didn’t exist until after the Babylonian exile, and that Moses view was that other gods shouldn’t be worshiped, not that they didn’t exist. He points our the plural “gods” in Psalm 82.
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Wright also writes it was St. Paul, more than Jesus who preached love and built the Christian faith as it is known today to broaden the appeal of the church and convert Gentiles. Wright does not argue that God does or does not exist, but that the changing perception of God reflects a moral direction, some kind of spiritual force for a higher purpose.
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Mr .Wright has some very interesting concepts. Thanks for sharing Ruby!
Very interesting as religious subjects always seem to catch my eye. I like biblical knowledge, theologies, and dialoging on religious subject matters. That’s a subject however that it’s good to be a better listener than talker, religion and politics can cause a lot of debating and not always pleasant. Thank you for sharing.
Very interesting post, Ruby. thanks for the share.
it is always interesting and important to know the origin, the history and the development of religions. Good article, Ruby.
Interesting stuff. A bit basic, but it gets one on the path of searching for more. Thanks a bunch!
Good article, Ruby. Well written and interesting.
We each see God through the veil of our culture. God never changes, but our view of Him changes. with the times.
interesting.. But i have nothing to do with any religion. I can appreciate good things..
Educative and interesting.
Religions have changed and improved over the years? Whoopee.
very good work
keep it up
Am intellectual and excellent work, maam.
Striking article!
Religion has to cope up with the rapid changes in the society. Songs, ceremonies and even doctrines. On earth there is no perfect truth that any religion can claim. Not until we meet in heaven; and the Lord will say “welcome my good and faithful servant”. For all we know, God may not even be interested asking what religion we have.
Religion is a perfect example of humanity’s ability to take something extraordinary and beautiful and complicate it, beat it to death, re produce it and shit it back out again … causing more problems, setting borders, slaughtering soilders and the innocent alike ….
Very interesting read. That’s an interesting opinion from Mr Wright.
Very interesting article. I appreciate the way you put the information out there in a very neutral manner. Great job!
Very interesting and the view of Wright is most acceptable.
Everyone remembers the 2 lions, 3 giraffes, 2 doves, etc saved by the Arc and call God great, they forget about the billions of animals, and millions of people drowned (if the story is true).. I have to go check out that website about God hating amputees, sounds great!
Makes me wonder if a changed religion is a legit one… like if they tell you to worship one thing one day.. then something different later. I thought changing the day of worship from Saturday to Sunday was reason enough to call it crap!
God hasn’t changed, but our understanding of God has progressed.
Great article
definitely very interesting
Really very interesting Article Ruby,Thanks
I enjoyed reading your wonderful and interesting post Ruby
Thanks for the article Ruby, I applaud your willingness to demonstrate the benefits of an evolving religion over a static one. So many people out there think that religions are made better by a reactionary stance that allows no discussion on moral standards, text translations, or interpretations. If you set yourself into the past out of mental laziness your religion will live in it within two generations.
great research….nicely expressed..
Thanks for sharing these new theories of writers for our awareness. I do believe God does not change. Man does, and our perceptions and lifestyles.
Perhaps such things may be a barometer of our own social evolution and this ‘how to’ textbook for Christianity may have been altered, over time, to represent contemporary sentiments and practice. Perhaps God was steadfast while man was fickle. Great insights, my dear.
Today i shall only read
not write
so be it
I hope religions could improve by making us a better person. Well written, Ruby.
i just read the article that is named what and it was awesome!!!
just search the article What?
make it sure that your statement is biblical, to make it true
nice article!
interesting but lacking substance. I would like to know where Wright finds the evidence to support his (this is actually an older idea from some time before Wright) claim that the concept of God emerged from older gods? Wellhausen came up with idea of the Israelite view of God being developed during the exile. Moses was against the people worshipping idols and the gods of the surrounding nations as he knew they were false gods and they broke the covenant.
Paul did not preach a different gospel than the brothers and disciples of Jesus and any reading of the new testament will confirm this. It seems Wright has taken older, discredited views and attempted to popularise them in order to sell a book. It’s a shame he failed to tell us that none of what you have described him having written stands up to any level of scrutiny.
What spiritual force or higher purpose does he suggest? If God has revealed Himself and His will for His creation we already know what He wants from us. Our changing society does not change that. Perhaps Wright and those who agree with him are simply not willing to accept what is already plain in favour of their own imaginings. That way they do not have to deal with the sometimes uncomfortable claims of Christianity. Just a thought…
Having said all that your article was easy to follow and flowed well. Please don’t take offence at my ramblings.