>The other major reason I left was that I was one of the few Christians
>I knew who actually read the entire Bible, and I just couldn't stomach
>the vindictive, genocidal god portrayed in the Old Testament. If that
>god exists, then this universe is absolutely absurd. A god who is
>willing to wipe out entire portions of his creation and to infinitely
>punish finite sins sounds more like a devil to me. I'm an optimist,
>so I like to think the universe makes sense.
This apparent difference between the OT and NT versions of God is something
that I've struggled with and is the primary reason I reject a literal
reading of the Bible. My thinking was along the lines of "If by definition
God doesn't change, then if the way he is portrayed changes, it must be
because man's view of God changes - and that's what we are seeing in the
OT/NT differences". However, I realize this can be completely wrong and I
would be interested in hearing from those on the list who are more
knowledgeable (and that includes probably almost everyone) how one does
reconcile what appear to be differences in how God behaves. I realize this
may be a bit far afield for the listserv which deals with science and
religion, so I'll ask apologies in advance if this is an inappropriate
question.
Janet Rice
512-338-3266
rice@mcc.com