Speaking of history: Jesus Resurrected – Film at 11, is not going to be in our newsfeeds anytime soon. I have to question the relevance of long-ago events, or reports of miraculous events, for which actual records do not exist.

    While growing up, I heard a number of things about Jesus that made me roll my eyes and scratch my head, figuratively speaking, at least:

    Jesus is coming – very, very soon. We better get ready. Repent now, while you still have the chance;

    The bible says that Jesus is supposed to return after 2000 years, which just happens to be right about now. I still have no idea where “they” got that number;

    Paul saw and spoke with the spirit of Jesus on the road to Damascus, and thus stopped persecuting Christians and instead, became an ambassador for the religion. Have you ever heard of hallucinations?

    Then there is God him/her/itself, as portrayed in the bible. Last time, I mentioned God’s gender issues and immaculate conception issues.

    If we dig a bit deeper, the bible as written becomes an even greater source of incredulity.

    Let’s start with the topic of incest. The bible mentions many instances of incest in fact. While it is said that the bible consistently condemns this behavior, I find it difficult to figure it doesn’t condone it at times. Who did supposed Adam and Eve’s supposed children marry? Apparently, it was other Adam and Eves from neighboring villages. So, God was making various Adams and Eves but only mentioned the one such couple. A bit later, we get to Noah and his mythical ark. Only he, his wife, their kids and their spouses were supposedly saved from the great flood.

    So, they, along with their incestuous raft full of animals, reportedly repopulated the earth. Who did Noah’s kids and grandkids marry, if not each other?

    To put this in historical context, in middle eastern cultures of the time (and sometimes even now), marriage between cousins is, shall we say, encouraged and considered traditional. For that matter, the same thing has happened among the royal families of Europe over the centuries, sometimes resulting in certain genetic disorders plaguing royals. Methinks that the bible basically mirrors the culture of its authors.

    Next, consider genocide. The “old testament,” also known as the “Hebrew bible,” has many instances of God-sanctioned genocide. This is described in Wikipedia, for instance ([Genocide in the Hebrew Bible – Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genocide_in_the_Hebrew_Bible)).
    One example comes from Deuteronomy, which annihilate 7 other tribes who already lived there in order to avoid being tempted into idolatry. To me, that seems more like raw bloodlust and dominance-seeking than a way to avoid idolatry. Another example is in Exodus, in which Samuel orders the Israelite king Saul to kill all the Amalek people, and their livestock, sparing nothing. According to the bible, Saul was insufficiently brutal in following Samuel’s orders, resulting in Saul’s death and that of 3 of his sons in a battle with the Philistines, apparently as a punishment by God for not committing enough genocide.

    I believe that there are more examples of God telling people to commit genocide in the bible than these, but these are two of the most notable examples.

    Finally, let’s consider looting. Apparently, God thinks that is a good idea during war, according to the bible, if it’s done by “God’s people” – that is, Israelites. Examples of this include the conquest of Jericho and AI, the fall of Jerusalem, the plundering of Egypt, the Amalekite raid on Ziklag, and the looting of Ninevah.

    This is in stark contradiction to the portrayal of God as all-loving, all-powerful, and all-knowing that I was told about while growing up, and continue to be told about. Granted, most of this material comes from the “old testament,” but I don’t see how that matters if the entire bible is supposed to be consistent and true.

    If God were a person, the version of the “almighty” presented in the bible would be a mass murderer, a war criminal, a robber, a person who condones incest, and possibly a rapist, with some major family issues to deal with. A legal defense and a good therapist for God would be needed badly.

    However, I actually have a totally different view of “The Creator” than this.

    Perhaps the problem isn’t God, but lack of understanding of God. The people who wrote the bible were biased and limited in their perspective, and didn’t get it right. It is basically a cultural document. Yet, people continue to misunderstand “The Creator,” although I think our knowledge has gotten better over the centuries.

    Is God/The Creator really omnipotent?

    Is God/ The Creator really omniscient?

    Is God/The Creator really pure love?

    These are all good questions that I do not have the answers to. One thing that I do know, is that I won’t find the answers in the bible, or any ancient religious text.

    However, I suspect that our search for understanding is part of the answer. If I had to choose just one of the 3 to be true, I would pick “love.”