Vengeance, Retaliation and Revenge - Anyone Got a Better Idea?

One of the less great "thus sayeth the Lord" momentsto hell.
in the Bible was the imposition of the very well knowI still vote Rodney King of "Can't we all just get along"
principle of "an eye for an eye and and a tooth for afame be head of the UN or at least advise the next
tooth." I understand that an apologist can say it justPresident. This one would just say "No".Speaking of
means that people should be paid restitution for losses,the current powers that be, its disturbing just how
but in practice, Governments and most Evangelicals,difficult if not impossibe it is for anyone to get to talk
love the literal translation. I assume that also went on towith this guy when sabre's are a rattlin' and agendas
mean to those who know the deeper meanings ofare a formin'. Seems the converstaion goes something
such things that it could also mean, "a leg for a leg", "alike this.The Threatened: "Can we talk?"The Decider:
spine for a spine," and "a skull for a skull." While God"No"The Threatened "Would you like to debate it?"The
claimed the exclusive right to vengeance in the OldDecider "No"The Threatened "Would you like to come
Testament (Psalms 94:1 O Lord, the God wholook?"The Decider "No"The Threatened "Could we
avenges, O God who avenges, shine forth." and in thehave lunch?"The Decider "No"The Threatened "May I
New Testament, (Romans 12:19 "Do not take revenge,send you some Pistachio nuts?"The Decider "No"The
my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it isThreatened "Would you like to kill me, my family, lots of
written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says thechildren, women, men and our younger generation and
Lord,) the Israelites pretty much did the work for Him,take all our resources under your supervision?"The
and the Christians who evolved to make up theDecider "Now your talkin, get on the floor!"I don't know
Church of history did a darn nice job of inflicting God'swhere religion came up with the idea that vengeance,
wrath upon both the believer who believed the wrongretaliation and revenge was a great characteristic for
thing and unbeliever who needed to be pursuaded.Asa Deity and one that was so well advised to follow. In
a child, when hearing this all in Sunday School, I had apractical fact, few really practice the religion of their
picture of all the people in the Old Testament runningguru. They find ways around it so they can manipulate
around blind and toothless and it explained why Jesusthe results and take the short cuts they wish for
may have had so many blind people to heal in thepersonal gain, power and prestige, and yet retain a
New. I don't recall Jesus restoring any teethform of the religion that they must appease to get
however.Later I began to think that vengeance wasselected or elected in the first place. Smoke and
one thing reserved only for God, but retaliation must bemirrors, masks and make-up...it's what most "World
somewhat of a more subtle human endeavor. YouLeaders" and human beings who profess to know and
know, a way around the problem of not being allowedneed to propel them to places of authority and power
to inflict vengeance per se. But then I find that Jesususe against aveage humans.No one seems to notice
nixed the idea of retalaliation with his own example in 1that when Moses is said to have come down the
Peter 2:23. "When they hurled their insults at him, he didmountain with the Big Ten, one of which said, "Thou
not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats.shalt not kill," and before reading them to the troops,
Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. "got pissed off at the people for wondering where he
But then I got to thinking about the entire theme of thehad been, and had "every man slay his neighbor and in
Book of Revelation, where Jesus, well the Cosmicthat day about 3000 perished," and then went back to
Jesus at least, wreaks vengeance, revenge andexplaining the wonderful new Law of God he had
retaliation big time upon the entire planet for not goingbeen given by the Deity Himself! It's almost as bad as
with the program. The Jesus of the Gospels might beCain worrying about "every man who finds me shall
the distant cousin of the Jesus of Revelation, but I don'tslay me," when God booted him out of the Garden, but
think the Jesus of the Gospels could actually be thenever stopped to think that there were only four
Jesus of Revelation, at least not without a change ofpeople on earth at the time and he had just killed one
brain chemistry and his Meyers-Briggs Personalityof them." Actually it was the writer of the story who
Profile. So then I got to thinking that it's not that youhad a brain fart. But in the Bible and in the Middle East
can't retaliate or get vengeance, but you have to waitand now in America, it's really all about vengeance,
until you have tried everything else before scrapingretaliation and revenge. The go nowhere and
your enemies off the face of the earth. But then Iaccomplish nothing but the death of a few hundred
learned from President Bush and my government thatthousand doctrine.The fact is that it does not work and
trying everything only took a few weeks at most, andno one is ever satisfied that enough is enough. Who
never worked so you had to bomb the sh-- out ofgives up their last son and says they no longer wish to
people quickly and with shock and awe. Yeah, thattake another man's son to pay him back? Who then
works and in a very short time people are apologizingsays "I will if you will," and they will! Who loses a tooth
for 911 and wondering what were they thinking?I didand does not wish to retaliate by punching out all the
read an interesting study once by a psychologist whoteeth of the attacker? Who gets their eye poked and
felt Jesus could have written Revelation (the intro doesdoesn't wish to totally blind the poker? Well we did
say it is His revelation) in his later years when delusionshave the example of a Pope who forgave the man
and schizophrenia would have been at it's worst. I waswho shot him in a very dramatic scene in the man's
taught he channeled it through John which is how wecell. But remember, the Pope is a Professional forgiver!
got it. The fact that it said 2000 years ago that it wasIt's not like he can demand to go in and shoot the man
the story of things which "must shortly come to pass"twice for him shooting him once! No one, and certainly
kinda bothers me because that's not my personal ideano one in this administration, has the insight or foresight
of "shortly." Maybe someone missed their cue.But thento try a new way that excludes the idea of being the
I wonder if that's not what's happening to our leadersbully and getting even. Of course a more pure motive
today. It would explain a lot. I wonder if they might beand heart would go a long way too.What a different
thinking of writing their own Revelation and pouring outworld it might be today if men had no agendas and
all their own vials and plagues along with the blowing ofthat when 9-11 came calling we had an enlightened
assorted trumpets. Kinda worries me. I have noticedleader who was not connected like a mass of worms
the President and friends tend to surround themselvesin a can to other plans and masters. The buck might
with those who read the Book of Revelation like astop with someone, somewhere, but vengeance,
newspaper and see themselves in some of theretaliation and revenge seems to be what humans
leading roles.At any rate, let's get back to this ideademand and we get over and over what we see
about vengeance, no matter who it belongs to,today... blood, anquish, hatred, car bombs, depleted
retaliation and revenge. As far as I can tell it does noturanium by the ton, birth defects, cancers and
seem to promote anything but vengeance, retaliationterrorism we never would have had if there was a
and revenge, which seems counterproductive. Whengenuine leader in place in all these countries, ours
the Hatfields and McCoys went at it over decades Iincluded. As long as "God told me attack Sadaam and
believe, all we ended up with was less of each and aI did," is the mentality, (how scary is this?) and my
great story....all because of a pig I believe. Actually IYHVH can woop your Allah is the stupidity that rules in
have lived in Eastern Kentucky and vengeance,the minds of world leadership, we're in for hell on
retaliation and revenge is what you do in them thar hillsearth...again and again and again, worldcrap without
because reception of both TV and radio signals is soend.I know I'd feel a lot better if our current President
bad. There is little else to do or talk about after the dayconferred with the Dali Lama more frequently instead
is done without those modern conveniences. It is noof the Boys of Revelation and those of Evangelical
coincidence that the Hatfield and McCoy thing easedZionist Christianity gone nuts. But then I'd be afraid this
up a bit right about the time you could put that one bigPresident would think it funny and welcome him by
ass satellite dish in your front yard! I often saw dishessaying "Well Hello Dali!...hehe," and not understand a
almost half as broad as the house, but darn it, thereword much less a concept he endeavored to explain
was peace in that family and surrounding county.about the futility of vengeance, retaliation and revenge
Watching the Dukes of Hazard is safer than BEINGpropelled by religion out of control. I'd be afraid he'd
the Dukes of Hazard!I've been to the Middle Eastembarass me again.I know...I'm too idealisitc and don't
where every stone upon the ground has been thrownunderstand a thing about how people end up where
at sometime, by someone, at someone for somethey do in places of power and what's really going on.
reason and often. The Middle East is the Land ofOk, well maybe I am not letting on to as much as I do
Handy Stones or perhaps we should say the Land ofknow. But it's past time... way past time, to replace a
"Oh Yeah? Yeah!, Oh Yeah? Yeah! I know you areDeity and His chosen religio-political minions who
but what am I, Oh Yeah? Yeah? Make me! Take that!believe vengeance, retaliation and revenge are the
Doh!" It's all nuts. Kinda like growing up in the 50'sfruits of their Holy Spirit that will bring their idea of the
picturing the launch of one missle that lead to twoKingdom of God for us all to regret.
back that lead to twenty that led to a hundred that led