| One of the less great "thus sayeth the Lord" moments | | | | to hell. |
| in the Bible was the imposition of the very well know | | | | I still vote Rodney King of "Can't we all just get along" |
| principle of "an eye for an eye and and a tooth for a | | | | fame be head of the UN or at least advise the next |
| tooth." I understand that an apologist can say it just | | | | President. 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 to | | | | with this guy when sabre's are a rattlin' and agendas |
| mean to those who know the deeper meanings of | | | | are a formin'. Seems the converstaion goes something |
| such things that it could also mean, "a leg for a leg", "a | | | | like 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 Old | | | | Decider "No"The Threatened "Would you like to come |
| Testament (Psalms 94:1 O Lord, the God who | | | | look?"The Decider "No"The Threatened "Could we |
| avenges, O God who avenges, shine forth." and in the | | | | have 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 is | | | | Threatened "Would you like to kill me, my family, lots of |
| written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the | | | | children, 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 the | | | | Decider "Now your talkin, get on the floor!"I don't know |
| Church of history did a darn nice job of inflicting God's | | | | where religion came up with the idea that vengeance, |
| wrath upon both the believer who believed the wrong | | | | retaliation and revenge was a great characteristic for |
| thing and unbeliever who needed to be pursuaded.As | | | | a Deity and one that was so well advised to follow. In |
| a child, when hearing this all in Sunday School, I had a | | | | practical fact, few really practice the religion of their |
| picture of all the people in the Old Testament running | | | | guru. They find ways around it so they can manipulate |
| around blind and toothless and it explained why Jesus | | | | the results and take the short cuts they wish for |
| may have had so many blind people to heal in the | | | | personal gain, power and prestige, and yet retain a |
| New. I don't recall Jesus restoring any teeth | | | | form of the religion that they must appease to get |
| however.Later I began to think that vengeance was | | | | selected or elected in the first place. Smoke and |
| one thing reserved only for God, but retaliation must be | | | | mirrors, masks and make-up...it's what most "World |
| somewhat of a more subtle human endeavor. You | | | | Leaders" and human beings who profess to know and |
| know, a way around the problem of not being allowed | | | | need to propel them to places of authority and power |
| to inflict vengeance per se. But then I find that Jesus | | | | use against aveage humans.No one seems to notice |
| nixed the idea of retalaliation with his own example in 1 | | | | that when Moses is said to have come down the |
| Peter 2:23. "When they hurled their insults at him, he did | | | | mountain 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 the | | | | had been, and had "every man slay his neighbor and in |
| Book of Revelation, where Jesus, well the Cosmic | | | | that day about 3000 perished," and then went back to |
| Jesus at least, wreaks vengeance, revenge and | | | | explaining the wonderful new Law of God he had |
| retaliation big time upon the entire planet for not going | | | | been given by the Deity Himself! It's almost as bad as |
| with the program. The Jesus of the Gospels might be | | | | Cain worrying about "every man who finds me shall |
| the distant cousin of the Jesus of Revelation, but I don't | | | | slay me," when God booted him out of the Garden, but |
| think the Jesus of the Gospels could actually be the | | | | never stopped to think that there were only four |
| Jesus of Revelation, at least not without a change of | | | | people on earth at the time and he had just killed one |
| brain chemistry and his Meyers-Briggs Personality | | | | of them." Actually it was the writer of the story who |
| Profile. So then I got to thinking that it's not that you | | | | had a brain fart. But in the Bible and in the Middle East |
| can't retaliate or get vengeance, but you have to wait | | | | and now in America, it's really all about vengeance, |
| until you have tried everything else before scraping | | | | retaliation and revenge. The go nowhere and |
| your enemies off the face of the earth. But then I | | | | accomplish nothing but the death of a few hundred |
| learned from President Bush and my government that | | | | thousand doctrine.The fact is that it does not work and |
| trying everything only took a few weeks at most, and | | | | no one is ever satisfied that enough is enough. Who |
| never worked so you had to bomb the sh-- out of | | | | gives up their last son and says they no longer wish to |
| people quickly and with shock and awe. Yeah, that | | | | take another man's son to pay him back? Who then |
| works and in a very short time people are apologizing | | | | says "I will if you will," and they will! Who loses a tooth |
| for 911 and wondering what were they thinking?I did | | | | and does not wish to retaliate by punching out all the |
| read an interesting study once by a psychologist who | | | | teeth of the attacker? Who gets their eye poked and |
| felt Jesus could have written Revelation (the intro does | | | | doesn't wish to totally blind the poker? Well we did |
| say it is His revelation) in his later years when delusions | | | | have the example of a Pope who forgave the man |
| and schizophrenia would have been at it's worst. I was | | | | who shot him in a very dramatic scene in the man's |
| taught he channeled it through John which is how we | | | | cell. But remember, the Pope is a Professional forgiver! |
| got it. The fact that it said 2000 years ago that it was | | | | It'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 idea | | | | no one in this administration, has the insight or foresight |
| of "shortly." Maybe someone missed their cue.But then | | | | to try a new way that excludes the idea of being the |
| I wonder if that's not what's happening to our leaders | | | | bully and getting even. Of course a more pure motive |
| today. It would explain a lot. I wonder if they might be | | | | and heart would go a long way too.What a different |
| thinking of writing their own Revelation and pouring out | | | | world it might be today if men had no agendas and |
| all their own vials and plagues along with the blowing of | | | | that when 9-11 came calling we had an enlightened |
| assorted trumpets. Kinda worries me. I have noticed | | | | leader who was not connected like a mass of worms |
| the President and friends tend to surround themselves | | | | in a can to other plans and masters. The buck might |
| with those who read the Book of Revelation like a | | | | stop with someone, somewhere, but vengeance, |
| newspaper and see themselves in some of the | | | | retaliation and revenge seems to be what humans |
| leading roles.At any rate, let's get back to this idea | | | | demand 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 not | | | | uranium by the ton, birth defects, cancers and |
| seem to promote anything but vengeance, retaliation | | | | terrorism we never would have had if there was a |
| and revenge, which seems counterproductive. When | | | | genuine leader in place in all these countries, ours |
| the Hatfields and McCoys went at it over decades I | | | | included. As long as "God told me attack Sadaam and |
| believe, all we ended up with was less of each and a | | | | I did," is the mentality, (how scary is this?) and my |
| great story....all because of a pig I believe. Actually I | | | | YHVH 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 hills | | | | earth...again and again and again, worldcrap without |
| because reception of both TV and radio signals is so | | | | end.I know I'd feel a lot better if our current President |
| bad. There is little else to do or talk about after the day | | | | conferred with the Dali Lama more frequently instead |
| is done without those modern conveniences. It is no | | | | of the Boys of Revelation and those of Evangelical |
| coincidence that the Hatfield and McCoy thing eased | | | | Zionist Christianity gone nuts. But then I'd be afraid this |
| up a bit right about the time you could put that one big | | | | President would think it funny and welcome him by |
| ass satellite dish in your front yard! I often saw dishes | | | | saying "Well Hello Dali!...hehe," and not understand a |
| almost half as broad as the house, but darn it, there | | | | word 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 BEING | | | | propelled by religion out of control. I'd be afraid he'd |
| the Dukes of Hazard!I've been to the Middle East | | | | embarass me again.I know...I'm too idealisitc and don't |
| where every stone upon the ground has been thrown | | | | understand a thing about how people end up where |
| at sometime, by someone, at someone for some | | | | they do in places of power and what's really going on. |
| reason and often. The Middle East is the Land of | | | | Ok, well maybe I am not letting on to as much as I do |
| Handy Stones or perhaps we should say the Land of | | | | know. But it's past time... way past time, to replace a |
| "Oh Yeah? Yeah!, Oh Yeah? Yeah! I know you are | | | | Deity 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's | | | | fruits of their Holy Spirit that will bring their idea of the |
| picturing the launch of one missle that lead to two | | | | Kingdom of God for us all to regret. |
| back that lead to twenty that led to a hundred that led | | | | |