Let's talk about the Son of Jacob

[MOBIUS]

Son of Jacob by his maid (what's going on there!), he founded his own Israelite Tribe of Asher though they failed to drive out the inhabitants of Phoenician towns (read ethnic cleansing) in the area of Israel that the tribe had been allotted as its 'inheritance'...

So basically God told them to invade and steal the land of other peoples, and then ethnically cleanse them of it. Nice guy.

No wonder the the Israelis have no compunction to do the same now with land that wasn't even theirs in the first place...

Discuss.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Read the whole Old Testament. Yahweh spends half his time telling the Jews they're the most special people in the whole wide world and he just love them to bits -- and the other half telling them what worthless disappoints they are, and punishing them severly for it. And its nearly impossible to tell when he's going to be loving God, and when he's going to be angry, violent God.

You know who behaves like that? Alcoholics. Seriously.

So just think of the Jews -- or at least the Israelis -- as Adult Children of Alcoholics. it actually explains quite a bit.

[molly bloom]

Yahweh is seriously in need of good parenting classes.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

And anger management classes

[MOBIUS]

Just enjoying the image of a drunken alien ordering around some primitives for a bet a couple of thousand years ago...

It's as good an explanation as anything else.

[molly bloom]

Originally posted by Rufus T. Firefly
And anger management classes

He can't get out of them- he admitted it after all:

Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.

A neglectful parent, given to unpredictable outbursts of rage and xenophobia with genocidal tendencies.

Hmm, there goes the neighbourhood.

[Cort Haus]

Originally posted by molly bloom
A neglectful parent, given to unpredictable outbursts of rage and xenophobia with genocidal tendencies.

Hardly surprising it was felt in some quarters that he needed an image makeover for the sequel.

[molly bloom]

Originally posted by Cort Haus

Hardly surprising it was felt in some quarters that he needed an image makeover for the sequel.

New, Yahweh Lite in the modish Cana Wine Jars !

Ideal with fish and unleavened bread, or for that surprise supper- in Emmaus or anywhere else.


Special introductory offer- the high interest Jesus Saves account.

(For Muslims this is in the brochure labelled 'Issas' )

Our Hebrew brethren have the Moses Investment Account options.



(Early redemption unavailable)

[Nikolai]

/me awaits Ming seeing this thread and closing it without looking at the content.

[Patroklos]

You know who behaves like that? Alcoholics. Seriously.

Jesus could have turned that water into anything...

[lord of the mark]

Theres a tradition that gentiles arent supposed to read the Torah, cause they will misinterpret and distort it. Thats one of the things traditional Jews have against Christians.


1. Midrash gives accounts of what specific sins the Canaanites had commited that the holy land needed to be cleansed of them. Note well, that when Israel sinned, the holy land was cleansed of Israel. G-d is not favoring one people, he is preserving the sanctity of a holy place.

2. Images of anger are allegorical. G-d is not a human, and attributing human emotions to him is idolatry, according to Rambam. The Torah speaks in language that its audience was capable of understanding. We are expected to understand it with the benefit of commentary.


3. Looking at the bible through the lens of modern psychology, parenting classes, etc, can be a fruitful source of discussion, when done with some sympathy for the text and the tradition.

http://www.amazon.com/Our-Fathers-Wells-Personal-Encounter/dp/0062512404/ref=pd_sim_b_1/002-2228336-6081619

I note that all of you are interested in talking about is G-d, and not about Asher, the biblical figure or tribe. When Christians look at the Hebrew Bible, even athiest Christians, typically the Jews disappear, and all thats left is the "old Testament God", inferior, as always, to the "new Testament God". This is an old way for Christians to read scripture.

[MOBIUS]

But it is interesting that he chose to turn it into wine...

In fact another clue is when you drink 'the blood of Christ' in church in the form of wine - those blood/alcohol levels must be off the scale!

[rah]

Nice try, so I changed the thread title but left it in the first post. but this shouldn't stop the discussion.

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by rah
Nice try, so I changed the thread title but left it in the first post. but this shouldn't stop the discussion.

except there are 12 sons of Jacob.

[MOBIUS]

'Let's talk about the Son of Jacob called Asher'