Replies

I love my child, but if he is disobedient, he’d better have a modicum of ‘fear’ about him. Does that mean that I am not ‘loving’? It does not.

This is an inane comparison. No matter how disobedient your child is, you're not going to subject him to physical torture in a prison which you've caused to be created - not for a second, let alone for all eternity. The entire point is that the God you envision is savage and abusive beyond all reason or proportionality.

You, unfortunately do not seem to have read the Bible, and further more, you seem to wish to construct your own ‘fuzzy-bunny’ version of God that you can be comfortable with.

I've read the Old and New Testaments, front to back, repeatedly over the course of my life. I've constructed nothing - I merely observe that you and others like you seem bent on taking the very worst extremes of human cruelty and sadism and and portraying them as basic features of your version of God, so you can then cower in fear of his punishments.

So you know then that God killed 2 that witheld their tithe by lying about the proceeds of the sale of their land?

You know of the priest who died because the wrong offering was burned in the temple.

Of course, your version of ‘fear’ is different than mine. The Bible has in it, I’ve heard, 365 separate instances where the Lord says “Do not fear” or “Fear not”.

Again, Geek, the word ‘fear’ is used not as ‘be terrified’. See here in Exodus 18:

20And thou shalt teach them ordinances and laws, and shalt shew them the way wherein they must walk, and the work that they must do.

Here is Leviticus 19:

2Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, Ye shall be holy: for I the LORD your God am holy.

3Ye shall fear every man his mother, and his father, and keep my sabbaths: I am the LORD your God.

What do you suppose the context of the word ‘FEAR’ is in those passages? Could it be more toward ‘respect my position’ rather than ‘be afeared for your life’?

21Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens: