Skeptical

Apparently so, according to a jury in Texas.

Ok, so this is an absolutely horrific story and I for one have no issue with the jury deciding that she is legally insane. However, I am not a christian or a theist of any sort. I don't think God, if such an entity exists, has ever spoken to anyone, so for me if someone really believes that God spoke to them they are prima facie "insane" or at least very deluded, which probably amounts to about the same thing in a court of law.

However, it doesn't seem that a Christian could take that point of view. At the least they would have to claim that God spoke to people once upon a time, even if they might not think it does so now. And if God used to speak to people, who is to say that it cannot occur? Surely they cannot rule out that God _might_ have spoken to her.

Which logically brings us to the question of why they jury in Texas, many of whom probably consider themselves Christians, so easily found that she was insane. If it cannot be that they don't think God speaks to people, then it can only be because they don't think God would tell a mother kill her children.

However, the God of the OT certainly told at least one father to kill his child (the story of Abraham and Isaac on the mountain), so it doesn't seem that far fetched that God would say something like what the woman claimed. Of course, if you believe all of the "bad" parts of the OT are just the adult equivalent of fairy tales, then you would have no problem saying that God wouldn't tell someone to do something like this.

But that sort of a position doesn't seem like a viable option to someone who wants to follow the Christian religion, or at least the mainstream of Christianity. After all, the foundation of the Christian religion seems to rely on at least some sort of belief in the reliability of some of the OT. And if you start throwing out stories that don't fit in with modern sensibilities, your not going to have much of the OT left.

So what do "modern" Christians make of new stories like this? Is there some legitimate way to discriminate the stories of the OT or is it just that people pick and choose what they are comfortable with and ignore all those unpleasantries found in the OT? My hunch is the latter is often the case, though many Christians would be reluctant to admit it if asked the question directly.

Vinnie

All Christians pick and choose what they accept from the Bible. The liberal ones just recognize and admit that they do.

Vinnie

breathilizer

If God spoke to me, I'd ask him for a burger, fries, and a coke. I wouldn't kill my kids.

Vinnie

If God started talking to me and told me to Caviezel my firstborn son I wouldn't be crazy since I'd tell him to go flogg himself

Vinnie

Skeptical

I think your right Vinnie, so I suppose the bigger question then is why not just admit that we're on our own to find our path in life and the only authority in our life is ourself? Why use a crutch that for the most part you don't accept in the first place?

It's all very bizarre to me, and the older I get the more bizarre it seems. People love to quote the bible and go to church, but when the rubber hits the road they will abandon whatever parts of the bible they are uncomfortable with at the drop of a hat, yet they don't seem to see how contradictory that is.

It's just so odd to me that apparently sane, rational people can on the one hand tell someone they should go to church and read their bible and then when stories like this come up they say "oh, God would _never_ do something like that" and when you point out that their bible has stories just like this they say "oh, I don't believe _those_ parts". I don't get it, and I probably never will.

breathilizer

What does God sound like anyway?

#1 If God spoke to me in my own voice, how would I know it was him? I think in english sentences. I think in reference to myself quite often.

#2 If God spoke to me in Charlton Heston's voice, I'd laugh because I'd think that my memory was contributing to a delusion.

#3 Ifway Odgay okespay otay emay inway igpay atinlay, I'dway aysay, "Atwhay?"

#4 If God spoke to me with an instantanious exchange of information, with no voice at all, I would think about the new information and translate it, probably with my own voice. Then we'd be back at #1.

#5 If God spoke to me with through a man-made medium, such as a book, I'd seriously question the credibility of the book's authors.

Skeptical

According to the movie "Dogma", God sounds like a cross between a roaring jet airplane and cat's mating, and looks an awful lot like Alannis Morrisette.

Good point though. On a serious note, my understanding is that most people who think God talks to them don't actually hear a voice, they just "feel it" through intuition or something of that sort, probably your option #4, and yes, I agree it takes you back to #1.

Interstingly enough, it seems that when Satan talks to people, he actually uses a "real" voice through some sort of medium such as phonograph records or dogs. I don't know why, maybe its a copyright issue.

Vinnie

It is all insane. The proof text hunt one passge and apply it literally but do women pray r prophecy with their heads uncovered (cf. Paul)?

Religious experiences are strong. They compel strong faith and can even cause violence (holy wars). When a group of people has powerful, social religious experiences and you place them in a fact-literal western mindset where an all or nothing mentality has lingered over from the wars in the last few centuries when Biblical facts were once taken for granted and slowly, but steadily eroded we end up where we are.

This is why the ridiculous rationalizations occur and why some cultic indoctrination practices are common in a lot of Christian circiles. For example, Christians should not yoke with unbelievers. Staying around like-minded individuals makes it difficult for change. Its a cultic safety net.

Vinnie

Vinnie

Like one of the naughty woman I let tie me up and punish me who says, and I quote," I'm your God you little bi**h."

Different languages resulted from a rebellion against God so I think its safe to say, as far as the language goes, God speaks in the universal Pre-Tower of Babel Hebrew to everyone

Vinnie

maddog

Answer to the title: Most likely.

And this may be slightly OT, but I have noticed that mental disturbance manifests itself in excessive religiosity in a surprising number of instances.