hallq

Everyone knows the many divinely-ordered massacres in the Bible, but there's one in particular I'm trying to find a book-chapter-verse citation for. I seem to remember reading about God having a bunch of women killed because they led the Israelites to worship other gods. I had trouble finding it in the library's list of Biblical attrocities. Does anyone know where this one is to be found, or of other instances where the Bible does not favor religious toleration?

John Kesler

You are apparently thinking about the Midianite massacre narrated in Numbers 31:

The episode referred to is in Numbers 25:

Steven Carr

Matthew 23;15 "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are.

I guess 'sons of hell' is not a very tolerant way to describe converts to a religion other than Christianity.

1 Kings 18 has God kill 450 followers of another religion, simply because their prayers were not answered (Prayer is not a risk-free activity)


And there are many instructions in the OT for altars and temples in Israel to be destroyed.

Rev 2: 20Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. 21I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. 22So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. 23I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds.

I guess Jesus was not very tolerant of people teaching something other than orthodox Christianity.

hallq

Thanks, John. I knew of that masacre, but I had forgotten the motive and act separated in my head.

countjulian

Luke was wrote late (2nd century, in my humble opinion), by a gnetile for a gentile audience, and is one of the most aggressivly evangelistic gospels. In chapter 14, Jesus is made to tell the parable of the great banquet: A master was holding a great banquet, but many refused to come, so he got his faithful servant
14:23 And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.

This verse was used by Augustine as an excuse for forcing Donatists and pagans into the church, and has been utilized as such by fundies ever since, praise the lord!

In that same book, chapter 19 verses 22-27, Jesus tells the prables of the ten midas, in which God is portrayed as a Lord whose people hate him, but when he finally comes he says to his good and faithful servant (verse 27) "But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me." This verse too has been utilized by Christians to allow them violence aginst the non-believers. Christianity is more like Islam than many will admit, no?