Comments on: Ending Violence In The Holy Land = Anti Semitism?

By: Hwa Shi-Hsia

Hwa Shi-Hsia — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 19:02:59 +0000

Hey if people want to take the Bible’s accounts of ancient history as applying to the modern situation…My Bible study group is currently going over Ezekiel, and something that’s rather striking in the current political situation is that a couple of the things that God punished ancient Israel for were a) having arrogant and corrupt leaders and b) hurting/killing innocent people.

By: Bob Kee

Bob Kee — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 09:36:02 +0000

Singam said:

“Love thy neighbour as thou wouldst love me”.

Anything that contradicts this simple message cannot be from God.

I have to say a big Amen to that.

By: Singam

Singam — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 09:19:00 +0000

All the more reason why each person reading the Bible should be guided not to take literal meanings for what they read. Dependence on the clergy for “correct understanding” places an unnecessary and hazardous intermediary between a believer and God.

Such intermediaries are what gave rise to the Inquisition during the middle ages of Christianity. Such intermediaries are causing the radical nature of what is erroneously labeled fundamental Islam.

God wants us to reach Him. God wants us to understand Him. He will not make it difficult for us. Therefore His message is a simple one – “Love thy neighbour as thou wouldst love me”.

Anything that contradicts this simple message cannot be from God.

By: Bob Kee

Bob Kee — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 05:20:32 +0000

Unfortunately I have been made aware that a lot of clergy are not very well prepared to deal with this challenge. Eschatology isn’t really top priority in a seminary syllabus.

By: Singam

Singam — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 23:03:09 +0000

Isn’t this a clear indication that it is hazardous to take every Biblical statement literally and that the real meaning of each statement should be understood in the context of its placement?

By: Bob Kee

Bob Kee — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 07:51:38 +0000

An example of this line of understanding can perhaps be seen from the comment thread here:

http://sivinkit.net/archives/5020#comments

It is heavily influenced by one interpretation of Dispensationalist theology and is probably rooted in a reaction against the abuses of Replacement theology which had resulted in the Church’s conviction of Jews for deicide, participation in pogroms, et al. Unfortunately the reaction resulted, in some cases, with an opposite but equally bigoted perspective.

This perspective was generally quite prevalent in Evangelical “end-times” literature available in Malaysia over the 80s and 90s. It has only been in this decade that more alternative perspectives have resurfaced. So we have a unique situation where despite such interpretations not being the official understanding or stand of the respective denominations, many laypeople remained exclusively influenced by it, even by some who do not even know the technical term for such teachings.

By: Singam

Singam — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 22:49:30 +0000

Item 2 is fascinating,

By supporting the call for the end of violence in the Gaza, one is opposing God’s will?

How? Pray tell.