And I [God] will cause them [Jews] to eat the flesh of their sons and the flesh of their daughters, and they shall eat every one the flesh of his friend in the siege and straitness, wherewith their enemies, and they that seek their lives, shall straiten them. (Jeremiah 19:9 KJV)
It is clear from this passage of Scripture that God CAUSED the Jews to eat the bodies of their children and neighbors. In other words, God (Jesus) turned the Jews into cannibals. This is no rare occurrence. Any cursory reading of the Bible reveals a God who has no problem maiming and slaughtering fetuses, babies, children, men, women, and developmentally disabled people who dare to cross him. I can’t find one story in the Bible where the punishment and judgment meted out by God is justified for any other reason than he could. And that’s the argument Evangelicals often use to justify God’s violent, immoral behavior. “God can do whatever he wants,” Evangelical shout. Does this mean that the allegedly “moral” law of God doesn’t apply to an allegedly “moral” God himself?
Why did God judge the Jews so harshly? Jeremiah 19:3-5 says:
Hear ye the word of the Lord, O kings of Judah, and inhabitants of Jerusalem; Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, the which whosoever heareth, his ears shall tingle. Because they have forsaken me, and have estranged this place, and have burned incense in it unto other gods, whom neither they nor their fathers have known, nor the kings of Judah, and have filled this place with the blood of innocents; They have built also the high places of Baal, to burn their sons with fire for burnt offerings unto Baal, which I commanded not, nor spake it, neither came it into my mind.
Evidently, the Jews were worshipping other deities before the God of Israel. Is this a behavior worthy of the judgment God (Jesus) meted out upon the Jews? “Hey, you worship Baal, so I plan to cause a famine that will leave you so hungry that you will kill, roast, and eat your children and neighbors.” What an awesome God, right?
If anything God commands is moral, just, and right, Evangelicals are forced to justify behaviors that most of us consider immoral. Evangelicals often appeal to “divine command theory” to justify their immoral behavior. “If God commands me to do something, I am duty bound to obey him, even if the world thinks I am behaving immorally.” Thus, when asked if God (Jesus) commanded them to build an altar and sacrifice their son — as Abraham did — they would do it! Why? Cuz God told them to do so!
“Oh, Bruce, God would never command that today.” Really, have you read the book of Revelation? Talk about a violent deity, who goes to the ends of the earth to torture and murder everyone who refuses to worship him. Besides, doesn’t the Bible say that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever? If so, the God of the Hebrew Bible is the same God as in the New Testament. Did he not say, “I am the Lord, thy God, and I change not.” Sorry, but if you are Trinitarian, your Jesus is God and he is just as culpable for all the deity-driven violence in the Bible as his Father. Ditto for the Holy Spirit.
One of the first things Evangelicals need to learn to do is say NO to God, Jesus, and their pastors. If God commands you to do something you know is unethical or immoral, just say NO. Further, just because the Bible commands you to do something doesn’t means you should. THINK before giving in to the voice that is allegedly whispering in your ear.
Bruce Gerencser, 69, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 48 years. He and his wife have six grown children and thirteen grandchildren. Bruce pastored Evangelical churches for twenty-five years in Ohio, Texas, and Michigan. Bruce left the ministry in 2005, and in 2008 he left Christianity. Bruce is now a humanist and an atheist.
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