The comment or link to the page about God being diagnosed as bipolar is really when you look at their explanations for this diagnosis is a mockery to The Almighty Creator. When one listens to the Genius of say Chopin or Bethovan or looks at the artistry of Picasso or the equations of Eistein we call these people Genius. Just because we cannot understand The Genius we do not revert back to name calling just because we cannot process or understand their patterns of thought. I think that God is simply Genius actually that would be an understatement because even the smartest Genuis spends a lifetime in one isolated study of his particular field ….

bottomline….we should always be careful of that fineline between questions about the creator vs questioning the creator. I personally experience that after one question is answered another one pops up. Thats why I like conversations with people but I love getting the answer straight from the source. Almighty God.

(I seeded a 'bible' piece too - it got some, erm, interesting feedback!)

regards

On Facebook, my “religious views” info is currently, “I believe in God but organized religion reminds me of a cult.” I think that sums it up pretty well.

In related news, God has recently been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, so that might explain a few things.

Tom…have I told you how much I love you today? Because if I haven't, I love you more than a fat kid loves cake.

Seriously. /Thank you/ for actually saying what I've been pointing out (less pointedly and your manner was much more convincing with examples) for years.

Course it just doesn't sound the same coming from me. *shrug*

MUAH!

I can't imagine how the God who loves us all and sent his son to die for us and all that is the same God that opened up a hole in the ground and killed scores of men, or directed the tribe of Israel to slaughter hundreds of thousands of innocents (there was at least one battle where they were instructed to leave no one alive), or bring out bears to maul a group of men for taunting a prophet. Then a few hundred years later his response is to turn the other cheek?

I don't buy that. Especially when He's so often described as being “unchanging.”

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Lot's wife -
There's no way to be certain why she looked back. I'll grant that doing so was in violation of God's command, but I don't see a valid reason for that command. Yes, perhaps it's beyond my comprehension to question a command from a Supreme Being, but… still. Turning a woman into a salt block because she looked back to see fire and brimstone pouring out of Heaven… that's akin to “don't look down!”

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I think a big part of my problem with a lot of the stories in the Bible (especially in the Old Testament) is that God (and his representatives) is extremely violent and punitive. Bringing out two bears to maul and kill a couple dozen youths because they were mocking a prophet? What happened to turning the other cheek? (yes I'm aware that command was given hundreds of years later) Throughout the OT, anytime there's a problem, the response is invariably death and destruction.

I have a hard time accepting the justifications for so much needless death. For example, and I should have included this in the list, the story of the man who reaches out to keep the Ark of the Covenant from tipping over. I know that no one was allowed to touch the Ark, and that they were disobeying by even carrying it on a cart instead of by the poles as intended, but was it really necessary to strike down the guy who was trying to protect it?

Meh. Just too much contradiction for me between the God of Love and the God Who Kills Everyone Who Doesn't Like Him.

Such was her heartache before she had children that she did indeed make this vow. She didn't ignore Samuel, the Bible also mentions her visiting him, making him a coat each new year. She was a woman of vision and great faith, her prayers really show this true.

Samuel I suppose always has a choice to run from God and this purpose (don't we all?) but he ended up being a judge, a priest, and a prophet. He also proved to be an important one in Judah and Israel for centuries to come, he was never King, but had the PRIVIDLIDGE (not the enslavement) to be used by God. Perhaps he was thinking about an eternal life more than his temporary life? (as we should)

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Lot's wife.
This is such a remarkable happening and the Bible mentions it in a rather matter-of-fact way, so there is no suggestion then that it is a special miracle or divine judgement, but the warning of God was clear, “don't look back.” (and then there was a warning if they did, “lest thou be consumed.”

I think God means what he says and the story clearly illustrates that.

Lot's wife surely liked her luxurious life in Sodom, and her daring to look back in spite of God's warning, just might indicate that.

Never the less, the demand was clear and so was the warning attached to it.

Interestingly enough there are a lot of salt deposits in that region today.

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The story of the two men who wish to follow Jesus needs more than those verses you mentioned to make sense, also this same story is told in Matthew 8: 18-22

“Permit me to go bury my father” had a different meaning back then. To investigate more it was a common figure of speech to mean, “Let me wait until I receive my inheritance.”

Besides, this is Jesus, he knew the men's hearts better than we ever could, he knew if they were completely meaningful when they said they wished to follow him.

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Elisha.

These were not children but infidels and idolatrous young men . These youths were sarcastically taunting and insulting the Lord's prophet. Well, I don't think you really want to mess with someone the Lord himself appoints and these verses clearly ilustrate not to.

“They so despised this prophet they used a disgrace way to go about taunting him, baldness was already considered a disgrace in that time, it was an epithet of scorn and contempt, he wasn't literally bald.
Elisha then called upon the Lord to deal with them, (Elisha couldn't make two bears appear, so it was the work of the Lord dealing with them).
This appalling judgement was God's warning to any and all who attempted to interfere with this newly invested prophet's ministry.” (From the John McArthur Study Bible).

Tigerblade, you ask good questions, but one worthy of a Bible student, have you thought to take some Bible courses?