God of Love, God of War, trying again

[nancylebov]

In my previous entry, I raised a question, and it hasn't been answered by my usually alert and intelligent commentariat, though various interesting comments have been posted.

dcseain pointed out that I'd raised a bunch of other issues after I'd asked my question, and that made it harder to focus on the question.

What I'm trying to find out what the Jewish answers are to the Christian claim that Christians have a God of Love which is better than the Jewish God of War.

I have some further thoughts on the subject, but I'll put them in a separate post.

Comments

[cellio]

I speak only for myself.

The God of Judaism *is* a god of love. See, for one example among many in the books of prophets, Micah 6:8. But see also the many conflicts between men and God, starting in the earliest chapters of Genesis and continuing through the rebellions of the people who experienced God directly at Sinai -- yet God did not wipe them all out, and is endlessly patient, merciful, and kind (Ex 34).

Further, the system of law that allows, say, the death penalty to be replaced with fines, or for the rabbis to say that there never was a stubborn and rebellious son, is not only endorsed but *given* by God (according to Judaism) -- in the oral law.

Those who claim that the God of the Hebrew Bible isn't loving should read it again. Or for the first time, in some of their cases, I suspect.

The claim that god of Christianity is love, on the other hand, doesn't stand up to scrutiny. Crusades and pogroms done in God's name? (And that's *not* a god of war somehow? Come again?) Calling God a liar (by seeking to abrogate the covenant God made at Sinai, or that God didn't mean it about those laws in torah)? Rampant one-true-way-ism, again done in God's name, to coerce, compel, and dominate one's fellow human beings? None of that sounds very loving to me.

God is not *only* love -- Christians seem to want that, and by doing that they throw out justice, accountability for one's actions, and balance. God isn't your best friend, your teddy bear that you hug tight at night, a reset button who lets you escape making amends for your transgressions against other people, or a magic wishing-well that will give you whatever you ask for because, hey, you prayed for it sincerely. God is God, multifaceted and beyond human comprehension. God can be loving *and* hold you accountable for your actions *and* be involved in matters way, way beyond your comprehension. That's what makes God God.

[nancylebov]

Thanks-- I think you're the first person who actually gave me a Jewish answer to the God of Love claim by Christians.

To be fair, I don't think Christian atrocities are supported by their scriptures. However, when I suggest that the atrocities imply that the religion doesn't work very well, I'd get told that isn't what the religion is for. Next time, I'll try to gather myself to ask what the religion *is* for.