Why does God tell us to kill our own children if they don't believe the same way we do (Zechariah 13:3)??
550107
Good Lord. \nThe Old Testament was under the Law of Moses. As a christian today you should know that Jesus' death and resurrection removed us from the curse of the 'Law'. In the Old testament Israel was a fledgling nation. They were trying to seperate themselves from the 'pagans' Plus they were a lot less civilized than we are today. \nGod does not want you to kill your child, come on. If you truly believe that then you need psychological help and all your children should be removed from you care.
885434
Just because I write a book and say God told me what to write, doesn't mean its true, even if I really believe it to be.\n\nIf I kill someone and say God told me to, that does not make it true, but I might feel less responsible by saying it and believing it.  \n\nWhat is that saying...the purpose of some people's lives is a warning to others.  I feel that way about most of the Old Testament.  I do, however, find many of the Psalms quite lovely, and many of the Proverbs, quite instructional.
584317
Allow me to clarify some of the confusing responses.\n\nGod is love, Jesus taught us this over and over again in all of His teachings and sermons and parables.  God is love.  And while God's love for us is a higher love, consider the love between parent and child as well as husband and wife as examples of that love, as there are similarities in both.\n\nIf you are a man, would you defend yourself, knowing that if you do not you will die and leave your wife and children without you?  Would you defend them, if necessary?  Of course you would, if you love them.\n\nSometimes in love, it becomes necessary to be "violent", in other words, defend yourself.  I'm not talking about initiating violence, but sometimes you must defend what you love.  God is okay with this, just read the history of the Jews.\n\nAs a Christian, I must look first to God to see if this is within His will, and the better I know Him, the quicker the answer lol.
925663
There are some interesting verses in the bible.  God says these things:  "I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will harden the hearts of those also whom I choose".  God also likens Himself to a potter, and we are the clay.  He speaks of how He, as God...has the right to choose what to do with that clay.  I don't know why certain people are found of God and certain others are not.  But there is one thing I believe with all my heart:  that God is perfectly just, righteous and holy.  So I do not give up my faith in Him for those things I do not understand.
486041
The explanation is simple; we are instructed to have our own personal ethics. You see we are told to make a decision or “judgment” about the things we will be a part of in this life. We are told this so that we will have firm convictions and not get caught up in trends fads and cultural customs. Buy setting those convictions on the same higher plain as the 10 commandments will raise the Christian above the lax standards of mans law. Essentially we will be above that type of reproach. We are then given the assurance that if we are doing as we are told and the heathen next to us is rising to power by nefarious means we should not hold a hard place in our hearts because the day will come when that judgment will be administered by the same ruler we have already lived in submission to. Meaning their demise comes later as we all watch. As for multi-tasking imagine the non believer as they try beating the fire out on their head while screaming, holding their eyes into their places as they melt and swimming in a lake of fire.  WOW right.
922950
Outstanding question.  The first three answers address God not allowing "those that don't choose Him" to enter into his presence in heaven, but it doesn't address the eternal punishment issue.  What is wrong with letting alone those who don't accept God?  Why MUST they be dropped into the lake of fire?  If we're free to decide for ourselves, but choose to live moral lives without believing in a god, why should we be punished for using our free will?\n\nAdam: "[W]ith love comes judgment[.  W]hat is seriously so difficult about this[?]  [I]f you have a kid that bad mouths you from when he can speak, leaves you abandoned as you are old and feeble, but then at your death bed says 'Hey Pops, why Ain't I in your will, Don't you love me?'"\n\nWhat about the child who just wants to live his own life, who doesn't "badmouth dear old dad," but also doesn't care about inheriting anything?  He just wants to live a moral, useful, fulfilling life on his own.  "Pops" in your scenario isn't just leaving his son nothing in the will; he's having him sentenced to hard labor in a maximum security prison for life just because his son didn't stick around the house and praise him daily like Pop wanted.
576148
I believe when Christians rewrote the Commandment they intended the term "kill" to refer to human beings therefore having the same meaning as the Hebrew.  There is a lot of discussion on defending oneself though.  Jesus said to turn the other cheek in the New Testament.  The early martyrs of the Church did just that.  They didn't fight back when the Romans and others feed them to the lions or tortured them.  They literaly turned the other cheek and went to their deaths, not defending themselves or killing anyone therefore obeying the Commandment"Thy shalt not kill."  Therefore for a lot of Christians, the death penalty and killing that takes place in war is just as abominable as abortion.  Pro Life and Anti abortion are two totally diffferent takes on this commandment. I won't turn this into a debate on that though, but in my opinion, killing another human is wrong no matter what the circumstance.  This is what God told us and He didn't make any footnotes when He gave us the Commandment.  This is my opinion only.
389730
We don't change the mind of God rather He changes us. Every good parent gives what is good for their child and withholds what is bad. But even though we plan to give them something good we teach them to say please and thank you so that they are trained to politeness and character. God would have us acknowledge him by asking as it is only the right thing to do. He may withhold things from us till we learn but yes He did know all along how we would react. We are still responsible creatures created in His image. He is not interested in mindless robots but people who know and love Him. He does not hold anything back needlessly as in the case of one who cannot pray. He even sends us His Spirit who intercedes for us. His carrying out His plan of benevolence and justice goes on irregardless of us. He is sovereign and is able to incorporate our prayers into things so that they are not in any way useless or an insult. He even teaches us to pray. We know we have the things He has promised and for the rest we pray "not my will but thy will be done" "God will not despise any prayer from even the least of His children. \nHebrews 7:25\nTherefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.
817559
Exactly. This is the same thing that goes on in our lives when we make negative choices. Religion pretends that it is sin and that we are bad. This is just nonsense. It is only Gods way of teaching us what not to do.\n\nGod has not intention of judging us for learning our lessons in the way He always intended.\n\nLove and blessings Don
335652
Look at the bright side.\n\nAt least they are in heaven.\n\nOk. \n\nGod allowed such killing because its a consequence of their own acts. In accordance to free will.\n\nAsking the "why" dosent change anything.\n\nEven today, children die in many ways regardless of wether we know "why" or NOT.\n\nNO other religion too can explain why children die of murder, disastors, etc for certain. Thus, lets judge the "why" after we see the "whole picture" in the afterlife.\n\nI assure you, there, you wont be feeling "why" any more.\n\nWe can ask God one day.
683348
I am not a bible scholar, but having been born with depression I cannot tell you how frustrating it is when people try to tell me that I choose to be this way. It is not free will! Society may aggravate it, but it did not create it. \nWhereas it is well known that bad things happen to good people & innocent children & that it is God that allows such things to happen---& that it the most difficult question. Why does God allow suffering? Is it really supposed to make us better people? But that is a whole new debate in itself...
957130
The same thing I always ask to gave my children safe from harm and to let them die a natural death when their time comes with someone who loves them at their side. Now i still ask that even though my 28 year old was murdered by her Bf 11 months ago. for whatever reason God chose to take her home this way and though it hurts so much at least i know she is no longer in pain on this earth as she was for so long. i don't know why God allowed this to happen but i still believe in him and he gives me strength to survive this. I guess Satan once again slipped in when we weren't looking and took a life. I am also pretty ill with a life threatening illness and maybe God took her home so she wouldn't have to deal with my death which she would not have been able to handle even more so than her brother and other 2 sisters
219809
If someone kills in the name of God, they have been duped.  They fell victim to irrational thinking.  The god they serve is not God the creator (the giver of LIFE), but rather the god of death (Satin).  God promotes life. "Be fruitful and multiply."  God promises everlasting life, sent Jesus to overcome death.  Why would God go through all the trouble of creating life only to have others destroy it?  Makes no sense.
567180
I am sorry, I looked Exodus Chapter 4 verse 26 up in my bible and it didn't mention God wanting to kill Moses. It talks about Zipporah calling her husband (Moses) a bloody husband because she circumcised their (her's and Moses') son. But in Ex. 4:24-25 God wanted to kill him b/c his son was not circumcised
835094
Dont be so stupid,\nBabies are always an imminent danger\ncause they will someday grow up and fight, kill, murder. terrorise,\nOsama was a baby 38 years ago and so was Bush 50 years ago. All babies are dangerous,\nSo why stop killing babies in the first place,\nKill them all, whats the difference, after all they are all muslim babies, who owe thier alliegance to Alla, \n\nJewish babies have a lot to contribute, see ? like thier Bar Mitsovah, an occasion for all Jewish bankers for deciding more interest rates, and the Christian babies have thier Baptising ceremonies, wherein they have a great many dances and cheers, see? they contribute to the general well being, Take communist babies too, Kill them all, doesnt make a difference, Godless lot. they are far too many so many that even their govts say STOP.\n\nKilling babies is an art perfected first by the Jews now refined by the Christians,\n\nGod says so, read the bible, I quote.\n" Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have; do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass .... And Saul ... utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword." (1 Samuel 15:3,7-8) \n"The people of Samaria must bear their guilt, because they have rebelled against their God. They will fall by the sword; their little ones will be dashed to the ground, their women with child ripped open." (Hosea 13:16) \n\nWhen the lord has given permission, who are we to stop them following thier lord. Wise up man, The lord said nothing about oil.
243031
Reading the responses to your question, you would think God is some kind of crazed trickster. Like an inexperienced parent obsessed with authority, God has to ask questions of His children that He already knows the answer to, while hanging the threat of eternal damnation over their heads. "Come out Adam, come out Eve. Regardless of rather you tell me the truth or not, daddy's going to eternally beat that behind! Are you there? Can you hear me?" I mean, I have a hard time seeing God this way, as this God seems to serve the purpose of people who are obsessed with authoritarian control i.e governments or abusive parents. I can only conclude that the Bible was added to or taken away from, or worse.
65830
If someone is imposing their will on yours, then you may kill that person.  That's how I understood it when I read the Satanic Bible.  The whole book seems to be very self-oriented; if anything offends you, get rid of it.  They are just as nuts as all the other religions.