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The Golden Calf

Spike900

Member
I do not understand the story of The Golden Calf, if Aaron was a prophet why did he let them make an idol while Moses was gone? I would think that Aaron would know that making a idol was wrong since he was a prophet. How come nothing happened to Aaron when he was apart of making the idol? Is this another contradiction in the Bible that makes people believe that this story is only for moral value, not something that really happened?
 

Nakosis

Non-Binary Physicalist
Premium Member
Prophets are just normal people who believe they either have communicated or have some authority to speak for God.

Prophets are not perfect and are as likely to make mistakes as anyone. They maybe very wise men, they may have some insight regarding God, but they are still human.
 

Estro Felino

Believer in free will
Premium Member
I do not understand the story of The Golden Calf, if Aaron was a prophet why did he let them make an idol while Moses was gone? I would think that Aaron would know that making a idol was wrong since he was a prophet. How come nothing happened to Aaron when he was apart of making the idol? Is this another contradiction in the Bible that makes people believe that this story is only for moral value, not something that really happened?

The Old testament is full of contradictions
 

Pastek

Sunni muslim
He knew it was wrong but people didn't listen to him, he was powerless.
So he waited the return of his brother.
 

Pegg

Jehovah our God is One
I do not understand the story of The Golden Calf, if Aaron was a prophet why did he let them make an idol while Moses was gone? I would think that Aaron would know that making a idol was wrong since he was a prophet. How come nothing happened to Aaron when he was apart of making the idol? Is this another contradiction in the Bible that makes people believe that this story is only for moral value, not something that really happened?

it would seem that Aaron succumbed to peer pressure even though he really didnt agree with what they were doing.

We can see that from what happened when Moses returned...he asked the people to choose a side and Aaron chose to stand with Moses.

Exodus 32:
25 Moses saw that the people were unrestrained, for Aaron had let them go unrestrained, so that they were a disgrace before their opposers. 26 Then Moses took his position in the gate of the camp and said: “Who is on Jehovah’s side? Come to me!” And all the Levites gathered around him


When God judges us, he doesnt judge us for the action we took, but rather he looks into the innermost heart and searches our motives and intentions. He knows 'why' we did what we did and this is why some people get forgiveness and others dont.

Some people are fully inclined to do bad while others are misled or succumb to pressure.
 

Valjean

Veteran Member
Premium Member
The whole thing, of course, never really happened. Probably a lot of folklore and morality fables cobbled together to support tribal ideas of propriety.
 

roger1440

I do stuff
The whole thing, of course, never really happened. Probably a lot of folklore and morality fables cobbled together to support tribal ideas of propriety.
I like to read the story as something of the present, not the past. We need to be patient with God. “Patience is a virtue”. According to biblical scripture, God does not tempt us, but he does test us. Why did the Jews have the gold in the first place? LOL. :D
 

outhouse

Atheistically
Prophets are just normal people who believe they either have communicated or have some authority to speak for God.

Prophets are not perfect and are as likely to make mistakes as anyone. They maybe very wise men, they may have some insight regarding God, but they are still human.

yes and no.

in context, it only means to them, someone speaking about god.

A speaker.


All the rest is later supernatural baggage attached to the meaning, and out of context to ancient people.
 

outhouse

Atheistically
The whole thing, of course, never really happened. Probably a lot of folklore and morality fables cobbled together to support tribal ideas of propriety.

Exactly.

It is a 100% literary creation.

In a time when monotheism was having a tough time standing on its own legs.

It was not well accepted at first, and the scribes were combatting the wide range of polytheism still in hold in the many different cultures that were using Judaism after the exile.
 

Pegg

Jehovah our God is One
The whole thing, of course, never really happened. Probably a lot of folklore and morality fables cobbled together to support tribal ideas of propriety.


You dont think people of the past made idols of gold and danced around them praising them as their god?


Why is that so hard to believe was a real event?? people still do these sorts of things today.
 

outhouse

Atheistically
You dont think people of the past made idols of gold and danced around them praising them as their god?


Why is that so hard to believe was a real event?? people still do these sorts of things today.

Because moses probably never existed.

Israelites were never in Egypt.

They state they factually evolved from displaced Canaanites, and since they used Canaanite deities and alphabet and pottery, there is no doubt.
 

Pegg

Jehovah our God is One
Because moses probably never existed.

Israelites were never in Egypt.

They state they factually evolved from displaced Canaanites, and since they used Canaanite deities and alphabet and pottery, there is no doubt.

lol

ok.
 

Farrukh

Active Member
I do not understand the story of The Golden Calf, if Aaron was a prophet why did he let them make an idol while Moses was gone? I would think that Aaron would know that making a idol was wrong since he was a prophet. How come nothing happened to Aaron when he was apart of making the idol? Is this another contradiction in the Bible that makes people believe that this story is only for moral value, not something that really happened?

Aaroon waited for Moses to come back, when moses returned and asked Aaroon why not he stopped Israelites from worshiping calf, he replied that he may have divided them in parts if he had asked them to stop worshiping it, so he waited for Moses to come back.
 

paarsurrey

Veteran Member
I do not understand the story of The Golden Calf, if Aaron was a prophet why did he let them make an idol while Moses was gone? I would think that Aaron would know that making a idol was wrong since he was a prophet. How come nothing happened to Aaron when he was apart of making the idol? Is this another contradiction in the Bible that makes people believe that this story is only for moral value, not something that really happened?

You are right here.
Aaron never made any Golden Calf.
It is an attempt by the narrators/scribes/clergy to character-assassinate Aaron and to belittle the prophets of G-d.

Regards
 

Sirona

Hindu Wannabe
The whole thing, of course, never really happened. Probably a lot of folklore and morality fables cobbled together to support tribal ideas of propriety.
„It didn’t happen“ is an atheist standard answer when confronted with religious stories. (I was raised as a Marxist.) But of course, something similar did happen. The story of the Golden Calv reflects a transition from idol worship to the worship of an invisible god, which at that time was a revolutionary idea. The Israelites worshipped JHWH as a bull / “golden calf” because they wered used to. Ancient peoples did worship their gods as animals. Some still do today.
 
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