Christian, Would You Kill Your Son or Daughter if God Asked You To?

[The Emperor of Mankind]

Later God sacrificed his own Son so it is not unreasonable of God to ask us to sacrifice ourselves for others and for Him if necessary.

Are you sure about that? Because Acts 1:9-11 tells us that Jesus was taken back into Yahweh's presence. That is the opposite meaning of a sacrifice.

"9 After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.
10 They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them.
11 “Men of Galilee, they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”"

So are you sure your god really sacrificed anything at all?

 

[Poisonshady313]

" Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”

A lousy English version of the text.... how about something decent, translated from Hebrew?

 

[Kemosloby]

Yes, since God can raise the dead into eternal life. But of course God has only ever asked Abraham to do that and didn't even make him follow through on it. So I would be highly suspect of anything telling me to do that.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

Although most everyone already knows, it is important to note here that God stopped Abraham before he struck the child with the knife. The important thing to note here is that Abraham trusted God so much that he thought God quite capable of resurrecting Isaac from the dead, if that had proven necessary. This is great faith.

Later God sacrificed his own Son so it is not unreasonable of God to ask us to sacrifice ourselves for others and for Him if necessary.

Such a mentally unstable god explains a lot about its followers.

 

[DavidFirth]

Are you sure about that? Because Acts 1:9-11 tells us that Jesus was taken back into Yahweh's presence. That is the opposite meaning of a sacrifice.

"9 After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.
10 They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them.
11 “Men of Galilee, they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”"

So are you sure your god really sacrificed anything at all?

Yes, I am absolutely sure. Jesus was crucified after He was beaten severely. He ascended into heaven after rising from the dead.

 

[DavidFirth]

Such a mentally unstable god explains a lot about its followers.

Thanks for your opinion. I do wish your sarcasm was a bit catchy, though. Instead of being quite flat.

 

[Rival]

A lousy English version of the text.... how about something decent, translated from Hebrew?

And He said, "Please take your son, your only one, whom you love, yea, Isaac, and go away to the land of Moriah and bring him up there for a burnt offering on one of the mountains, of which I will tell you."

Berei**** - Genesis - Chapter 22 (Parshah Vayeira)

 

[Kilgore Trout]

Thanks for your opinion. I do wish your sarcasm was a bit catchy, though. Instead of being quite flat.

Another baseless belief. How novel.

 

[DavidFirth]

Another baseless belief. How novel.

Yes, abiogenesis is indeed quite baseless, not to mention a rather long, desparate reach.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

Yes, abiogenesis is indeed quite baseless, not to mention a rather long, desparate reach.

You "desparately" need more education.

 

[The Emperor of Mankind]

Yes, I am absolutely sure. Jesus was crucified after He was beaten severely. He ascended into heaven after rising from the dead.

Right. So he returned to God. So God got Jesus back. That is not a sacrifice on God's part.

 

[Poisonshady313]

And He said, "Please take your son, your only one, whom you love, yea, Isaac, and go away to the land of Moriah and bring him up there for a burnt offering on one of the mountains, of which I will tell you."

Berei**** - Genesis - Chapter 22 (Parshah Vayeira)

Thank you. And the Rashi commentary from that very same link:

He did not say to him, “Slaughter him,” because the Holy One, blessed be He, did not wish him to slaughter him but to bring him up to the mountain, to prepare him for a burnt offering, and as soon as he brought him up [to the mountain], He said to him, “Take him down.” - [from Gen. Rabbah 56:8]

 

[Skwim]

It's worth mentioning that God never commanded, or even asked/requested that Abraham slaughter his son. He was told to "bring him up". And he did.

The New Revised Standard Version tells it a little differently

Genesis 22:2
2 He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I shall show you.”​

I also took a look at 51 other versions of the Bible and they all used one of the six variants of god's direction to Abraham in Genesis 22: 2 listed below.

"Offer him as"

"use him as"

"kill him and offer him"

"Give him as a burnt gift"

"offer Isaac to Me as a burnt offering"

"offer him as a burnt sacrifice"


.​

 

[Poisonshady313]

The New Revised Standard Version tells it a little differently

Genesis 22:2
2 He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I shall show you.”

.​

I have already addressed this.

 

[Poisonshady313]

The New Revised Standard Version tells it a little differently

Genesis 22:2
2 He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I shall show you.”

.​

A more precise reading...
וְלֶךְ לְךָ אֶל אֶרֶץ הַמֹּרִיָּה וְהַעֲלֵהוּ שָׁם לְעֹלָה עַל אַחַד הֶהָרִים אֲשֶׁר אֹמַר אֵלֶיךָ

and go to the land of Moriah and bring him up on one of the mountains which I will tell you.

 

[Skwim]

I have already addressed this.

I know, but yours and mine are not the same. Where as yours

2And He said, "Please take your son, your only one, whom you love, yea, Isaac, and go away to the land of Moriah and bring him up there for a burnt offering on one of the mountains, of which I will tell you."​

implies Issac was brought for the offering, those I quoted say he was going to be the offering. It's like the difference between being invited to a party to honor the winner of the contest, and being invited to a party to be the honored winner of the contest.

God told Abraham to sacrifice Isaac.

A more precise reading...
וְלֶךְ לְךָ אֶל אֶרֶץ הַמֹּרִיָּה וְהַעֲלֵהוּ שָׁם לְעֹלָה עַל אַחַד הֶהָרִים אֲשֶׁר אֹמַר אֵלֶיךָ

and go to the land of Moriah and bring him up on one of the mountains which I will tell you.

Sorry, but I'm taking the Jewish Bible rendering over yours.

.

 

[Poisonshady313]

I know, but yours and mine are not the same. Where as yours

2And He said, "Please take your son, your only one, whom you love, yea, Isaac, and go away to the land of Moriah and bring him up there for a burnt offering on one of the mountains, of which I will tell you."​

implies Issac was brought for the offering, those I quoted say he was going to be the offering. It's like the difference between being invited to a party to honor the winner of the contest, and being invited to a party to be the honored winner of the contest.

God told Abraham to sacrifice Isaac..

To bring him up as a sacrifice. The idea of him being slaughtered was by inference only... he wasn't explicitly told to slaughter his son.

 

[DavidFirth]

Right. So he returned to God. So God got Jesus back. That is not a sacrifice on God's part.

Somehow I think that if we were to kill your son by beating him severely, then crucifying him until dead while you had the power to stop it you wouldn't feel like you hadn't sacrificed anything.

 

[DavidFirth]

You "desparately" need more education.

Your sarcasm blows. Sorry, but it does.

 

[Rival]

Sorry, but I'm taking the Jewish Bible rendering over yours.

Which 'Jewish Bible'?

This is from a Rabbi from here

Rashi points out that God never asked Abraham to sacrifice his son. The term the Bible ascribes to God is veha’aleihu, which means to “offer him up”; the Bible deliberately does not use the term shechateihu,“slaughter him”.

Make of it what you will.