One of the criticisms of the Hebrew Bible is the violence of God. Scriptures from other religions (Hinduism: The Bhagavad Gita is set entirely in war; the Qur’an talks of war; Christianity is based on a final battle and destruction of the world) depict their gods as violent as well. However, throughout the Hebrew Bible God is also depicted as a God of love.
Main discussion questions for the week:
Given the Covenants between the Israelites and God, the 10 Commandments, the beauty of the Psalms, and the predictions of the prophets, provide three (3) of your own observations about this violent/loving God.
Judaism is a religion of doing and faith is seen in actions towards others.
- Compare and contrast the 10 Commandments with the 8-Fold Path of Buddhism, the Confucian Virtues, and the 12 Vows of Jainism.
- Are we seeing the same concept of doing and faith today, or has there been a shift as we move to Western religions?