The Old Testament seems to reveal a God with a short temper and edgy disposition.  In Genesis 3 Eve ate fruit from the Tree of knowledge, then talked Adam into doing so as well. They were evidently living in a great place with no duties other than not eating the fruit of knowledge. This fruit caused Eve to become modest and start wearing clothes…even though the only 2 around was the person who created her from a rib and her husband. (Did she already have children by then? How many did she have? Did they have to marry each other? Evolution might have been a better method for God to use.) My thought is that the real sin was that she picked some defective knowledge fruit.

Anyway, it really pissed off God who kicked them out of this great place then cursed Eve with more pain with childbirth and subjected women to men, but, more impressive, God stayed pissed off long after Adam and Eve were gone…requiring slaughter of animals each year to put off his anger and eventually the torture and killing of his son before God finally got over the fruit thing. His people had to sacrifice animals each year for God to put off his anger….then his son Jesus had to be tortured and put to death before he could forgive. Jesus asked for a reconsideration before he submitted to this torture. “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but Yours be done. (Luke 22:42) Later, after being tortured on the cross for 9 hours on the cross, Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Matthew 27

At one time God wasn’t happy with the way humans were coming along so he picked up one family and some animal breeders from different species; then downed everyone and everything. Some thoughts from a human without Godly wisdom: 1.Everyone? Children? Surely some were nice. 2. Drowning? There are ways to kill that aren’t so torturous. 3. Animals? What did they do wrong? 4. Possibly a Godly intervention before mass killing to use Godly powers to educate and motivate? Godly genetic intervention might have worked…you know, more brain cells etc.

Now that, my friend, is a major amount of “Pissed off” only capable by an all-powerful God.

Other examples: God killed a guy then expected his brother to impregnate his widow. Instead, he pulled early to avoid the pregnancy, so God killed him. Sounds a little harsh.

At some time, God decided to pick a family to be his chosen people. First, as a Gentile, I feel a little left out. So, they got special real estate, rules, godly visits etc. Can’t find evidence of any attention given to my relatives! Did they have an avenue to Heaven? What were the rules for them?

During this time God continues a (in my view) pretty harsh approach to his supervision. When he first picked the chosen people leader, I noticed some rather startling approaches. As a perquisite to turning over the job he wanted some proof of commitment: “Abraham, take your son,” God said, “your only son, Isaac, whom you love so much, and go to the land of Moriah. There on a mountain that I will show you, offer him as a sacrifice to me.”

Genesis 22:2  Fortunately Abraham didn’t have to go through with it…but he did have to get to the edge by tying his son up and raising a knife over him, before God called it off.

After making the chosen folks wander around in the desert for a long while, they were led to the promised land only to find it occupied with non-chosen people. So, God instructed his people to run them off—in a pretty cruel manner. God told Israel to kill every man, woman, and child among the Canaanites in the Promised Land. That’s a hard thing to accept, but who is the clay to object to the potter’s will? Joshua 11:14-15

Okay, okay enough…you get my point. Let’s go to the cool son. Soon after his birth he disappears, based on anything I read in the Bible, until about age 30. (My guess is he was hanging out in a Buddhist monastery. There is some historical evidence that to be true, but more importantly, he spoke like a Buddhist priest when he got back.)

He was a pacifist (Matt 26:52);

He hung out with a bunch of unemployed guys, who didn’t seem to mind not owning any property. As a matter of fact, it was sort of a rule. (Matt 19: 20-24) 

Jesus wasn’t exactly a conservative when it came to drinking. (John 2: 1-11; Matt 11:19; Luke 7:34).

He admired this neighborly fellow who didn’t fit in religiously, racially or tribally, but funded Health Care for someone he didn’t know lying on the side of the road all beat up and robbed. He didn’t even ask for his money back (Luke 10: 25-37) By the way this passage is an excellent example of how to respond to the cross-examination of a lawyer trying to make a show to his audience and explains everything Jesus thought you needed to know to qualify for membership in his movement.

Jesus wasn’t into Tea Party-anti tax stuff. (Mark 12:13-17)

He didn’t think much of the super-rich. (Matt 19:24; Luke 6:24) and may have been a forerunner to the OWS movement. (John 2:15).

He had a sympathetic thing for the poor in spirit; mourners, the meek; the hungry; thirsty and admired characteristics that would slow one down from a top management job at the Military-Industrial Complex: (Merciful, pure of heart; peace makers and those prosecuted for righteousness. [Matt 5]).

He took a pretty liberal view on crime and punishment…and discouraged righteous indignation. (John 8:1-11)

 He had a thing against righteous prayers in public, (I guess that includes football games). (Matt 6:1, 6:5 )

So, if everything is depending on being an accurate follower of the Christian religion, why didn’t Jesus leave us a set of rules? We have rules for everything else, why not our eternal soul? You get an owner’s manual with a damn toaster! I know, I know, we have the Bible.  But nothing in it was written by the top guy and the books we have were written far after the death of the apostles who supposedly wrote them. Not only that, but the Followers were a pretty confused bunch when Jesus was hanging out on Earth.  (Matt 16:13-20; 28)

He was God, or the son of god or a third of god…but in any event, I’m sure he could write if he wanted to. He just left us with oral performances of metaphors and parables.

Here’s my theory. Jesus felt that religion wasn’t a legalistic thing. That’s why he discounted the 10 rules practiced before his arrival and replaced them with liberal, touchy-feely things for everybody…not just the chosen people. (Matt 5). That’s why he didn’t get along with the lawyer type people in the religion. He was thinking like a hippy, armed with a liberal arts degree, watching a beautiful sunset. He argued that all the worthless rules were for those who lost their ability to appreciate that sunset like a little child. (Matt.18:3)

Speaking of children and religion, my cousin went to Church the other day and wrote me this message:

“During the ‘children’s sermon’ the kids were asked to name the 10 commandments.  The first 2 responses were “no pushing” and “have fun.”

No offense to our Lord and Savior, but those kids did a better job of amending the 10 commandments than that offered by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount. My vote is we get together with some good wine and invite the Man down for a talk.

By the way, one other thought. Is God really going to eternally burn in hell the billions of non-Christians living on Earth today? Even if they are pretty good guys they’re condemned eternally because they don’t buy the 2000-year-old story?  John 3-6; Acts 13:48; 1 Timothy 1:16; 1 John 5:13 Sounds like cruel and unusual punishment to me!