If you engage enemy nations in a vicious bloody battle, kill every man, woman, child, and destroy every edifice on your path, you’re:
- A guerilla
- A terrorist
- Neither of the above
If you selected “neither of the above”, congratulations! You’re right: You wouldn’t be a guerilla or a terrorist. But do you know what one world-renowned authority says that you would be?
God. Who knew? I accidentally stumbled upon that factoid a moment ago.
OK, I know they say that there are no accidents in the Universe. But I also know that I did not consciously intend to click on a link in the blog post below, either. Wow! It jettisoned me into another world: Pat Robertson’s 700 Club website. That’s where I found The Divine unapologetically cast as The Diabolical.
With my brave Toto by my side, I decided to do a little exploring. I wanted to see if there was any followup to Robertson’s claim that God had vindictively stricken Ariel Sharon with a massive stroke because he’d ordered Israel’s withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. There was a link on the home page to Comments on Pat Robertson and Israel, by a Christian Broadcasting Network blogger, Scott Ross. His post was mercifully brief and quizzically punctuated:
To a few folk who got upset about recent comments by Pat Robertson in regard to “the dividing of the land,” in Israel. Just hang on and watch this drama continue to unfold and even more so when it comes to Jerusalem it will get even heavier. As the old adage goes, “You ain’t seen nothin’ yet!”
One line from God in Zechariah 12:9: “I will destroy all the nations that attack Jerusalem.”
Young Ross is apparently a 21st Century prophet who looks at the world (and God) through 500 BCE lenses. He predicts more “drama”–his word, not mine.
The God in Ross’s drama has no love for His enemies. Ross portends that his God will vindictively inflict additional pain and suffering not simply on individuals, but on nations.
Alas, Ross apparently is no mathematician, either. A few folk got upset over Robertson’s characterization of God as Holy Terror? Who was counting–the National Park Service?
Ross’s basic reading skills are equally remarkable:
The scripture he quoted actually says, “I will seek to destroy all the nations that attack Jerusalem.”
What does “seek to” mean, boys and girls? Dictionaries concur with this definition: to try to reach or obtain; to attempt. Does Zechariah want us to believe that the Omnipotent God said, “I’m going to try to destroy all the nations that attack Jerusalem?”
Back in the day, when most folks were illiterate, clerics were able to slip that one over on them. Ross obviously knew that literate people wouldn’t buy it, which explains why he omitted “seek to”. That doesn’t explain, however, why he characterized it as a direct quote from the Divine.
You have to admire someone brave enough to pluck words out of the mouth of a God that he perceives to be violent and vindictive. Braver still, Ross clearly refutes 1John 4:8 and 4:16, “…God is love”. Or is he saying that love is vindictive, violent, destructive and inhumane? He confuseth me.
Let’s put that scripture in historical context, shall we? Zechariah lived about 500 years before Jesus. His Old Testament book is the 11th of the 12 minor prophets. Among other things, Zechariah is known for inspiring the Jews returning to Jerusalem from Babylonian captivity to rebuild the Temple their captors destroyed.
What could he have done or said to accomplish this monumental feat? After all, many feared that it would be futile to build a new Temple. It could be destroyed by other conqueror.
Is it possible that Zechariah might have overcome that objection by saying, “It’s not gonna happen. God said He will destroy any nation that attacks us. Re-build!” So they did.
I’m fascinated that Ross, presumed to be a Christian since he’s on this website, didn’t validate Robertson with a scriptural quote from Jesus, who clearly taught us the Divine way to deal with enemies. There’s Matthew 5:44, for example: “But I say to you, love your enemies, bless anyone who curses you, do good to anyone who hates you, and pray for those who carry you away by force and persecute you.” Luke 6:27 echoes it. And Luke says it again in the 35th verse of that chapter. Where’s the mention of vengeance or destruction of persons or nations?
I contend that our beliefs about God script our daily dramas and dictate how we treat others. I’m always wary of people who call themselves Christian, yet believe in a vengeful, unforgiving, un-Christlike God. It’s been my experience that many of these Loved Ones believe it gives them an excuse, if not carte blanche, to behave as vengeful, unforgiving, judgmental bullies.
In a world where “whatever you do comes back to you”, this is just one more reason that Ross’s genre of drama should be LEFT BEHIND.