New Christian Question #2: In the book of Jobe (spelling?) my fiance said they

[BK_Adores_Chase]

killed women and children, then tortured and starved the man until he accepted their religion 

[tuscarorarain]

Job is the story about a man who had great wealth and great faith. satan being the mean one that he is tried to tell God that if God took away these things and people from him that Job would turn his back on God. Job kept hanging in there and God brought back all the blessings he had before. Sounds like you have the story wrong. Did you read the Book of Job?

[nhendrickson]

Job is the story about a man who had great wealth and great faith. satan being the mean one that he is tried to tell God that if God took away these things and people from him that Job would turn his back on God. Job kept hanging in there and God brought back all the blessings he had before. Sounds like you have the story wrong. Did you read the Book of Job?

So God was "tempted" by Satan to inflict cruelty on an innocent human just to win what amounts to a bet between God and Satan?  You'd expect a lot more from the supreme creator.

[BK_Adores_Chase]

I haven't read it yet I was going by what my fiance said but he did show me once where it talked about chaining man down and starving him to the point where you could see his bones.

[jcribb16]

Many of the accounts in the Old Testament need to be read in their entirety, including perhaps a translation with it, to help clarify what some of the words meant.  Also, a Bible handbook helps with understanding the culture and ways of the times back then.  God loved and blessed His people, yet punished when they went astray.  Just as a parent today disciplines their child when they disobey.

There were people like Job who were deeply devoted to God, and Satan could not stand it.  God does not tempt - Satan felt Job would turn on God if too much happened against him, and God allowed Satan to test Job, but the stipulation was that Satan could not and would not be allowed to take Job's life.  Yes, Job lost his family, but he was blessed by God, afterwards, with the same he lost and more.  He was given a new and fresh start by God for staying committed to God, even through the rough times.

Is your fiance supporting your decision or is he trying to "*bleep*" you with things like this that makes God appear the bad one?  Thank you for taking the time to ask anything like this you aren't sure about. 

[falcon9]

Though it's unlikely you'll answer this; why are you spamming with multiple religious threads when you could keep it all to one thread?

killed women and children, then tortured and starved the man until he accepted their religion 

[nhendrickson]

Many of the accounts in the Old Testament need to be read in their entirety, including perhaps a translation with it, to help clarify what some of the words meant.  Also, a Bible handbook helps with understanding the culture and ways of the times back then.  God loved and blessed His people, yet punished when they went astray.  Just as a parent today disciplines their child when they disobey.

Yes, except Job hadn't gone astray if you read the first chapter of the Book of Job so the intent couldn't have been punitive.  In fact, God boosts about what a blameless and upright man he is to Satan (Job 1:2) which sets it all in motion.  The parental analogy really doesn't hold up because no loving parent would willing allow a third party to abuse his or her child.  Under the law, most, if not all, jurisdictions would prosecute both parties for child abuse.

Try reading Carl Jung's Answer to Job if you are interested in considering other points of view.  Since Jung's father was a minister, Carl Jung did not publish it during his father's lifetime.  Basically, Jung concludes that God as described in the Old Testament and the Book of Job in particular is not only arbitrary and capricious, but schizophrenic given his actions (or lack thereof).

[falcon9]

Many of the accounts in the Old Testament need to be read in their entirety, including perhaps a translation with it, to help clarify what some of the words meant.  Also, a Bible handbook helps with understanding the culture and ways of the times back then.  God loved and blessed His people, yet punished when they went astray.  Just as a parent today disciplines their child when they disobey.

Yes, except Job hadn't gone astray if you read the first chapter of the Book of Job so the intent couldn't have been punitive.  In fact, God boosts about what a blameless and upright man he is to Satan (Job 1:2) which sets it all in motion.  The parental analogy really doesn't hold up because no loving parent would willing allow a third party to abuse his or her child.  Under the law, most, if not all, jurisdictions would prosecute both parties for child abuse.

Try reading Carl Jung's Answer to Job if you are interested in considering other points of view.  Since Jung's father was a minister, Carl Jung did not publish it during his father's lifetime.  Basically, Jung concludes that God as described in the Old Testament and the Book of Job in particular is not only arbitrary and capricious, but schizophrenic given his actions (or lack thereof).

Logic is wasted on those blinded by religious faith.  The utility of using reasoning to refute superstitious irrationality is not to persuade the already-blind but, to present rational viewpoints in opposition to the illogical religious ones.

[hitch0403]

Of course there were many other servants of God just like Job.

Jesus giving the best example that Adam could have loved and obeyed God after being treated as a criminal and put to death and holding fast his integrity to his father.

Adam wasnt deprived of anything.He rejected Gods right to rule after satan challenged it in Eden saying man wouldnt die and he can be independent of his creator.We all see how that worked out.Man dies and just look at the world governed apart from Jehovah.

[JediJohnnie]

This doesn't sound like the story of Job from the Bible.You must remember to read every book in context.(From beginning to end,to understand the meaning more clearly.)

The main purpose of Job's story is to teach faith.No one can truly know or understand why things happen.But God does.And if we put our faith in Him,we can be assured that all will be for our good,as in Job's case.

[falcon9]

'How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?'  
None.  There's no evidence to support the existence of such supernatural entities since blind faith and empty belief aren't evidence.  Such 'theo-illogical non-arguments' are inherently moot since their initial premise is invalid.

He rejected Gods right to rule  

[bobes915]

BK_Adores_Chase,

Based on your question, I don't think your fiancee actually read the book of Job. 

Also, while asking for answers to questions you are asking here on FC might get you some helpful answers, you will also get a lot of people answering who are mostly well intentioned but are just going off of what someone told them.  That isn't to say that you didn't get some good answers here.  Actually some of them were quite good.   

However, I would encourage you to do two things in addition to asking questions here:

1. Find a local church in your area, get involved and find someone there who is knowledgeable about your questions.  Most pastors have a pretty good education on the Bible and are happy to sit down with you and answer questions.  I could certainly answer the questions that you have asked here, but I believe it will be much more beneficial to you if you can have your questions answered by people who you are able to interact with face to face and with whom you can have ongoing relationships.   

2. If as you are studying the Bible, you come across an issue or question, you can use sites like this, but you should also check out carm.org.  If they haven't answered it, they probably can in their discussion threads. 

P.S. - As someone who reads Greek and Hebrew, I would say that the KJV is not better than other translations in terms of accuracy.  The NIV is a great translation - translated idea for idea - so it is very fluid and easy to read.  The NAS is a great translation it is translated word for word but that makes it more wooden and more difficult to read. The ESV is a good marriage between those two.  I would commend any of those 3 translations to you over the King James, not because I want to put down the King James Version, but because some of the archaic language makes it more difficult for most to read and therefore tougher to understand.   

[hitch0403]

And i recommend the NWT cos Gods name is used throughout.

In Ezekeil the phrase "The nations will know i am Jehovah"appears many times.

Jesus said,"I have made your name known the only true God and the one you sent forth"

The Lords prayer,"Hallowed be thy name"

Moses asked God,who should i say sent me

KJV..read Psalms 83:18

Need i go on?

[falcon9]

Need i go on?

With more specious religious propaganda?  Why ask when your cult compels you thusly?

[bobes915]

To anyone who isn't aware:

The NWT or New World Translation is the translation that is only used by Jehovah's Witnesses.  It is the single worst translation available today and is deliberately mistranslated to fit their agenda.  I would commend that one to you about as much as Thomas Jefferson's "translation" of the Bible.

And just fyi...God's name is not Jehovah.  In Hebrew if you take the vowels from "Elohim" (in this case the form Eloha) which is the generic name for God and put them under the consonants of God's name, you get Jehovah (YeHoVa).  If you use the vowels that are actually there, then you get YAHWEH.  That is the name of the God of the Bible that is typically translated in English "The LORD."