We’re no longer shocked, albeit still horrified and sickened, by the images of violence that come at us daily from all around the globe. I’ve come to expect it. Beheadings. Burning people in cages. Shootings–“execution-style.” Bombings of all kinds–including drones and suicide. Perpetrators of such violent acts often claim God to be the motivator for their violent deeds.
Responses to that claim vary. Some people assure themselves that they were right all along–the God that motivates one to kill and destroy is indeed a God that demands such from “his” followers. “I knew all along their God to be a God of hate and violence–that’s why they do the things they do.” Other people insist that “God would never require a person to engage in destructive acts–not the ‘true’ God anyways.” Sometimes a proselytizing effort gets under way to inform people about this “true” God.
Continue reading “What’s God Got To Do With It? by Esther Nelson”
Feminism and Religion 