MATL- God the Warrior

Prompt: The direct intervention of God in the lives of humanity, whether it be in the life of a single individual or on behalf of the Chosen People, is a long-standing point of theological discussion. Certainly, those who believe in God likely also believe that God works in the lives of individuals and on behalf of the Chosen, whereas those who do not believe in God likely struggle with this. As in all things, there are also those who live in the greylands, which is often where I find myself.  Accepting the direct intervention of God in the course of human events such as depicted in the stories of Joshua and Judges is difficult for me to rationalize and accept.  The stories sound like the same kind of religious accounts I refer to as myths or stories in other cultures- the Odyssey comes most readily to mind.  Then, too, one is left to ask: Was God in support of the Crusades? Does God support modern Israel against its many foes? Does God actually possess such human characteristics as spite and petulance, or are these anthropomorphic literary efforts undertaken to help an entire culture better understand their situation?

If we accept that God directly influences and interacts with humans, at any level, we are undertaking theology. We seek to discover the nature of these relationships and interactions, working from a foundational thesis that God exists and cares. In this regard, God may be quite different from other gods, who are depicted as ignoring their creations, or using humans for their own (often selfish and destructive) behaviors.  Since we are explicitly examining the Hebrew scriptures, the depiction of Yaweh (which, I think, is different than the depiction of God one receives when reading both the Hebrew bible and New Testament) as the sort of God who directly interferes in the course of history is both necessary and logical. There is always an element of "PR" to any religion- it must both persuade and hold the audience. The writers deliberately crafted stories about Yaweh as both a unilateral ally in war (assuming the faithful behavior of the Israelites…!) and a God that is deeply, profoundly interested in the lives of human creation - that loves creation. As a Hebrew living in exile, of course I can accept both depictions of God, because that God sounds much better than all the other gods out there! This God loves us, this God protects us, and this God asks only that we keep faithful in return.

As a modern reader, I do see the appeal of a God that is both righteous and caring. I prefer not to accept the idea that we  embrace one depiction of God and disregard the others, because I think that limits our understanding and the breadth of knowledge from which we can build our own theologies…but then, I do not usually take a literalist reading of any religious work. Do I believe God should be used in justification for war, genocide, slaughter…? Of course not. In this regard, I believe humans like to blame God for their own actions.  What starts as a creation legend becomes justification for bad behavior