Blasphemy Unmasked

I picked up a book of "Bible Promises" the other day and read one of the favorite and most often quoted OT passages - especially in Evangelical circles....

"Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the LORD your God is the one who goes with you He will not fail you or forsake you."

- Deut. 31:6

Then I cross-referenced the word "Forsake" and came up with some interesting passages:

"No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you;I will not fail you or forsake you."

- Joshua 1:5

Referencing these two passages - the writer of Hebrews reminds the reader of the faithfulness of God:

"for He Himself has said, "I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER FORSAKE YOU,"
Hebrews 13:5

So, God can be completely trusted - Nothing can separate us from the love of God says St. Paul.

Whoops! Until you read Isaiah 54 -then according to God (quoted by Isaiah) all bets are off....

'"For a brief moment I forsook you, But with great compassion I will gather you. "In an outburst of anger I hid My face from you for a moment, But with everlasting lovingkindness I will have compassion on you," Says the LORD your Redeemer.'"

Isaiah 54:7-8

I guess this is why the Church Fathers taught that we should be constantly repenting and asking for God's forgiveness - because, apparently like me, God forgets His promises!!!

The Bible seems to have done a fine job of making God in our image.

Blasphemy is slander on a divine scale - attributing bad human fallible characteristics and failings to a perfect, infallible being.

I'm rapidly coming to the sad conclusion that perhaps one of the primary sources of blasphemy may well be the "Holy" Bible.

According to Webster's Dictionary:blas·phe·my

Pronunciation:

\ˈblas-fə-mē\

Function:

noun

Inflected Form(s):

plural blas·phe·mies

Date:

13th century

1 a: the act of insulting or showing contempt or lack of reverence for God
b: the act of claiming the attributes of deity

2: irreverence toward something considered sacred or inviolable

FAMOUS LAST WORDS

Most Christians would be well served to listen to Buddha Shakyamuni's advice:

"It is proper for you, Kalamas, to doubt, to be uncertain;
uncertainty has arisen in you about what is doubtful.
Come, Kalamas.
Do not go upon what has been acquired by repeated hearing;
nor upon tradition;
nor upon rumor;
nor upon what is in a scripture;
nor upon surmise;
nor upon an axiom;
nor upon specious reasoning;
nor upon a bias towards a notion that has been pondered over;
nor upon another's seeming ability;
nor upon the consideration, 'The monk is our teacher.'
Kalamas, when you yourselves know: 'These things are bad;
these things are blamable;
these things are censured by the wise;
undertaken and observed, these things lead to harm and ill,'
abandon them."

- The Kalama Sutra