Murder and the Bible, Part 3: The Grievous Biblical Error of Making Murderers Heroes

Murderer King David, Murderer Elijah, Murderer Paul

The MAGAt disregard for honest interpretation of Hebrew and Christian scripture is horrendous and responsible for so much MAGAt evil, but it is eclipsed by MAGAt preoccupation with violence and particularly murder. That the First Felon is the chief instigator cannot be denied, but he is only one of many involved. This must be addressed headon because of the MAGAt thirst for maiming and murdering.

Both Hebrew and Christian scripture ultimately rise above affirming vengeance and brutality to the higher ground of promoting peace and affirming the sanctity of human life and embracing non-violence (except for protection from active aggressors). Yet, people of faith, Hebrew and Christian, have often decided to ignore the murderous activity of individuals whom they liked despite their heroes’s involvement with the stealing of life from detractors.

King David

In ancient Israel, if a king did something wrong, there were no official consequences. Being a king meant one could do just about anything he wanted to do, however malevolent, and continue his reign uninterrupted— including not being sidetracked by public criticism and corrections. Obviously, this is the main reason Donald Trump would like to be a king and also the main reason we must never ever allow anything like that to happen.

King David, because of his preoccupation with power and women—though the great love of his life was Prince Jonathan—had a military commander, Uriah, killed so that he, David, could take Uriah’s wife, Bathsheba, for himself. This even though David already had probably eight or so wives and several concubines. It was a polygamous society, and David’s religion, Judaism, during his lifetime had no problem with polygamy. Men could have as many wives and concubines as they could afford, and David was as king extremely wealthy.

David came to desire Uriah’s wife. He again was free to determine how many wives he had, but he was not free, ethically, to take someone else’s wife. There was no shortage of women. He should’ve left married women alone. But lust and greed won out, and David chose a diabolical way to own Bathsheba relieved of having to deal with messy adultery.

Uriah was a rising military star evidently. King David had him assigned to the front lines of battle where he would almost certainly be killed, and he was. The matter worked out just the way David wanted it to work out—at least, for everyone, except Uriah. Again, as king, David could have anyone killed “legally,” though his deeds were morally reprehensible— a person with privilege and power having the right and exercising it to determine which human lives are disposable.

Eventually David repented. And Uriah was still dead.

David would rule some forty years. He was a unifying leader. No doubt many of his accomplishments were powerfully positive, despite having had a hand in getting Uriah killed. But the killing cannot be forgotten. It can never be overlooked.

Elijah

Elijah, regarded by many as the greatest prophet in ancient Israel, has a tarnished reputation also. Trying to sweep it under the rocks is no different than MAGAt WOKEness.

Elijah and the false prophets had a prophetic pissing contest to see whose deity could be first persuaded to send rain after a three year drought. Elijah won, and to seal his victory, as well as to minimize the possibility that false prophets could influence his people ever again he had 850 prophets of the false gods slaughtered.

Elijah may have been a towering spiritual leader before and after those mass murders, but he permanently forfeited hero status that day. Those who told his story initially and those who tell it today should not mention his name without indicating MURDERER. No star for him in the Holy-wood Walk of Fame.

Paul

Same for Paul. Before he was the zealous, tireless architect of the institutionalization of the Jesus movement, he had been equally as zealous for that element within Judaism that despised followers of Jesus. In ICE-like fashion, they harassed, imprisoned when possible, and sometimes murdered people who simply wanted to embrace Jesus’ teachings including his views of God.

Word was, Paul, then known as Saul, had held the cloaks of some of those who stoned to death who knows how many early followers of Jesus. He didn’t throw any stones as far as we know, but he was nonetheless complicit in the murders of good people simply trying to embrace a fresh spirituality.

No one could’ve regretted more than Paul what he had done, and no one could’ve tried more diligently than Paul to undo his evil deeds. It is not possible once someone’s life has been designated as disposable and then disposed of to reverse the deeds done. What can be done, however, is to stop glorifying Paul, and at the very least as many of his contemporaries did, make sure MURDERER is attached to his name every time it is written or spoken.

Judaism and Christianity in institutionalized forms have celebrated holy writ that fails to designate murderers consistently. No wonder both religions have failed the deity whom they purport to honor. Murderer Netanyahu the face of Judaism in the modern world? Murderer Trump MAGAt messiah?

Someone who has had a part in taking a human being’s life forfeits permanently the possibility of hero status, regardless of what she or he may accomplish after the murder is only a memory for most. A large part of what the Epstein-Trump-Maxwell survivors want and deserve is to have their captors and abusers named. England has taken that much more seriously than has the United States.

A few years ago I became intrigued with ancestry.com. I was uncovering some fascinating information about my heritage. I stumbled across the name of a forebear with some information about him from whomever had collected the particular data. As I was reading I froze. Someone designated my ancestor with bold all capital letters: SLAVE OWNER. More digging, I began to find similar designations attached to details about other relatives. I literally became sick to my stomach. Still am.

I don’t know who at Ancestry was responsible for seeing that this information was included, but I think that person or those people contributed greatly to the value of genealogies; indeed, of history. Whatever else my great great, great, great, great grandfather and great great great great great uncles may have achieved for the sake of goodness if anything, the facts of their buying and selling human beings should not be erased.