The true story of the sacrifice of Abraham

[saizai]

http://www.smbc-comics.com/index.php?db=comics&id=960#comic

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[TV's Frank]

I don't get it.

[Tsukasa Buddha]

Actually, the true story is that he really did kill his son. They edited it out later because it wasn't a happy story.

But I did get it!

[shalomsteph]

But Isaac later goes on to have Esau and Jacob, a MAJOR story in the bible. So I don't think Abraham ever killed him.

(Provided that the years of Hebrew school I slept through I remember correctly.)

[hgc]

I don't get it.


You made me laugh almost as much as the joke.

God didn't reverse his command to Abraham because he was just testing his faith. He did it because he realized at the last minute that it was someone else, Abrahan, who was supposed to sacrifice his son.

[-Fran-]

I thought this was the truth ;)

http://forums.randi.org/imagehosting/thum_1720246bfdd1931750.jpg (http://forums.randi.org/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=7661)

(Caravaggio's painting)

[Madalch]

I don't get it.
Abraham thinks that God is merciful because he revoked his order to sacrifice Isaac. God actually realized that he had made a mistake- it was Abrahan who was supposed to sacrifice his son.

[triadboy]

But Isaac later goes on to have Esau and Jacob, a MAJOR story in the bible. So I don't think Abraham ever killed him.

The stories of the OT weren't necessarily created in sequence. (For instance, I believe the Cain/Abel story predates the Adam/Eve story) The additional stories of Isaac could have easily been invented AFTER the redacted sacrificial story spared his life.

[shalomsteph]

Well, it's a dumb story, but God knew all along how it was going to play out, and knew Isaac was never in bodily injury.

[JoeEllison]

It certainly fits with the "God is a moron" position spelled out by the Bible.

[shalomsteph]

My son had that for his torah portion.

He spun it well.

I always wondered if Isaac always gave his dad complete obedience after that or, like an average teenager, had the leverage of all leverages with his mother. (Abraham never told her, after all.) Whenever Isaac wanted something, all he had to say was, "Hey, dad, remember that day you tried to KILL ME???? You know, with the burning BUSH???" and Abraham would hand him some coinage for the arcade...

[Alice Shortcake]

I thought this was the truth ;)

http://forums.randi.org/imagehosting/thum_1720246bfdd1931750.jpg (http://forums.randi.org/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=7661)

(Caravaggio's painting)

Hang on a minute - isn't the penalty for calling an old man "bald" being mauled by bears?

II Kings 2: 23-25

[Loss Leader]

You made me laugh almost as much as the joke.

God didn't reverse his command to Abraham because he was just testing his faith. He did it because he realized at the last minute that it was someone else, Abrahan, who was supposed to sacrifice his son.


Oh, um, ok. Now I get it but it wasn't funny.

[Beerina]

My religious mother spun it to me that it was God teaching the ancient peoples that He no longer required the sacrificing of people.

That He once did (otherwise why bother) isn't really addressed...

And some have pointed out that it's curious that, in the story as recounted by the Bible, Abraham comes down the mountain without his supposedly still alive son, suggesting the editorial redaction to save him instead of sacrifice him was not perfectly accomplished, leaving in place the lone Abraham coming down the mountain.

[Darat]

Well since they (the religious) can't even agree on which son God asked to be sacrificed I'll let them come to agreement on that before I start to consider if there is any particular meaning to the story.

[triadboy]

And some have pointed out that it's curious that, in the story as recounted by the Bible, Abraham comes down the mountain without his supposedly still alive son, suggesting the editorial redaction to save him instead of sacrifice him was not perfectly accomplished, leaving in place the lone Abraham coming down the mountain.


Isn't that great? We can see human sacrifice and polytheism - but xians can't.

[-Fran-]

Hang on a minute - isn't the penalty for calling an old man "bald" being mauled by bears?

II Kings 2: 23-25

Yeah, but you know, Caravaggio was drunk a lot, he made mistakes like that ;)

[saizai]

Hang on a minute - isn't the penalty for calling an old man "bald" being mauled by bears?

II Kings 2: 23-25

WTF?

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2KGS%2023-25
23 But in the eighteenth year of King Josiah, this Passover was celebrated to the LORD in Jerusalem. 24 Furthermore, Josiah got rid of the mediums and spiritists, the household gods, the idols and all the other detestable things seen in Judah and Jerusalem. This he did to fulfill the requirements of the law written in the book that Hilkiah the priest had discovered in the temple of the LORD. 25 Neither before nor after Josiah was there a king like him who turned to the LORD as he did—with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength, in accordance with all the Law of Moses.

[saizai]

Hang on a minute - isn't the penalty for calling an old man "bald" being mauled by bears?

II Kings 2: 23-25

WTF?

23 But in the eighteenth year of King Josiah, this Passover was celebrated to the LORD in Jerusalem. 24 Furthermore, Josiah got rid of the mediums and spiritists, the household gods, the idols and all the other detestable things seen in Judah and Jerusalem. This he did to fulfill the requirements of the law written in the book that Hilkiah the priest had discovered in the temple of the LORD. 25 Neither before nor after Josiah was there a king like him who turned to the LORD as he did—with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength, in accordance with all the Law of Moses.

[saizai]

Hang on a minute - isn't the penalty for calling an old man "bald" being mauled by bears?

II Kings 2: 23-25

Edit: oops, got the wrong quote.

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2KGS%202:23-25;&version=31;

23 From there Elisha went up to Bethel. As he was walking along the road, some youths came out of the town and jeered at him. "Go on up, you baldhead!" they said. "Go on up, you baldhead!" 24 He turned around, looked at them and called down a curse on them in the name of the LORD. Then two bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the youths. 25 And he went on to Mount Carmel and from there returned to Samaria.

Interesting that "some" youths is >42. How many were spared from this righteous judgment?

[Skeptical Greg]

Ooops ... see you found the right place..