Geoffrey W. Sutton PhD, Psychology and Culture

God is love. Jesus is God. Jesus is love. What's going on? Joshua's Victory over the Amorites Poussin 1625-26 Are we reading about ethnic cleansing or genocide--or what? "Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.” (John 5:8) “...in the cities of the nations the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, do not leave alive anything that breathes. Completely destroy them—the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites—as the Lord your God has commanded you.” (Deuteronomy 20: 16-18) You can read about the conquest in Joshua.   Obvious Yet Difficult Questions 1. How does such destruction of humanity fit with the messages of preachers saying, “God is love” or “Jesus loves you?” And what should we think about those signs at American sports events announcing “John 3:16?” 2. And how do such verses about killing people of any age support arguments about God being prolife? 3. How do Christians claim a moral authorit...

Differences in Religious & Spiritual Beliefs Relevant to the Easter Story By Geoffrey W. Sutton, Ph.D. at suttong.com Like most Christians, my wife and I attend an Easter Service. And, a s usual, the media rise to the Spring occasion with Bible stories, comments from various religious leaders and a few atheists—just to keep things balanced. Other religions are on the back burner until Monday. So many statements of beliefs come from the Easter events.  For now, here’s a sample of some core beliefs from various sources. God: 51% believe in God as in the Bible Statista (May, 2023) reported US belief "in God as described in holy scriptures" at 51%. Another 22% reported a belief in a higher power or spirit. Pew researchers from 2021 find 58% believe in God as described in the Bible and another 32% believe in a God or Higher Power.  Belief in God is obviously a core belief. U.S. belief has declined to 58% having no doubt God exists and another 17% have do...