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...

Understanding Rapists What can  religious organizations do? Earlier this month, January, 2014, major news sources told of a  gang rape  of a young Hindu Indian woman who violated village norms by having an affair with a married Muslim man and did not pay her portion of the fine.  President Obama called . Recently, newly elected  problem of predatory priests  within the worldwide Catholic church, which of course is not alone among religious groups dealing with the problem of predatory clergy. The U.S.  high rate of rape  within the U.S. military. Laws against rape are close to universal. But rape happens. And rape happens often. LOVE, RAPE, AND THE BIBLE The Bible contains classic tales of romantic love as in the story of Isaac who was smitten with love for Rebekah whom he met at the local watering hole ( Genesis 24 ). But there are also horrific stories of rape and laws about rape. I’ll reference one story as evidence....