# Old testament question **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [February 1, 2005, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-testament-question/287740 "2005-02-01T05:34:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2005, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-testament-question/287740/21 "2005-02-01T21:45:10Z")
> [@Diogenes the Cynic](#): > > Technically they wouldn’t have feared burning for eternity. That was never a Jewish belief. . No nessesarily so, there are some line in the OT which indicate that Leaders of nations who lead others into sin may well burn. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2005, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-testament-question/287740/22 "2005-02-01T22:09:51Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > No nessesarily so, there are some line in the OT which indicate that Leaders of nations who lead others into sin may well burn. Not eternally. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2005, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-testament-question/287740/23 "2005-02-01T22:41:33Z")
> [@FriarTed](#): > > Hey, even worse, in the NT, people are confronted by a man with all sorts of miraculous powers & claims of being God’s Son- they nailed him up. Even worse, after they nailed him up the earth opened up, dead people walked around, and everyone acted like nothing special happened. Wait a minute … 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2005, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-testament-question/287740/24 "2005-02-01T23:23:40Z")
Isaiah 30:33. Open to interpretation, I admit. ---
**Author:** ![2\_click\_twiddle\_flare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/2/82dd89/32.png) [@2\_click\_twiddle\_flare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2_click_twiddle_flare)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2005, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-testament-question/287740/25 "2005-02-02T04:44:37Z")
> [@FriarTed](#): > > I’ve seen people who have had every advantage out of life, even amazing “coincidences” or “blessings” which seem to show that Someone is looking out for them, turn around & totally piss away these blessings & spit in > the face of everyone who loves & cares for them. I have no problem believing > people can totally reject God after encountering Him directly. But thats not quite on the same scale as eternal life though. Amazing coincidences, or blessings are not 100% proof, such as if god spoke directly to you. Every religion has mulitple instances of “healings” or mircales, so for something coincidental to happen it does not give 100% proof that the religion you subsribe to is “looking out for you”. And as we know, without that 100% proof a lot of poeple turn away from their beleifs, because they just cannot justify so much effort on something which offers no validation. Turning away from a god you know is real is beyond stupid, i really dont think anyone could do it. Someone would have to be a little doubtfull first. ---
**Author:** ![2\_click\_twiddle\_flare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/2/82dd89/32.png) [@2\_click\_twiddle\_flare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2_click_twiddle_flare)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2005, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-testament-question/287740/26 "2005-02-02T05:09:26Z")
> [@C K Dexter Haven](#): > > In addition to what **Pythagras** mentions, remember that polytheism was the order of the day. The entire ancient world believed in multiple gods, a god for every purpose under heaven. It is even possible to read the text of Exodus as though the other gods exist, but that the Hebrew God bested them. Monotheism was a new concept, lots of the Israelites didn’t get it. Even late into the occupation of Canaan, we have lots of archaeological evidence that polytheims endured a lonnnng time. > > So, just because one of the gods seems to be more powerful, has taken you under wing, and you see these miracles; just because he says He’s the only One and you worship Him alone… Well, you don’t want to anger the god of rain, do you? Ancient mythologies have stories about how (for instance) Hera gets jealous because some hero favors Aphrodite over her. So, we’ve got lots of folktales about how dangerous it is not to give equal time to the various powerful gods, and here’s one who says to worship only Him? Brrrr. Would have seemed risky, if not irreligious, to many of the people. > > Also, of course, we’re not sure what the miracles looked like. For instance, with the plagues on Egypt, most of the miracles are naturally-occurring – the river gets polluted, the fish die, disease hit the people and animals, swarms of locusts, etc. Was the crossing of the Reed Sea simply a matter of unusual tides? While some people read the story in Exodus as literal, others read it as a poetic rendition of what might have looked like natural phenomena. > > Finally, remember not to characterize an entire people by the behavior of a few. Yes, there were plenty of rebels, but there were always plenty who stayed loyal to God. good points. However if god is speaking to you, or is visibily floating on a could, or however you beleive he manifested him self in the old testament - And none of the other gods are saying to you “i am the one and only”. In fact none of the other gods are saying anything at all. Would you not accept the one who manifests himself and shows you has power at will, as the one true god? Besically what i am trying to say is, i dont beleive god revealed himself in such a compelling way as to give people 100% proof of his existence, otherwise people would not have turned from him. Also i beleive there were more than a few rebels as you state. God commanded the wiping out of entire groups of people, even the women and children at times as i recall. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-testament-question/287740.md?page=1)