He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.
When you march up to attack a city, make its people an offer of peace.11 If they accept and open their gates, all the people in it shall be subject to forced labor and shall work for you.12 If they refuse to make peace and they engage you in battle, lay siege to that city.13 When the Lord your God delivers it into your hand, put to the sword all the men in it.14 As for the women, the children, the livestock and everything else in the city, you may take these as plunder for yourselves. And you may use the plunder the Lord your God gives you from your enemies.15 This is how you are to treat all the cities that are at a distance from you and do not belong to the nations nearby.
16 However, in the cities of the nations the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, do not leave alive anything that breathes.17 Completely destroy them—the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites—as the Lord your God has commanded you.18 Otherwise, they will teach you to follow all the detestable things they do in worshiping their gods, and you will sin against the Lord your God.
Matthew 5:21
“You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ 22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.
Revelation 19:17: "I saw an angel standing in the sun. He cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the sky, Come! Be gathered together to the great supper of God."
At that time Menahem, starting out from Tirzah, attacked Tiphsah and everyone in the city and its vicinity, because they refused to open their gates. He sacked Tiphsah and ripped open all the pregnant women. (2 Kings 15:16)
5:22Butthe fruitof the Spirit41islove,42joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,435:23gentleness, and44 self-control. Againstsuch thingsthere isnolaw.5:24Nowthose who belong to Christ45have crucifiedthe flesh46withits passions47anddesires.5:25Ifwe liveby the Spirit, let usalsobehave in accordancewith48the Spirit.5:26Let usnotbecomeconceited,49provoking50one another, being jealous51of one another.
31 "The time is coming," declares the LORD, "when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. 32 It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them," declares the LORD. 33 "This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time," declares the LORD. "I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. 34 No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest," declares the LORD. "For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more."
Psalm 58:10 (1769 Oxford King James Bible Authorized Version) 10 The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance: he shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked.
Psalm 46:10 Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.
I'm sure your amygdala is fine, whichever way it swings. My point (which I'm sure I could have made more concisely, but I got to wandering) was that it is curious that a theology that seems in accord with left-wing values would apparently strongly appeal to right-wingers, and I was trying to think (out loud) about whether the amygdala thing could lead people to embrace something that, rationally, they shouldn't embrace, given their values. But I think I ended up talking in circles. Again. *sigh*
I do think it's useful and sobering to try to imagine the world as seen by someone who has a different fundamental reaction to it. For example, I am, by nature, trusting and inclusive. Probably not by coincidence, I am also left of centre politically. So I try to imagine, say, walking on the street and passing someone who fits some ethnic picture and having that experience alarm me... actually hit me in the gut, frighten me, worry me. Not because of any evidence I have that something bad will happen, just a visceral reaction that I can't control. It's hard for me to put myself in those shoes, but I think I must if I'm to understand how a fearful "us-versus-them" person sees the world, and therefore how such a person could gravitate to a sociopolitical view that, rationally, might not be in their best interest.
And I think Jesus was not just rocking the boat for the "haves", but also saying that there is another legitimate world-view — one of inclusion and trust rather than exclusion and fear.
yeah, for sure (IMO) Jesus is all about inclusion. I'm not as charitable as you are- I tend to think people often twist the gospels to suit their own purposes & beat people up.
Simon Peter said to them, "Make Mary leave us, for females don't deserve life."
Jesus said, "Look, I will guide her to make her male, so that she too may become a living spirit resembling you males. For every female who makes herself male will enter the kingdom of Heaven."
So only transexuals and men can be saved. What a deal!