I was raised in a fairly strict catholic household. When I got into my teenage years I decided that the religion wasn't for me and I left it I guess you could say. I had some experience reading the bible but I had never really retained much information from it.

Presently, I am reading the bible from a literary perspective in my intellectual heritage class. It's a great read. So far I have found many interesting passages, many of them deal with war or conflict. I had decided to put a few of them on the board, to see what you guys think about some of the surprising things god and Jesus tells us. This is from the old and new testament.

Matthew 10.34

Not Peace, but a Sword
-Jesus speaking

"Do not think that I have come to bring peace to earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and one's foes will be members of one's own household.........(38) and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it"

Romans 13.1

Being Subject to Authorities
-Paul writing a letter to Roman people

"Let every person be subject to the governing authorities; for there is no authority except from god, and those authorities that exist have been instituted by god. Therefore whoever resists authority resists what god has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment....(4) for it is god's servant for your good. But if you do what is wrong, you should be afraid, for the authority does not bear the sword in vain! It is the servant of god to execute wrath on the wrongdoer."

Deuteronomy 20.10

Rules of Warfare
- Words of moses I guess

When you draw near to a town to fight against it, offer it terms of peace. If it accepts your terms of peace and surrenders to you, then all the people in it shall serve you at forced labor. If it does not submit to you peacefully, but makes war against you, then you shall besiege it; and when the Lord your god gives it into your hand, you shall put all its males to the sword. You may, however, take as booty the women, the children, the livestock, and everything else in the town, all its spoils. You may enjoy the spoils of your enemy, which the Lord your god has given you. Thus you shall treat all the towns that are very far from you, which are not towns of the nations here. But as for the the towns of these peoples that the Lord your god is giving you as an inheritance, you must not let anything that that breaths remain alive. You shall annihilate them.."

And this isn't really part of the whole war theme but I thought it was kind of funny...and sadistic.

Deuteronomy 21.18

Rebellious Children


If someone has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey his father and his mother, who does not heed them when they discipline him, then his father and his mother shall take hold of him and bring him out to the elders of the his town at the gate of that place. They shall say to the elders of his town, "This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious. He will not obey us. He is a glutton and a drunkard." Then all the men of the town shall stone him to death."


So if you read all that, what do you think? or do you have anything to add?
40oz Reviewed by 40oz on . Jesus wants an army, and the bible is the book of war I was raised in a fairly strict catholic household. When I got into my teenage years I decided that the religion wasn't for me and I left it I guess you could say. I had some experience reading the bible but I had never really retained much information from it. Presently, I am reading the bible from a literary perspective in my intellectual heritage class. It's a great read. So far I have found many interesting passages, many of them deal with war or conflict. I had decided to put a few of Rating: 5