How many of you believe God killed Egyptians' first-born sons literally?

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I don’t know how to start a vote. But I want to ask a question: how many of you believe God killed Egyptians’ first-born sons literally?

I would rather believe in it metaphorically, like the creation story.
 
dumbseeker said:
I don’t know how to start a vote. But I want to ask a question: how many of you believe God killed Egyptians’ first-born sons literally?

I would rather believe in it metaphorically, like the creation story.
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Hi!

I believe that when you initiate the query (when you open to make an original post) it gives you the option to make it into a “poll;” perhaps you should direct this idea to someone on the administration level.

…as for metaphorical–the problem with such determination is that it makes every single passage of the Holy Scriptures that quotes or teaches on such “metaphorical” subject innert:
i.e.: some people believe there’s no such thing as hell; they claim that Jesus’ references were about some sort of giant dump that was constantly on fire (I guess due to to processes of decomposition); the reference to Gehema (don’t recall if this is the correct spelling) may well have been a point of reference for both Jesus and His audience… but when Jesus states that hell was created for Satan and his minions… how is that a metaphor?

So when Scriptures state the death of Egypt’s first-born children, it can only be accepted as a true statement.

Maran atha!

Angel
 
If the death of all the Egyptian first-born is taken to be a metaphor, then you are pretty well obliged for consistency’s sake to look at all the plagues in the same way. Do you? If so, I would say that once one significant part of the story is assumed to be metaphorical, then there is a tendency to view other parts in the same way. So I would like to ask you, ‘What part of the Exodus story are you willing to think of as historical, if any?’

For myself, I am inclined to think that the Exodus story has its basis in history, and that the death of the first-born is part of that history.
 
P10 said:
If the death of all the Egyptian first-born is taken to be a metaphor, then you are pretty well obliged for consistency’s sake to look at all the plagues in the same way. Do you? If so, I would say that once one significant part of the story is assumed to be metaphorical, then there is a tendency to view other parts in the same way. So I would like to ask you, ‘What part of the Exodus story are you willing to think of as historical, if any?’

For myself, I am inclined to think that the Exodus story has its basis in history, and that the death of the first-born is part of that history.
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I think you misunderstood my question. I do believe that there was some plagues that killed Egyptians’ first-born because of some kind of natural disease, but God did not make this happen.

BTW, do you take the creation story literally? Do you believe in evolution?
 
I take it literally , both the frist born son’s , and the Exodus story . Thanks for asking . Freshwater:)
 
dumbseeker said:
I think you misunderstood my question. I do believe that there was some plagues that killed Egyptians’ first-born because of some kind of natural disease, but God did not make this happen.

BTW, do you take the creation story literally? Do you believe in evolution?
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So, if I understand you correctly, the historical reality is that all the first-born of Egypt died, but God did not make it happen.

That being the case, then Moses would have latched on to this horrible Egyptian catastrophe and used it to his advantage - claiming that God did it, when in fact God didn’t, claiming that this terrible final plague was God’s way of punishing Pharaoh for not letting His people go, when in fact God had nothing to do with it.

It makes Moses out to be an opportunist and a liar - hardly the kind of man that you would want to believe when it comes, say, to the 10 Commandments?
 
P10 said:
So, if I understand you correctly, the historical reality is that all the first-born of Egypt died, but God did not make it happen.

That being the case, then Moses would have latched on to this horrible Egyptian catastrophe and used it to his advantage - claiming that God did it, when in fact God didn’t, claiming that this terrible final plague was God’s way of punishing Pharaoh for not letting His people go, when in fact God had nothing to do with it.

It makes Moses out to be an opportunist and a liar - hardly the kind of man that you would want to believe when it comes, say, to the 10 Commandments?
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Moses and other Hebrews might have truly believed that God made it happen literally because the Hebrew mindset was different from ours. They did not know that much about science so they would attribute everything to God without thinking other secondary causes. Therefore, Moses might have thought that it was God who did it but it was not. Also, some of the information that the Bible carries might be wrong accidentally and literally because it was written after hundreds of years when the real events were actually happening.
 
P10 said:
So, if I understand you correctly, the historical reality is that all the first-born of Egypt died, but God did not make it happen.

That being the case, then Moses would have latched on to this horrible Egyptian catastrophe and used it to his advantage - claiming that God did it, when in fact God didn’t, claiming that this terrible final plague was God’s way of punishing Pharaoh for not letting His people go, when in fact God had nothing to do with it.

It makes Moses out to be an opportunist and a liar - hardly the kind of man that you would want to believe when it comes, say, to the 10 Commandments?
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For the ten commandments, I would like to take them literally because they do not contradict to God’s nature which is love and just. I take everything in the Bible that is not contradictory to God’s nature literally.
 
Literally.

FYI, you could do a thread like this as a poll if you wanted — that way, everyone could see the tally at the top, rather than reading through pages of posts to find out how others voted.
 
dumbseeker said:
I think you misunderstood my question. I do believe that there was some plagues that killed Egyptians’ first-born because of some kind of natural disease, but God did not make this happen.

BTW, do you take the creation story literally? Do you believe in evolution?
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A natural specific plague or disease that killed only the first born and no one but the first born. A virus or a bacteria that killed first born children ranging from infancy to adulthood. That happened and is believeable but the Almighty Creator of all that is seen and unseen did not or could not.

I believe God did it, more realistic and plausible than a mutant smart virus.

Why is it either or? Did God create yes. Like in the Genesis accounts? Yes. Is there evolution? Yes. But not in the fantastic dreams of those who try to explain our existence outside of God.
 
dumbseeker said:
Moses and other Hebrews might have truly believed that God made it happen literally because the Hebrew mindset was different from ours. They did not know that much about science so they would attribute everything to God without thinking other secondary causes. Therefore, Moses might have thought that it was God who did it but it was not. Also, some of the information that the Bible carries might be wrong accidentally and literally because it was written after hundreds of years when the real events were actually happening.
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…could it be that you are being guided by the Science, History, National Geographic… channel; they usually run “Bible” related programs but their goal is not to seek the truth; their intent is to disprove the Judo-Christian belief. Sadly, as many of hollowood interpretations of God, they always find a way to present their own brand of theology where man usually has the final word and every individual event is presented as “proven” by scientific methods–they always, very conveniently, forget to clarify that they are working on theories and conjectures based on possible data that suggest…

Maran atha!

Angel
 
dumbseeker said:
Moses and other Hebrews might have truly believed that God made it happen literally because the Hebrew mindset was different from ours. They did not know that much about science so they would attribute everything to God without thinking other secondary causes. Therefore, Moses might have thought that it was God who did it but it was not. Also, some of the information that the Bible carries might be wrong accidentally and literally because it was written after hundreds of years when the real events were actually happening.
Click to expand...
Well, the Hebrews, as “primitives” may have seen and interpreted events vey differently from the way you or I do,but as we were not there, we should be cautious not to suppose how differently we would necessarily describe those same events. How do we handle an event like the miracle of the sun at Fatima? There was such a phenomenon, but different observors described it differently. Do we “really” know what happened? The Exodus account is a conclusion drawn by the writer based – I think-- on something as mysterious as
the miracle at Fatima. Now, I can speculate: were all that died in fact “eldest sons?” Did it in fact extend to all Egypt? etc. Did Moses write down the account, or was it a second or third hand description. But are we to dismiss the account as “metaphor” when we only know what happened from what we read?
Would that not be simply to say that nothing like that COULD happen and so we must supply an alternative that fits our manner of interpreting the world?
 
dumbseeker said:
I think you misunderstood my question.** I do believe that there was some plagues that killed Egyptians’ first-born because of some kind of natural disease, but God did not make this happen.**

BTW, do you take the creation story literally? Do you believe in evolution?
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You actually believe there was a plague or disease that only targetted the first born and nobody else. Give us a break.
 
I do because it’s written in the Bible. However, other reliable historical references I’m sure refer to this also…
 
Lord, I pray that the people on this thread be blessed by Your wisdom, direction and guidance of the Holy Spirit, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
 
dumbseeker said:
I don’t know how to start a vote. But I want to ask a question: how many of you believe God killed Egyptians’ first-born sons literally?

I would rather believe in it metaphorically, like the creation story.
Click to expand...
The one who is the author of all life in the first place has every right to take it, no matter what the age or circumstance.

Because I believe none of those first born children under the age reason have actual sin, I also believe they in a better place. For the Egyptian adults it was meant to be a curse that would lead them to repentance, as well as liberate God’s chosen people, the Jews.

There are people of all ages that die every day. God has full authority over every birth and every death, just as He had a say with these first sons.

As in every pain and suffering, God desires to bring about good. And ultimately, this is what happened.
 
Of course I take the story literally. What reason or evidence is there to not take it literally? Exodus is the documentation of the event. Do we have contravening evidence?

I do not know how one could not take it literelly unless one denies most of Chrisianity. The story is the basis for the feast of the Passover, which is a single-night event.
 
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