Basically I obviously don't read the Bible like you read the Koran. Nor do I wish to do so.
But for arguments sake can't you comment on the Sodom thing from an outside perspective? We don't know the Koran like we know the Bible and we can't ever hope to do so. It is a question of belief.
And right... I exagerated.
You will not find in any area of the N.Testament, where Jesus or His Apostles tell Christians to kill non-Christians. In fact, just the opposite. You find the Apostles crying out in their letters to their churches to be Christ-like in their lives and pray for those who aren't Christians.
The Apostle Paul, even writes to the Romans, that he is absolutely heart struck with grief that his fellow Jews despise and rejected Jesus, as the Jews were given so much from God as attested by the Old Testament, yet as Paul said they rejected the Cornerstone(Jesus) or that Jesus became their very stumbling-block.
In the Old Testament, the nation of Israel was the receiver of so much from God......the Law, the ordinances, so much. God showed much mercy upon them, and as they wandered in the desert with Moses leading them, He/God even innacted harsh discipline/punishment upon the Israelites themselves. Many did die as a result.
When Moses went up the Mountain to meet with God, the Israelites fell into pagan worship in a very short time. When Moses came back, He innacted through God's direction the execution or wiping out of many who had been part of the great Exodus from Egypt. People had melted down gold jewelry and possessions in Moses's absence and had forged or created a Golden Calf to worship. God had enough, and knew the hearts of these folks were not with him in any way, and wouldn't be in the future. He literally "smited" them, opening up the ground and swallowing-up all the Golden Calf worshipping folks.
God spared those that were contrite of heart, even back in the O.T. days. God also knew who were deceivers and fake believers too, as he knew the intentions of the hearts of all His human creation.
The mystery about all of this is that God made all mankind, yet in some strange way, man still could have a heart for God or not. Why and how, I don't know. It's beyond my finite mind.
All I realize is that to be against the God of the bible is to be in a very sorry, and sad state of rebellion. Again many will say that there are other religions, that don't exact this toll on human life, and all are going to heaven etc.
All going to heaven, is a man made concept, to avoid responsibility for one's choices, in life. The world is rampant with folks suing others for their own stupid folly. Burger chains get sued because an irresponsible adult spills hot coffee on their leg.
God is sovereign, man doesn't want Him to be. Man wants to blame God for all the ills in the world, including the Crusades, etc.. The minute a person calling themselves a Christian does a crime or horrendous thing against humanity, the non-Christians use this as ammunition to prove that Christians are evil, controlling, and no better than anyone else.
Yet, many will claim to be Christians, and do much in the name of Jesus, and Jesus will in the end times, "I never knew you.".
Jesus, came to seek and to save.........one day He will return to Judge, but right now, all of us human being have the opportunity to look hard and straight at our lives and be honest. If we dare be honest, we would have to admitt that even if we live out attempted, "goody two shoes" lives, we still have many sinful ways, thoughts, intentions that we hide from all but ourselves. It's our inborn human nature, and God called us on it, thousands of years ago. He also knows that some will respond to his call to admit our wrongs, and fall upon his mercy and grace through His Son Jesus's work on the Cross, that attoned for those sins and sinful life.
We as a majority don't want to admit our failings, and despicable internal condition. We will go on having wars, jealousy, sexual appetites that ruin marriages, families, covetness that leads to breaking ethics, and laws, selfish ambition that hurts others so that we can get ahead, or on top. We will continue to make excuses, go to shrinks, look for reasons that lighten the guilt, etc..( I'm not knocking shrinks, they do some very good things for mankind.)
We will go on measuring success in terms of material wealth, health, influence, physical security, etc.., all the while missing out on the real success story for our lives; that God planned a propitiation for our total spiritual, bankruptcy, through His Son Jesus.
Remember, Jesus said that if you've seen Him, you've seen the Father. If you are at all even partially familiar with Jesus's life, you will see a life that revealed such incredible love, and understanding yet an unbending stand against those that
purposefully resisted Him. To resist Jesus was to resist God. Did Jesus curse these resisting folks unto death. No! These folks provided their own course by their own stiff-necked lives.
God knows all, and was preparing early man for the advent of His Son's attoning work.
God has the right to do with His creation as He sees fit. To question his wisdom is pure folly, and immeasurable ignorance, yet it isn't that God doesn't like to be questioned, it's the vain in which He is questioned. God is more than helpful in showing us His wisdom in what He does, if we give Him the opportunity. The problem arises that we don't question in most cases with the heart desire to understand, but to be insolent, and hard-necked as we don't want to accept His will for our lives.
To say that God isn't clear or explanatory or to question His will as it doesn't "jive" with ours, is not a suitable excuse. Again, what right/qualification does the "created" have to question, the "Creator". What right/qualification does finite intelligence have to question infinite intelligence?
We can't even create a cell..........let alone a fully homogenized living being........yet we grope around trying to attain to His understanding, and wisdom, and place in the very being of existence that he authored. As the Old Testament laments......We attempt to attain to being as God.
