In Reply to: curses of OT prophets posted by porceleindoll on August 15, 2004 at 01:09:54:
Yeah, but imagine you actually believed your curses and prayers caused an airplane full of innocent people to crash, temporarily resulting in fewer tourist dollars on an island from which your skanky ass ran after law enforcement filed criminal charges? Just how sick is that?
I know there are people who feared David Berg's curses and thought the man had some supernatural power. I don't believe that about anyone, least of all Berg or Zerboid. If someone believes it about themselves--and also takes credit for bad things happening to innocent people as a consequence of prayers & curses--that person is a sorry example of a Christian, imo, and someone who doesn't understand just how radical the teachings of Jesus really are.
It seems to me that a lot of people who read the Bible and try to follow it don't realize that what Jesus taught is a radical departure from some of the religious traditions & beliefs in the OT. Some even question whether the "Abba" to whom Jesus speaks is the same "JWH" for whom some of OT scripture writers claimed to speak.
It was Elisha, the OT prophet, who is said to have called a bear to attack and kill a group of smart-mouth kids--in the name of his god because these kids were mocking the prophet of that god. That isn't my god, that's the tribal god of some backward Hebrews trying to come to grips with brutal events in their sacred history, and I don't believe it's the same God Jesus spoke about as his "Abba".
When Jesus was asked why bad things happen, he said it wasn't because this person is evil and that person is not. He basically said (in my understanding the NT teaching about the Tower of Siloam): Sh*t happens, there's not a lot you can do about it, so it's best to be prepared to meet your Maker at any time. And oh, by the way, Jesus added (my take on the Mount Sermon): it's not a good idea to go around passing judgement on other people. It's better to stay focused on cleaning your side of the street and leave the other person's side of the street to be cleaned by the one who owns it.
Sorry if I fell into preaching. I tend to do this sort of thinking & reflection on Sunday mornings. Old habits are hard to break. I am thinking about your suggestion for an article on this topic.