I a comment to this post, @Solomonsatoshi asks these questions to @felipe:
Does the Bible justify war?
Is Gods word as represented in the Bible sometimes misused?
As a Christian believer (who I guess @felipe) and as a person who has read the whole Bible in one year, I was expecting from him to answer these questions. And from a christian person I don't expect other answer than a clear "NOOO". No, in no way Bible justify the war. Not only this war, but any war. I want to emphasize this: from a Christian person, from a Christian believer.
Why do I emphasize this?
Because Christians see the New Testament as the fulfillment of the Old Testament. So, in the central teachings of Jesus Christ, the emphasis is on nonviolence, forgiveness, and love even toward enemies:
“Love your enemies”
“Turn the other cheek”
Also, when a disciple uses the sword, Jesus says that “all who take the sword will perish by the sword.”
There are many teachings in the New Testament (whether the teachings of Jesus Christ himself or the teachings of his disciples, who were Jews that were baptized and became Christians) in which it is very clear, unmistakably clear, that Christians are opposed to war.
However, if you were to ask someone from a Jewish religious perspective whether the Bible justifies war, the answer could be different. This is because Judaism does not accept the New Testament as scripture. For Judaism, the authoritative biblical text is the Old Testament, or more precisely, the Hebrew Bible.
Old Testament contains many narratives in which war is not only described but sometimes presented as commanded by God, especially in the context of Joshua and the conquest of Canaan. In that sense, yes: there are passages that textually justify, and at times even command, war.
So a religious Jew might respond, “Yes, the Bible — by which I mean the Old Testament / Hebrew Bible — does justify war."
But: Is Gods word as represented in the Bible sometimes misused?
I would say: Absolutely yes. Many scholars read those narratives as texts shaped by an ancient tribal and theocratic world, where warfare was a normal part of political survival, not as timeless moral instructions.
However, Netanyahu and those who dream the ‘Greater Israel’ read those narratives literally. And I agree with this statement of @Solomonsatoshi: 'The concept is about much more than acquiring territory, it is also about Netanyahu’s desire for Israel to become a regional superpower.
They want to become "a regional superpower" because they believe they continue to be the “God’s chosen people”.
The Bible was writing by humans. Humans have been waging war since ancient time, even before our time.
We are a product of evolution, with survival and self-preservation instincts that, unfortunately, lead to violence in certain cases, over territory, over food, and much more.
That is the harsh reality that has brought us to where we are today, and what we continue to do.
Yet I am a very peaceful person, even in my everyday life and in my interactions with those around me. Human nature is what it is.
On a deeper, more philosophical level, I would even say that everything around us is a fight, life itself. If conflicts no longer exists, it means that everything is dead.
The bible justifies whatever you want it to. It's extremely easy to interpret it however anyone wants.
only to people who never actually read it, imo
God’s word gets misused when people cherry-pick Old Testament conquest stories to justify modern conflict. Jesus said those who live by the sword die by it. That’s the Christian standard.
Christ's message was, simply, to accept him and be allowed into his Kingdom. For Jews, non-jews must must accept they are not Jewish and be spared 'God's' wrath -- see Book of Joshua, as you mentioned.
The old testament does a lot of insight into the warmonging that has gone on in recent and distant histories.
Also Islam, too, is founded on coercive obedience. Most religions have elements of this (except Christianity and Buddhism, which both respect life, and are expressedly non-violent), and most, too, are not all bad.
The Bible justifies all things that benefit Judea. That's what it was written for. The greatest psyop in human history: Christianity. It enslaved Judea's natural competitors and prevented all attempts at rebuilding Rome.
Thank you for your response to my question.
It gives me hope that we can discuss this.
Fake Jewx Khazars will misuse and sacrifice anything for their goals