Our relationship might have been somewhat strained recently, and I suppose that I might be to blame for that to a large degree
Does that almost smell like an apology?
calling you out on defending the Canaanite genocide and its aftermath
No Jane. I will give you credit for being consistent, but you are unable to perceive a person genuinely struggling. Numbers 31 is deeply disturbing, and beyond troubling. I don't pretend otherwise, and readily admit there are no easy answers, as evidenced for the wide array of answers I myself have presented. I have also met G-d face to face (so to speak) and do not allow myself the luxury of veiling myself from the idea of His impending Judgment, which is all too easy to do.
) - but obliquely associating me with the Nazis by suggesting that this is about belittling "the Jews"?
No. I did NOT do that. I do recognize how you could see it that way, point out that was not my intention, and if it's any solace the Romans beat our joint German heritage to that punch by a
long while.
If you took my statement at face value you would not have been offended, but I will offer an apology anyway.
That's not a slap in the face: that's coughing up phlegm, spitting it in my face, following that up with a backhand slap and then dumping a garbage can filled with rotting offal over my head.
While I have no idea what offal might be, the restaurant chain Waffle House is widely known as "the awful waffle." Would rotting waffles do?
Now, the historicity of the Exodus and Moses is still debated - yet the options that are on the table only range from "a small historical core with loads of legends and mythology added" (IOW, King Arthur) to "complete fictions conceived during the Persian period or even later" (IOW, Robin Hood).
No more colorful creativity? Oh well, back to serious dialogue then. It doesn't really amaze me how many C's feel that their Faith is attacked by such things, as much so as if there were invading hordes of Moors. You may have missed that I feel it's vitally important for a C to see what's going on here, and that it is THE primary thread of revelation G-d has shown me? (Starting long before I had any clue about any historical problems)
G-d speaks to us through the OT. Having ears to ear, I would like to know what He is saying to us in that fashion. I have caught glimpses, and they are more Glorious than anything in the NT, and absolutely vital to understanding the NT.
A century of research by archaeologists and Egyptologists has found no evidence which can be directly related to the Exodus captivity and the escape and travels through the wilderness, and most archaeologists have abandoned the archaeological investigation of Moses and the Exodus as "a fruitless pursuit".
Now factor in looking at the wrong time period AND the wrong area for the Exodus. No, that's not like coming up with solid evidence all can see, but it does lead to some pretty obvious conclusion. You might find it amusing that my younger son's first grand ambition in life (well before the age of 10) was to save the world by being an Egyptologist, having read widely on the subject and concluded "everyone" merely sought their own fame and fortune, rather than the truth.
A number of theories have been put forward to account for the origins of the Israelites, and despite differing details they agree on Israel's Canaanite origins.The culture of the earliest Israelite settlements is Canaanite, their cult-objects are those of the Canaanite god El, the pottery remains in the local Canaanite tradition, and the alphabet used is early Canaanite, and almost the sole marker distinguishing the "Israelite" villages from Canaanite sites is an absence of pig bones, although whether even this is an ethnic marker or is due to other factors remains a matter of dispute.
I have seen you post this same info many times, and I do not discount your scholarship. I have also seen evidence that you do have a Spirituality, and it dumbfounds me that you don't apply that here?
Abraham was not the first Jew. Judaism didn't spring up til 430 years later, according to the tale. What you are referring to is pre-Moses, and almost assuredly pre-Abraham - at least with the way things are being dated currently. (And I'm not at all sure those dates are even remotely correct)
So even if everything you wrote here were 100% accurate, it would have NO bearing on Judaism whatsoever. I fail to see why you don't take this into account. We know Abraham came from idolaters, and that as soon as Moses took off for a mere 40 days, Israel reverted to idolatry. And did so often throughout their history. (This also speaks VOLUMES about whom G-d chooses, along the lines of "whosoever will, let Him / her come")
