Commandments from God

I came across this tonight while having scripture study:

Samuel also said unto Saul, The LORD sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel: now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the words of the LORD. Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way, when he came up from Egypt. Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass. (1 Sam. 15:1?¢‚Ǩ‚Äú3)

What an odd commandment.

54 thoughts on “Commandments from God

  1. Rick, I see that you’re still trying to have it both ways: Denying that there is a God while arguing about his attributes. I’m afraid that position is just too devoid of integrity for me to continue the discussion.

    ltbugaf, you’ll note the smiley following the first sentence which is my way of indicating a playful barb being thrown your way, not if fact a corollary to my argument.

    I am more than capable of arguing from a hypothetical point of view and if that means I’m trying to have it both ways, so be it.

    The method seems to work fairly well in most contexts, I’m not sure why you can’t accept that it is applicable here. Whatever works for you.

  2. Kim Siever said: “Just because they taught something that everyone else around them believed does not make them absolutely uninspired. Believing that blacks were descended from and cursed because of Ham’s son because that was popular belief in society of the day does not mean other, unrelated teachings were not from God.”

    Small point but they were cursed because of being from the loins of Cain. Ham’s wife was supposed to be from Cain.

    If one purports to be a Prophet and teaches false ideals as if they are God’s will, then there is a creditability problem with all of their teachings.

    The LDS church can ignore what BY and others said and taught from the pulpit and change the religion because a majority of members will refuse to accept the reality of the lies that were preached in the past in name of God. The other option would be the lies are being preached now. Mistakes would be a nicer a word than lies I know.

    I would prefer the LDS church to be honest about things in the past and not try to ignore what happened.

  3. I’m a newcomer. Just stumbled across this website and thought I might join in the fun. Hopefully, I don’t stir any more up than Rick has, and if so, I can just move on to another page. In general, however, I agree with his points.

    Why indeed would God command a prophet to wipe out innocent women and children? I’ve studied that story, and it just doesn’t make sense to me. Why would God also command Joseph Smith to marry Helen Mar Kimball, a minor, with a promise to her parents that they would be exalted if they gave permission for him to marry her? There was no material need for her to be married to him, she didn’t want it, and he didn’t need another wife at the time (nor did he “need” any of the other 35 or so women he married, especially since Emma was opposed to the whole thing, and JS had to go get a revelation putting her in her place so he could proceed). Moreover, why would the same God allow Joseph Smith to continue to receive revelation and lead a church when he was caught having extramarital sex with Fanny Alger in the barn? Shouldn’t the keys to all these things he was restoring have been passed along to someone a little more morally clean? It seems that a lot of things are done in the name of God, and followers just take it all for granted on their faith that God exists and indeed told their prophet to do whatever he ordered. That’s a way to “justify” Solomon’s concubines, Jacob’s polygamous practices, Joseph Smith’s sexual escapades and multiple wives, etc. Maybe the question ought instead to be whether there really is a God directing this show, and if there is, whether these guys professing to act in His name are legitimate…

    If a true prophet is to be judged by his works, shouldn’t we consider all of his works in order to conclude whether he’s really a prophet or not?

  4. yankee doodle said:”If a true prophet is to be judged by his works, shouldn’t we consider all of his works in order to conclude whether he’s really a prophet or not?”

    Not if you want to believe in magic.

    Not if you want to believe your favored of God.

    Not if you do not want to deal with the looking at the truth.

    Maybe a Prophet is only a Prophet when you agree with him.

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