Quote:
Originally Posted by Aytumious
I am admittedly almost completely unfamiliar with the Bible. I did not attend church as a child. I went to a couple Sunday School sessions, and that was it. My longtime girlfriend is a Catholic who went to a private Catholic school from kindergarten through HS. I decided to study the Bible so I can better relate to her and her family, but I've run into some problems.
Here is a verse from the two most popular translations that is very troublesome. It is Exodus 20:5.
The New International Version:
King James:
How am I to reconcile myself with a God that would make such a claim? I can't even imagine a human that would be so petty as to punish a fourth generation due to the sins of a relative committed generations prior. It makes no sense on any level to me.
Beyond that, why would a being powerful enough to create all of existence need to punish several generations of offspring that had nothing to do with the original sin?
With this line of thinking, we should sentence several successive generations to death if a person goes on a homicidal rampage. We wouldn't even consider that justice in this realm. It makes even less sense when talking about a gigantically powerful God.
How can I talk to my girlfriend and her family about this when it seems absurd to me logically?
All that's done away with in Christ!
