A Question for Theists...?

Abraham had by faith received the promise from the time God had spoken to him of His covanent with him and the promise of that covanent would be through Isaac his son. Despite Abraham and Sarah's ages,which sweetened the promise.

Gen 17:1 WHEN Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, "I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless.

Gen 17:2 "And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly."

Gen 17:3 Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying:

Gen 17:4 "As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations.

Gen 17:5 "No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations.

Gen 17:6 "I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you.

Gen 17:7 "And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you.

Gen 17:8 "Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God."

Gen 17:9 And God said to Abraham: "As for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations.

Gen 17:10 "This is My covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: Every male child among you shall be circumcised;

Gen 17:11 "and you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you.

Gen 17:12 "He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised, every male child in your generations, he who is born in your house or bought with money from any foreigner who is not your descendant.

Gen 17:13 "He who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money must be circumcised, and My covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.

Gen 17:14 "And the uncircumcised male child, who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant."

Gen 17:15 Then God said to Abraham, "As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name.

Gen 17:16 "And I will bless her and also give you a son by her; then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples shall be from her."

Gen 17:17 Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, "Shall a child be born to a man who is one hundred years old? And shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?"

Gen 17:18 And Abraham said to God, "Oh, that Ishmael might live before You!"

Gen 17:19 Then God said: "No, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his descendants after him.

Gen 17:20 "And as for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly. He shall beget twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation.

Gen 17:21 "But My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this set time next year."

Gen 17:22 Then He finished talking with him, and God went up from Abraham.

Look at verse 8 Abraham alraedy knew beacuse God promised Isaac as part of His covanent with Abraham knew God not allow Isaac to be killed even if it meant raising him from the dead."My son God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.

Verse 12 states that Isaac was intended as part of the promise.

"your son your only son."

P.S. it was an angel of the Lord sent by God to stop Abraham.

Gen 22:7 But Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, "My father!" And he said, "Here I am, my son." Then he said, "Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?"

Gen 22:8 And Abraham said, "My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering." So the two of them went together.

Gen 22:9 Then they came to the place of which God had told him. And Abraham built an altar there and placed the wood in order; and he bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, upon the wood.

Gen 22:10 And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.

Gen 22:11 But the Angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, "Abraham, Abraham!" So he said, "Here I am."

Gen 22:12 And He said, "Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me."

And the lamb God provided:

Gen 22:13 Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up

I just LOVE the way you use "theist" as a synonym for "Christian." Newsflash: THERE'S MORE THAN ONE RELIGION IN THE WORLD!!!

I find it very insulting to be called a Christian. The Abramic god is evil and cruel. I find the story of Abraham and Isaac repellent and disgusting.

Please address your question to the people you are actually talking to rather than exposing your ignorance and insulting every other theist on the planet. I am sick to death of being lumped with fundie, supremacist bigots

I guess since I'm not a Christian, I can't give you a faith based answer here, but some people are just insane. I read this and it was interesting. If you have time, give it a look!

Excellent question. I've always wondered that. I wondered how many people if they were spoken to by God who told them to sacrifice their young child would do so. I don't understand how a person can be considered sane if they were to sacrifice their child if some higher being said so. Isn't that in itself insane?

To me, the distinction is that Abraham didnt actually do the deed - so they do not consider it evil. God stopped him before he could kill his son. Whereas this lady wasnt stopped - so she must be crazy, because God wouldnt command you to kill someone - at least not without telling you later that he was just pulling your chain.

Go figure. God isnt a murderer, just an evil prankster.

Both are equally insane. :)

FYI: I also happen to be a theist, but Abraham has nothing to do with my religion. I think you're talking to the *monotheists* here. My gods don't tell me to hurt people. LOL

It's all insane.

Christianity causes mental illness.

Consider all the conflicts it creates.

One in ten people are gay, Christianity beats them up inside and out all their lives.

The other 90% are busy with other religious intolerance, even arguments between denominations about which has "true" Christian values. The same is true in Islam.

Better to be happy and believe nothing than to believe something that has your mind spinning in circles of hate, doubt, fear, and insecurity.

Jesus Christ was the ultimate and last sacrifice. After God sacrificed his son no offer would ever again be needed. This woman was obviously mentally troubled, after all God never wanted a human sacrifice from Abraham, God just wanted to test his faith.

Mental illness for both. Is god too busy to talk to people now? What kind of god is god if he asked somebody to kill a child? Why not talk to me or you and tell us to kill murderers and rapists and child molesters?

Because the Bible, God's word, says that Abraham was being obedient to His Lord.

This is quite a good question. I don't know...but whenever one happens to hear God's voice....one has to be very careful in differentiating between His voice and ....well, being schizophrenic.