Why I Stopped Defending the Violent Stories in the Bible

When you read stories in the Bible that contain horrific violence, assault, and systemic massacre, the typical religious answers often feel hollow, dismissive, or even toxic. In Genesis 34, the story of Dinah and the slaughter of Shechem, God is completely silent. Where is Divine Providence in the horror? In this video, David moves past traditional dogmatic defences and academic text-dissection to look at a radically different framework. By viewing these difficult ancient histories through the lenses of "appearances" and "spiritual accommodation," we can validate the terrifying reality of human choices without attributing a psychopathic nature to the Divine . Utilising real-world case studies in restorative justice from public schools and Glasgow's revolutionary violence reduction frameworks, we explore how mercy and justice must function as two sides of the same coin to break the cyclical contagion of human outrage . Welcome to a safe space to think, question, and reconstruct. “Europe’s ‘murder capital’ slashed violent crime with a radical program. Will it work in Victoria?” Stephanie Convery, Guardian Australia - https://apple.news/ANWhWor17T322sgwT3... Video Chapters 00:00 A Distressing Passage 01:26 Is God Mercy or Justice? 04:22 Swedenborg on Mercy and Justice 05:54 Why Is God Silent? 10:03 Living a Life of Love 10:49 Restorative Justice 13:56 Confronting Our Own Nature Have you found us on other platforms? Go to: https://linktr.ee/swedenborgcommunityvic Want exclusive content, advance notice of events, and news? Sign up here: https://landing.mailerlite.com/webfor... Our website: www.swedenborgcommunityvictoria.net.au Read Swedenborg at: www.newchristianbiblestudy.org  Keywords & Search Tags #Exvangelical #FaithDeconstruction #ReligiousTrauma #BiblicalLiteralism #Genesis34 #WhereIsGod #GodIsLove #SpiritualFreedom #PostEvangelical #ProgressiveChristianity #SwedenborgReconstruction #ChurchHurt #DeconstructingChristianity #RestorativeJustice