Can we talk?

Dysfunctional Families

    You can use the Bible for almost anything you want, or study from any angle. If an atheist opens it to study, he will not change his mind, but may analyze it and memorize it better than a believer. A couple of the most astute Bible students I've ever met were atheists. People decide before they start reading, then prove their choice.

    You can study it from the perspective of cycles in history, or a study in cultures, or particularly Jewish history. A lot of people don't like to study the Old Testament, but I think that's where the fascinating stories are. The New Testament, though shorter, contains a lot of letters and instructions. The stories illustrate how people stay the same throughout the centuries. That's why I believe the Bible is still so relevant; it speaks to the human condition.

    For instance, say you're studying dysfunctional families. You've got a great collection in the Old Testament. First there's Noah and his sons covering him up when he got drunk (today's trailer park?), or his daughters who plan to sleep with him after the flood. Talk about needing a family counselor. Then there's Abraham and Sarah and her maid, Hagar. Maybe Sarah was the first desperate housewife.

    Then Abraham's sons, Isaac and Ishmael, both destined to father masses of people,live in tension and the struggle for power, affection, and an inheritance. Isaac continues the lack of good parenting with his sons, Esau and Jacob, who connive and scheme and war with each other. Both of them exemplify self-centeredness, dishonesty, and low moral character. Jacob has trouble with his father-in-law, who lies and deceives him and takes advantage of him for his own benefit. In-laws continue to have ulterior motives and put their own needs ahead of their children. Jacob practices favoritism with his own house full of sons, and apparently doesn't teach his sons to love one another or look out for each other. The grown sons plot to kill their younger, favored brother, but sell him into slavery instead. Now that sounds like the subject of one of those Friday night crime news shows.

    Even the prophets did a lousy job of parenting. Elisha and Elijah and Samuel spoiled their sons and indulged them. And what about King David? A man after God's own heart, and his house was a mess! His children raped, lied, deceived, and killed each other. What kind of a father has so many delinquent children? One of them wanted to kill his father. And David mistreated his first wife. He ruined her life and the life of her second husband, and he didn't care. Temple or no temple, David was a chauvinist pig. He was selfish. for someone who started out so well, and who had so much promise in his youth, he messed up royally, and his whole family was unhappy because of it.

    The prophet Hosea had a lousy marriage. He was heart-broken, but obsessed with his wife. A good counselor would have told him to forget her and move on.

      The Old Testament is a text book collection of psychological gems. They encountered real problems like parenting, spoiled kids, bad marriages, rape, incest, murder, corruption, deception, selfishness, ambition, aging, disease, kidnapping, politics, fear, and violence, just to name a few. Families have just as many problems today. They also have love and desire for children, faith and devotion. These stories are better than a lot of fictional TV shows, or soap operas.