Bible says abortion docs will be happy (Psalm 137:9)

[NAO]

And here is a special blessing from the Bible for Abortion Doctors:

"Happy shall he be, that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones." Psalm 137:9 KJV

Now some might say I am taking this verse out of context. OK, you got me. Here is the context:

Psalm 137:8-9 (NIV)

8 O Daughter of Babylon, doomed to destruction,
happy is he who repays you
for what you have done to us-
9 he who seizes your infants
and dashes them against the rocks.

So we can see that this passage of scripture is not really about abortion docs; rather it is about the joy that is to be found in taking revenge on one's enemies by beating their children to death against rocks!

The Bible has so many excellent moral lessons! There is no way it is just the fables of an ancient tribe of barbarians.

[Kerrytravelers]

1. I"m pro-choice, but good luck selling that one to the fundie fruitcakes!

They aren't too good at understanding scripture that isn't told to them by their favorite fundy leader at the moment!

[Poppyseedman]

2. For the whole story. Here's the whole context

Psalms 137

1 By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion.
2 We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof.
3 For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion.
4 How shall we sing the LORD's song in a strange land?
5 If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning.
6 If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy.
7 Remember, O LORD, the children of Edom in the day of Jerusalem; who said, Rase it, rase it, even to the foundation thereof.
8 O daughter of Babylon, who art to be destroyed; happy shall he be, that rewardeth thee as thou hast served us.
9 Happy shall he be, that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones.

[NAO]

3. Yes, it is definitely about rejoicing in vengeance by killing children

plus a little feeling sorry for themselves...both of which are very noble notions.

[dweller]

4. i liked Bob Marley's version better.

BY THE RIVERS OF BABYLON

where he sat down,
and there he went
for he remembered Zion.

For the wicked carry us away.
Captivity requireth from us a song.
How can we sing King Alpha's song
in a strange land?

So let the words of our mouth
and the meditations of our hearts
be acceptable in thy sight over I.


dp

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

5. Thank you for thoroughly corroborating the OP's point.

I assume that WAS your intention... right?

[LARED]

6. Imprecatory prayer

always sounds so mean spirited.

[More Than A Feeling]

7. You wouldn't be pissed...

if your land had been invaded, your country destroyed, your people murdered or carried off into exile? The Psalms are notable for their honesty in expressing the full range of human emotions to the Lord, from joy to wrath.

[trotsky]

8. So infanticide can be justified?

Yikes.

[More Than A Feeling]

9. Nowhere in the psalm does it say that anyone actually did that

Just that the author would be happy if someone did that. The psalms are prayers. That particular line, I believe is expressing the wrath the writer felt.

[trotsky]

11. Well, you kind of left it open to interpretation.

It certainly sounded like you felt it could be justified in extreme anger.

[More Than A Feeling]

12. The feeling can be understood (I don't know about justified)

If a person has lost everything, it isn't shocking that they might wish for those responsible to lose everything too. The action is (of course) not justified. Is that clear enough?

[trotsky]

13. Coming from a book that's supposed to be a higher moral standard,

yeah, it's shocking. Throw in the parts where God says that the Israelites should slaughter everyone but keep the virgins for themselves, etc., and you might just have to question the value of such a text.

[More Than A Feeling]

14. It isn't just about morality, its also cultural history...

practical advice for life, carpentry instructions;), action, adventure, love poetry, and so on. And yes, sexism, homophobia (or not, I'm still unsure on that part. As you probably know, liberal scholars claim the gay parts are actually about temple prostitution, but I don't know if that is true or not), and other unfortunate parts. The writers may have been writing about God and Jesus Christ, but they were still people of their times.

Overall, I believe the Bible is the story of God and its interactions with its creation through history, and what the end of that story is going be, at the end of history. That is its value.

[trotsky]

15. I know you realize...

the problem is that not everyone chooses what to call moral examples and what to call cultural history the same as you. The bible is a book open to just about any personal interpretation or spin you want to give it, which causes virtually all Christianity's problems.

[xchrom]

16. but it was done on other occasions.

and by the central characters here -- how many times did the israelites kill every subject in a certain village that Canaanite{phoenician?}?

and the israelites were commanded to do so by god.

[arwalden]

10. Egads...

I didn't know anyone else actually used the word "yikes" besides me. But it's a great word to use after reading all that!

[Nihil]

17. Maybe we should read that bit ...

... to the right-wing fundies who criticise the Iraqi resistance?

"Hey, at least they didn't dash out the brains of American babies
after having their land invaded, their country destroyed, their people
murdered or carried off into exile."

I bet they'd soon complain if Iraqis (or Afghans) went Biblical on them.

[Igel]

18. Let us remember where Babylon was.

Try it, and fundies will respond by saying God endorses dashing out the brains of little Iraqi 'Babylonian' babies, and it's our Xian duty to be happy at it.

[Nihil]

19. It's ok ...

... their geography sucks even more than their history!
:-)