I’m torn two ways on how to respond to this reading:

  • on one side, a great opportunity to explain Passover, the great festival that celebrates God as liberator, saviour and enimy of powerful oppressors
  • on the other, when I read (the Bible or the News…) I tend to sympathise with those who suffer, and while in earlier chapters that’s the Israelites, here I feel the pain of bereaved Egyptian parents – how can the God who we have discovered so far in Genesis commit such a barbarous act?

There is a fascinating discussion between ardent Christians and a pained unbeliever at The Paraclete Forum. I can “see” both sides of this debate, and won’t have time in this podcast to begin to deal properly with the topic :(

PS: See also an interesting response on ?????: The 10th Plague and the Problem of Evil (Jonathan’s posts are alomost always worth mulling over :)

E100-19: Exodus 12: A great festival, but a huge theological problem [ 5:37 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download