When God Acts Immorally

The Bible is often called the Good Book. In the way we usually think about the Bible, its good reputation is warranted. From it we learn moral precepts such as “Love your neighbor,” “Honor your father and mother,” “You shall not murder” and much more.¹ The Bible urges us to envision the possibility of a peaceful world, a time when people will beat their swords into plowshares and practice war no more.² Rather than remaining complacent in our prosperity, we should advocate justice for the widows, the orphans and the oppressed poor.³ Rather than taking pride in our dutiful practice of religion, we should let justice flow like a river, righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.⁴ The Bible challenges us to be good, to be moral and to put our ethical ideals into practice in our daily lives. Any book that advocates such a profound morality certainly deserves to be called a good book.