Ananias and Sapphira, A "Gospel" Story Honoring God As An Unjust, Bloodthirsty Tyrant

"Time To Expunge Catholicism Of Traditions And Texts That Represent God As A Terrorist"

http://paxonbothhouses.blogspot.com/2014/06/time-to-expunge-catholicism-of.html

If God Acts With Such Deadly Precision, Surely He Can Vouchsafe The Validity Of Papal Elections

http://paxonbothhouses.blogspot.com/2015/11/if-god-acts-with-such-deadly-precision.html

Alan: Does God's summary execution of Ananias and Sapphira pass your straight face test? 

If so, which of your two faces did not laugh out loud? 

The one that is terrorized into cowardice by the prospect of a "loving" God striking you dead too? 

Here's the nub. 

The account of Ananias and Sapphira says God killed two people "out of the blue" for the trivial infraction of not surrendering ALL their money to the socialist-communist leadership of The Early Church. 

Tell me. Would you surrender ALL your property to the church? 

And if you say "Yes," which of your two mouths is lying through its teeth?

"Socialism/Communism In The Early Church: Acts Of The Apostles, Chapters 2-5"

http://paxonbothhouses.blogspot.com/2014/06/socialismcommunism-in-early.html

Here is the entire story of Ananias and Sapphira as represented in Acts Of The Apostles:

Acts 5:1-11

Living Bible

Chapter 5 

1 But there was a man named Ananias (with his wife Sapphira) who sold some property 2 and brought only part of the money, claiming it was the full price. (His wife had agreed to this deception.) 3 But Peter said, “Ananias, Satan has filled your heart. When you claimed this was the full price, you were lying to the Holy Spirit. 4 The property was yours to sell or not, as you wished. And after selling it, it was yours to decide how much to give. How could you do a thing like this? You weren’t lying to us, but to God.” 5 As soon as Ananias heard these words, he fell to the floor, dead! Everyone was terrified, 6 and the younger men covered him with a sheet and took him out and buried him. 7 About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 Peter asked her, “Did you people sell your land for such and such a price?” “Yes,” she replied, “we did.” 9 And Peter said, “How could you and your husband even think of doing a thing like this—conspiring together to test the Spirit of God’s ability to know what is going on?[a] Just outside that door are the young men who buried your husband, and they will carry you out too.” 10 Instantly she fell to the floor, dead, and the young men came in and, seeing that she was dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11 Terror gripped the entire church and all others who heard what had happened.

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Alan: Notice the "motivational" words "terror" and "terrified." I do not believe in a God who would use terror as represented above. The bottom line is this: Ananias and Sapphira were Christians who gave to their community. They were not perfect, and their killing reveals the extremism - often the terrorist extremism - which manifests when those who pretend to be perfect confront those who are "publicly caught" when behaving in ways that characterize every human being on the face of the earth. 

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Consider the following rationalization. If it passes your straight face test, which of your two faces didn't laugh out loud? http://www.gotquestions.org/Ananias-and-Sapphira.html

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How many contemporary Christians would surrender ALL their property to church authorities? 

Ah! So you would... if you belonged to the "perfect" early church... 

"A man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest."

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"Socialism/Communism In The Early Church: Acts Of The Apostles, Chapters 2-5"

http://paxonbothhouses.blogspot.com/2014/06/socialismcommunism-in-early.html