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A couple of weeks ago, I attended a meeting with the FBI Citizens Academy. The speaker was a Christian Egyptian who had immigrated to the US in the early seventies. He has been married to a Catholic lady and thus converted to Catholicism when he married her. He was speaking about the events in Egypt and his opinion about what the future holds for Egypt. Needless to say, I agreed with very little. The most important topic that bothered me is when I asked him if he has ever read the Quran? He replied that he did. I asked him if he believed that the Quran was a peaceful book? His reply was that it depends on who is interpreting it and that some of it seems peaceful and some verses are interpreted wrong. He added that the same thing occurs in our Bible especially in the Old Testament, where one can also find violence and terrorism. For example: An 'eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth,' along with other horrifying stories and verses. In addition, he added that when Jesus walked into the temple and flipped tables and ordered everyone out using harsh language, there was nothing peaceful about it!
 
When I heard him speak like this, it bothered me extremely and I wanted to start a very strong discussion with him because he was saying this in front of Americans that may not have known any better. When it is coming from a Christian Egyptian, it is hard to contest it or get into an argument in front of everyone. Also, I am not competent enough, especially in the Old Testament to start this kind of discussion. Please advise me on how to respond to such allegations about the Old Testament or even the New Testament, for that matter. I resent the fact that as a Coptic, who knows the facts about what is happening in Egypt, have to sit and submit to false information!

From the beginning of time, God repeatedly proved His mercy, compassion, and lovingkindness: He created light that we should not abide in void and darkness (Genesis 1:2-3); Adam as a son (Genesis 1:2); Eve as a companion for Adam (Genesis 2:21-24); gave them an opportunity to repent when they sinned (Genesis 3); promised them salvation after their fall (Genesis 3:15); made them tunics of skin to clothe their shame before their exile (Genesis 4:21); reprimanded Cain for killing his brother (Genesis 3:10), and yet protected him from the violence of others (Genesis 4:15); and gave a new son, Seth (Genesis 4:25-26), from whose lineage Christ would grace, bless, and redeem the world. Throughout the Old Testament, God's heart ached because of humanity's indignation toward Him and their longing to satisfy their insatiable appetite to sin. Whether it was the children of Israel or those of foreign nations, He never alienated anyone who longed for Him or who repented of their sins. Sin is extremely infectious and had it not been for God's merciful compassion, sin would have consumed the world leaving no hope for Salvation. God even allowed for the infants and children to go to their death by His blow rather than suffer worse later through the evil and corruption that occupied many camps. Thus, their day of judgment would be less in severity than the conspirators of wickedness and violence had they lived out their lives in mayhem through their chaotic and heinous environments. God needed to intervene on humanity's behalf and for all of our sakes, because we could never save ourselves, nor did most humans even desire salvation. Many who saw His mighty strength protecting them, still willingly faltered and strayed. Yet for the sake of all, good and bad, righteous and evil, and the few who would live in repentance, He continued on the path to the cross. The journey down the Via Delarosa leading to Golgotha began from the fall of man and ended in the glorious resurrection. The truth is Golgotha was not just a one day event. The reality is God's longsuffering spanned the life of man on earth. Every page of the Holy Scriptures starting from the Old Testament, including the Holy Scripture known as the Deuterocanonical Books, and the New Testament, are all God's steps on a loving but painful voyage in the path of Salvation for Jew and for Gentile alike (Romans 3).

"'Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed; Neither be disgraced, for you will not be put to shame; For you will forget the shame of your youth, And will not remember the reproach of your widowhood anymore. For your Maker is your husband, The Lord of hosts is His name; And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel; He is called the God of the whole earth. For the Lord has called you Like a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, Like a youthful wife when you were refused,' Says your God. 'For a mere moment I have forsaken you, But with great mercies I will gather you. With a little wrath I hid My face from you for a moment; But with everlasting kindness I will have mercy on you,' Says the Lord, your Redeemer" (Isaiah 54:4-8).