Atheist Bible Study 1: Genesis

[Bucky Ball]

According to Jewish theology, it was Sarah who died from the trauma of learning that Abraham was sacrificing Isaac. That would have made Isaac something like 37 years old at the time (subtracting the age she died at from the age when she had Isaac). Isaac knew that he was to be sacrificed and could have refused. He went willingly.

Also, the point of theology is not comfort, despite popular misconceptions. The text is perplexing. The situations are perplexing. We are supposed to be perplexed. Explaining perplexing biblical situations in comforting ways sort of misses the point. In our struggle with perplexity, we encounter ourselves. We raise our children to be strong and brave and possibly even heroic. Mothers and fathers have proudly sent their sons off to war for all of human history. We raise them to answer when the king calls for them.

LOL

So there are versions of this story where Abraham does go ahead and kill Isaac.
In part, it reflects the fact, that the possibility even exists for this to be OK, that the culture did accept child sacrifice.
2 KIngs 16:3 "He followed the ways of the kings of Israel and even sacrificed his son in the fire, engaging in the detestable practices of the nations the LORD had driven out before the Israelites." (Ahaz). There is another example where the king promises to sacrifice whatever is the first to come out his door, if something happens. In the Exodus story, the firstborn is marked for death.

One of the interesting things is the story pulls in the "ram in the thicket" piece, from Babylonian mythology.
http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/prehisto...hicket.htm