In Andy Merrick’s letter, Dec. 7, he says, God cannot command something that goes against who he is. ÿ

However God has ordered violations of the commandment, he has never ordered murder. ÿ

I can’t remember chapter and verse, but my Haftorah portion concerned the Amalekite tribe. ÿ

God ordered Saul to kill every man, woman, child and animal. ÿ

Saul thought that that was wrong, instead he killed the men, enslaved the women and children, kept the king for ransom and let his people take the cattle. ÿ

God did not approve.

He had Samuel butcher the Amalekite King Agag. ÿ

Maybe God won’t order something; maybe he will. ÿIf he orders something, it may be because it is good; it may be because it is necessary. ÿ

One thing I am certain of is that whatever he orders, people will be tripping over each other to do things. ÿ

I don’t try to guess what God will do; he’s a little more complex than I am. ÿ

If he chooses to do something, it’s his choice, and religious scholars probably won’t get up and say “you can’t do that because it’s not what you stand for” they will say, “Yes Lord, right away Lord, anything you say Lord” or become the latest in the biblical collection of salt pillars and burnt spots on the ground.

Dan Zelman

Sophomore

Aerospace engineering