The most striking thing that I have noticed about the psalms (and it appears most of my classmates have as well) is the amount of violence, or the desire for vengeance, that is present in many of the psalms. A noteable example is psalm 69, which calls for God "Pour out Your indignation on [my enemies], and let Your burning anger overtake them". This is a stark contrast to the Christian ideals, with which I am most familiar, and which preach forgiveness for even the wicked (although often in the psalms, the "wicked's" only explicit offense is simply a lack of belief in the Jewish God). While this vengeful attitude may have been common several hundred or thousand years ago, I feel it is rare, even among Jews, in the western world today. It seems to me that this may have to do with the liberalization and democratization of the western world over the past several centuries. I can say nothing for certain of the general attitude of Jews elsewhere because I have no real experience of it, however, it seems that it may yet be similar to the attitude described in the psalms particularly in the middle-east where some Isrealites and Muslim peoples often use violent means (suicide bombs, car bombs, etc.) to impose vengeance on their perceived enemies. In my personal opinion, this attitude is a significant cause of all the violence and hatred that is ravaging that part of the world. Many of the conflicts over which they are fighting are centuries old. Perhaps with a philosophy that emphasizes forgiveness and compassion, these nations would be able to peaceably resolve their differences.

It also seems odd to me that the antithesis of this vengeful philosophy, advocated by Jesus Christ and the Christian religion, would spring from this same Jewish God who is called to "let [his] burning anger overtake them". It just shows how much religions can change over time, adapting to different global or regional conditions and moods.