Atheists: favorite Bible passages, and why.

[VarlosZ]

This is in GD because of the topic, and of course a certain amount of debate is expected and desired. However, as a preface, for those who would be unable to refrain from mentioning how stupid/evil they find the Bible and/or Christianity to be, I’d like to formally invite them not to participate in that capacity. It’s just nicer if not every thread on religion has to be about that.
Anyway, for me it’s just a couple of well-known parables from the New Testament. The parable of the workers in the field:

@Matthew 20:1-16

For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard.
And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard.
And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace,
And said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way.
Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise.
And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle?
They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive.
So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first.
And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny.
But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny.
And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house,
Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day.
But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny?
Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee.
Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good?
So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.

This appeals to me for three reasons. First, it’s a simple demonstration that justice and fairness are not the same thing, and that we are not harmed by the good fortune of others, and so should not begrudge them it even if we do not share in it. Second, it’s a nice little defense of the right to contract. Finally, the last verse (“the last shall be first, and the first last”) appeals to my Zen/Taoist sympathies.
The parable of the prodigal son:

@Luke 15:11-32

And he said, A certain man had two sons:
And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living.
And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.
And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want.
And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.
And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.
And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!
I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,
And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.
And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.
And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.
But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:
And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry:
For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.
Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard musick and dancing.
And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant.
And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound.
And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him.
And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends:
But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.
And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine.
It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.

Going to Catholic school all the way through 12th grade, I always rolled my eyes at this parable because I sympathized with the older brother. It wasn’t until college, when I began leaning heavily Utilitarian, that I realized why the older brother was missing the point. Morality should be forward-looking, not regressive. Your brother is back with us, therefore we ought to celebrate. Being angry with him, though justifiable in a certain abstract sense, serves no purpose and is therefore a vice.

This also relates to what I said about the previous parable: we should be happy for the good fortune of others, not bitter because it was not us that received it. The latter is petty and immature.

[Marley23]

I’m not sure I’m an atheist these days, but I’ve been one and I’m definitely not a Christian, so I’ll offer the description of the Leviathan in Job. I don’t think this is a particularly significant passage in the grander scheme of things, but the writing is really remarkable, especially from “Who can open the doors of his face? his teeth are terrible round about” onward.

I first read it in this post.

[SSG_Schwartz]

I was going to cite the bit from Pulp Fiction, but alas that is notin the Bible. So, I will cite my second favorite passage:

@Matthew 15:32-39

Four Thousand Fed

32 And Jesus called His disciples to Him, and said, “I feel compassion for the people, because they have remained with Me now three days and have nothing to eat; and I do not want to send them away hungry, for they might faint on the way.” 33 The disciples said to Him, “Where would we get so many loaves in this desolate place to satisfy such a large crowd?” 34 And Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?” And they said, “Seven, and a few small fish.” 35 And He directed the people to sit down on the ground; 36 and He took the seven loaves and the fish; and giving thanks, He broke them and started giving them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. 37 And they all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up what was left over of the broken pieces, seven large baskets full. 38 And those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children.
39 And sending away the crowds, Jesus got into the boat and came to the region of Magadan.

I always liked this one after I had a priest explain it to me. He believed that those listening to the sermons had food that they were planning to keep for the trip back, or that they had bought for when they got home. Jesus convinced them that the seas would not go dry and the grains would still be there, so it would be ok to share.

As an atheist, I wish more people would feel the need to share freely. (Lemme go further and I will be off on a Libertarian rant.)

SSG Schwartz

[SmartAleq]

@Matthew 6

1 Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.

2 Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:

4 That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.

5 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.

8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.

Yeah, I’ve always been fond of that one and quote it often.

[Zoe]

SSG Schwartz: As an atheist, I wish more people would feel the need to share freely.

As a human being, I wish the same. Do you think your compassion springs from your atheism?

But I really don’t want to hijack. The OP has set a good example.

[Two_and_a_Half_Inches_of_Fun]

Job 38-41

My favorite part:

@KJV

1Canst thou draw out leviathan with an hook? or his tongue with a cord which thou lettest down?

2Canst thou put an hook into his nose? or bore his jaw through with a thorn?

3Will he make many supplications unto thee? will he speak soft words unto thee?

4Will he make a covenant with thee? wilt thou take him for a servant for ever?

5Wilt thou play with him as with a bird? or wilt thou bind him for thy maidens?

6Shall the companions make a banquet of him? shall they part him among the merchants?

7Canst thou fill his skin with barbed irons? or his head with fish spears?

8Lay thine hand upon him, remember the battle, do no more.

9Behold, the hope of him is in vain: shall not one be cast down even at the sight of him?

10None is so fierce that dare stir him up: who then is able to stand before me?

11Who hath prevented me, that I should repay him? whatsoever is under the whole heaven is mine.

12I will not conceal his parts, nor his power, nor his comely proportion.

13Who can discover the face of his garment? or who can come to him with his double bridle?

14Who can open the doors of his face? his teeth are terrible round about.

15His scales are his pride, shut up together as with a close seal.

16One is so near to another, that no air can come between them.

17They are joined one to another, they stick together, that they cannot be sundered.

18By his neesings a light doth shine, and his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning.

19Out of his mouth go burning lamps, and sparks of fire leap out.

20Out of his nostrils goeth smoke, as out of a seething pot or caldron.

21His breath kindleth coals, and a flame goeth out of his mouth.

22In his neck remaineth strength, and sorrow is turned into joy before him.

23The flakes of his flesh are joined together: they are firm in themselves; they cannot be moved.

24His heart is as firm as a stone; yea, as hard as a piece of the nether millstone.

25When he raiseth up himself, the mighty are afraid: by reason of breakings they purify themselves.

26The sword of him that layeth at him cannot hold: the spear, the dart, nor the habergeon.

27He esteemeth iron as straw, and brass as rotten wood.

28The arrow cannot make him flee: slingstones are turned with him into stubble.

29Darts are counted as stubble: he laugheth at the shaking of a spear.

30Sharp stones are under him: he spreadeth sharp pointed things upon the mire.

31He maketh the deep to boil like a pot: he maketh the sea like a pot of ointment.

32He maketh a path to shine after him; one would think the deep to be hoary.

33Upon earth there is not his like, who is made without fear.

34He beholdeth all high things: he is a king over all the children of pride.

Why?

What can Job possibly say? Not only does YHWH make Job’s questions appear irrelevant, he also asserts his sovereignty and divinity over all of creation. It is brilliant rhetoric.

[Roderick_Femm]

Two come to mind for me:

Matthew 7:12 (for the record, I had to look both of these up)

“So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you …”

This is such a simple precept, seen in many religions and philosophies. I like it because if everyone followed it, the world would be a much better place.

Matthew 7:5

“Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.”

I use this one to remind myself to give other people a break, even if they are not extending the same courtesy to me; that I am not perfect and probably irritate other people at least as much as they do me; and that it is a good idea to have a little humility most of the time.
Roddy

[VarlosZ]

@Roderick Femm

Matthew 7:5

“Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.”

I use this one to remind myself to give other people a break, even if they are not extending the same courtesy to me; that I am not perfect and probably irritate other people at least as much as they do me; and that it is a good idea to have a little humility most of the time.

That’s another one I particularly like, and I think it works collectively as well as individually. That is, I think it is far nobler to criticize those within our club than outside of it, whatever that “club” might be. This means it’s more important to harp on the failings of, say, your own political party than those of your rivals, even though theirs are (to you) more numerous and serious. Likewise, it’s more important to point out the faults of your own country – even though there is no lack of faults from foreign lands to denounce – even if it earns you a reputation as a “Blame America First-er.”

It’s fun to slam people we disagree with or don’t like, so we have to be suspect of that action – it’s very easy to delude oneself into thinking the pleasant, easy path is the right one, so any non-frivolous decisions which put us onto that path are due extra scrutiny.

[SSG_Schwartz]

@Zoe

As a human being, I wish the same. Do you think your compassion springs from your atheism?

But I really don’t want to hijack. The OP has set a good example.

I think that human beings are capable of the same kind of sharing, but I have had conversations with some who profess belief that don’t understand why I don’t rape and kill because I don’t accept their god. I have heard from people that tithe, but cannot afford to give to charity.

So, to answer your question, I believe that my compassion springs from the fact that I care to help people as I meet them. I really don’t think you need a god to do that.

SSG Schwartz

[Dunderman]

The parts I like are mainly because they’re just good writing, damnit. I’m fond of Genesis 15, where God takes Abraham outside, asks him to count the stars if he can, and tells him he’ll have that many descendants.

Genesis 22 has to be read really slowly (when I studied Hebrew we did it one verse a day) to feel the impact, but it’s a really emotional, horrific story. Abraham takes Isaac knowing he will sacrifice him. Isaac doesn’t know and asks where the animal to sacrifice is… heartbreaking.

A lot of Proverbs and especially the Song of Songs is just beautiful.

Many a year ago I was having breakfast with my then roommate and he asked me about Revelations - what’s really in it, what’s going on there and so forth. I gave him the Cliff Notes version and then read a few choice parts. When I read Chapter 21 (And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain…) he just sat slackjawed saying “Wow”.

[Diogenes_the_Cynic]

The parable of the Sheep and the Goats.

[MrDibble]

From Ecclesiastes:
“Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.”
Says it all, really (given that a clearer translation is “meaningless” or “senseless”. Everyone goes for that “to everything, there is a season” crap, but the important message is right at the beginning. Sure, he loses it later with the “trust in God and do your duty” coda, but you know he was all about the nihilism, really.

[SSG_Schwartz]

@Priceguy

The parts I like are mainly because they’re just good writing, damnit. I’m fond of Genesis 15, where God takes Abraham outside, asks him to count the stars if he can, and tells him he’ll have that many descendants.

Genesis 22 has to be read really slowly (when I studied Hebrew we did it one verse a day) to feel the impact, but it’s a really emotional, horrific story. Abraham takes Isaac knowing he will sacrifice him. Isaac doesn’t know and asks where the animal to sacrifice is… heartbreaking.

A lot of Proverbs and especially the Song of Songs is just beautiful.

Many a year ago I was having breakfast with my then roommate and he asked me about Revelations - what’s really in it, what’s going on there and so forth. I gave him the Cliff Notes version and then read a few choice parts. When I read Chapter 21 (And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain…) he just sat slackjawed saying “Wow”.

I hate to do this, because I too love the story of Geneiss 22, but the final Book is Revelation. No ‘S’.

SSG Schwartz

[Der_Trihs]

"By their fruits you shall know them. "

Referring to false prophets, but a good general rule.

[Cisco]

Leviticus 19:34: Foreigners living among you will be like your own people. Love them as you love yourself, because you were foreigners living in Egypt. I am the LORD your God.

Because there are a lot of latin Americans living here, and it’s been my experience that a lot of people think it’s ok to treat them like shit. It is probably a statistical link rather than a causal one, but it’s also been my experience that most of these people are Christians.

[Dunderman]

@SSG Schwartz

I hate to do this, because I too love the story of Geneiss 22, but the final Book is Revelation. No ‘S’.

I plead dumb foreigner-ness.

[smiling_bandit]

@SSG Schwartz

So, to answer your question, I believe that my compassion springs from the fact that I care to help people as I meet them. I really don’t think you need a god to do that.

I do. But I will be grateful you have chosen to follow a good star, whether you see it yet or not.

@Mr Dibble

From Ecclesiastes:
“Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.”
Says it all, really (given that a clearer translation is “meaningless” or “senseless”. Everyone goes for that “to everything, there is a season” crap, but the important message is right at the beginning. Sure, he loses it later with the “trust in God and do your duty” coda, but you know he was all about the nihilism, really.

Actually, I think you misinterpret the line. Read further. This has nothing to do with nihilism, and is in fact the very opposite of nihilism. He’s not saying that nothing has any meaning. Rather, he’s says that human efforts are pretty meaningless, and our works pass quickly from the world. The only way to avoid this is to forget about the passing, human things and focus on the eternal.

[Malacandra]

@Cisco

Leviticus 19:34: Foreigners living among you will be like your own people. Love them as you love yourself, because you were foreigners living in Egypt. I am the LORD your God.

Because there are a lot of latin Americans living here, and it’s been my experience that a lot of people think it’s ok to treat them like shit. It is probably a statistical link rather than a causal one, but it’s also been my experience that most of these people are Christians.

I’ll take a WAG that most of the people who *don’t * treat them like shit are Christians, too. You know, what with being a majority of the population and all.

[Two_and_a_Half_Inches_of_Fun]

@Malacandra

I’ll take a WAG that most of the people who *don’t * treat them like shit are Christians, too. You know, what with being a majority of the population and all.

Maybe it is a part of the old law that Christians no longer follow.

[BrainGlutton]

The first chapter of Ecclesiastes:

Ecclesiastes 1
1The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.

2Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.

3What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun?

4One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever.

5The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to his place where he arose.

6The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to his circuits.

7All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again.

8All things are full of labour; man cannot utter it: the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.

9The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.

10Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us.

11There is no remembrance of former things; neither shall there be any remembrance of things that are to come with those that shall come after.

12I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem.

13And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven: this sore travail hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith.

14I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit.

15That which is crooked cannot be made straight: and that which is wanting cannot be numbered.

16I communed with mine own heart, saying, Lo, I am come to great estate, and have gotten more wisdom than all they that have been before me in Jerusalem: yea, my heart had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.

17And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit.

18For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.

Because it’s the nearest thing to philosophy you’ll find in either testament.