Okay, I’m not a great student of religion. Some people maintain that there is great stuff in the bible. When I read some of it for a class titled “The Bible as Literature” in college, I didn’t see much to recommend it. I saw that the ancient Hebrews were unreservedly evil. I saw that for Christians if they merely fail to blasepheme the Holy Ghost, then they’ll go to heaven–so Hitler is off the hook.
But what was most striking is what really is missing that a loving and more-or-less all powerful god should tell his creation. The creator’s earthly record should be a useful guide to life. Here is a short and incomplete list of things that must be included before a god can be considered to love his creation:
[ul][li]The cause and treatment of childhood diseases.[/li][li]The cause and treatment of adult diseases.[/li][li]First aid.[/li][li]The Heimlich maneuver.[/li][li]Basic psychology.[/li][li]Developmental psychology.[/li][li]Abnormal psychology.[/li][li]The scientific method.[/li][li]Mathematics up to, and including, calculus and probablity & statistics.[/li][li]Baisc structure construction.[/li][li]Selective breeding of plants & animals–theory and examples.[/li][li]Basic materials science.[/li][li]Basic meteorology.[/li][li]Basic nutritional science.[/li][li]Newton’s laws–theory and examples.[/li][li]Navigation–sea and land.[/li][li]Basic economics.[/li][li]Theory of interest, capital, and risk.[/li][li]Theory of ethics.[/li][/ul]
This is but a short and incomplete list of things that would have saved countless lives and improved our lot in life millenia ago. But instead we get stuff like this:[ul]
[li]GE 4:13-15 Cain–who murdered his brother Abel–is promised protection by God.[/li][li]GE 17:10 “This is my covenant, …every male among you shall be circumcised.” [/li][li]GE 17:14 A child is to be punished when his parents neglect to have him circumcised.[/li][li]EX 20:26 You should not go up steps to a high altar; you might expose yourself. [/li][li]EX 21:17, LE 20:9, DT 21:18-21 A child who curses his parent(s) is to be put to death. A stubborn and/or rebellious child is to be put to death.[/li][li]DT 22:28-29 A virgin who is raped must marry her rapist (if they are “found”).[/li][li]PR 26:4 Do not answer a fool. To do so makes you foolish too.[/li]PR 26:5 Answer a fool. If you don’t, he will think himself wise. :rolleyes:
[li]1TI 2:12 Women are not permitted to teach or have authority over men.[/li][li]GE 11:7-9 God sows discord.[/li]PR 6:16-19 God hates anyone who sows discord.
[li]GE 2:15-17, 3:4-6 It is wrong to want to be able to tell good from evil.[/li]HE 5:13-14 It is immature to be unable to tell good from evil.
[li]GE 1:20-21, 26-27 Birds were created before man was created.[/li]GE 2:7, 19 Man was created before birds were created.
[li]GE 1:26-27 Man and woman were created at the same time.[/li]GE 2:7, 21-22 Man was created first, woman sometime later.
[li]PS 30:5, JE 3:12, MI 7:18 God’s anger does not last forever.[/li]JE 17:4, MT 25:46 It does last forever. (He has provided for eternal punishment.)
[li]PR 3:13, 4:7, 19:8, JA 1:5 Happy is the man who finds wisdom. Get wisdom.[/li]LK 2:40, 52 Jesus was filled with wisdom and found favor with God.
1CO 1:19-25, 3:18-20 Wisdom is foolishness.
[li]MT 26:52 Dispose of swords. All who take the sword will perish by it.[/li]LK 22:36-38 Buy swords.
[li]AC 10:34, RO 2:11 God shows no partiality. He treats all alike.[/li]RO 9:11-13 God hated Esau and loved Jacob even before their birth.
[li]TI 6:20, 2TI 2:14-16, 3:1-7 Do not argue with an unbeliever.[/li]2JN 1:10-11 Anyone who even greets an unbeliever shares his wicked work.
1PE 3:15 Always be ready to answer any man concerning your faith.
[li]PR 14:15-18 The simple believe everything and acquire folly; the prudent look where they are going and are crowned with knowledge.[/li]MT 18:3, LK 18:17 You must believe as little children do.
1CO 1:20, 27 God has made the wisdom of the world foolish so as to shame the wise.
PR 16:4 God made the wicked for the “day of evil.”
MT 11:25, MK 4:11-12 God and Jesus hide some things from some people.
JN 6:65 No one can come to Jesus unless it is granted by God.
RO 8:28-30 Some are predestined to be called to God, believe in Jesus, and be justified.
RO 9:15-18 God has mercy on, and hardens the hearts of, whom he pleases.
2TH 2:11-12 God deceives the wicked so as to be able to condemn them.
1TI 2:3-4, 2PE 3:9 [Yet] God wants all to be saved.
[/ul]
(References taken from Donald Morgan)
At what point in the bible am I supposed to say, “Yeah, this is definately evidence of a just and loving creator?” It’s not revealed truth, it’s revealed gobbledy-gook. (No offense.) Jesus was a great teacher? No. Euclid was a great teacher. His text still stands today as an excellent tool for not only learning geometry but also how to think. And yet there are problems with it–namely the parallel priciple. But so what? If we abandon that we still end up with completely consistent results that do not contradict what Euclid did (since an axiom has been changed the results are different), yet they shed new light on the universe in which we live. Compared to that, Jesus was a hack. Teaching through parables?! He might as well have used Linear A, for Christ’s sake! It took what, about 100 years for the first major rift to develop between Pauline Christianity and Judeo-Christianity? What the hell kind of accomplishment is that for a god? Based on that great accomplishment I’d be suprised if he can do that trick where it looks like you’re pulling your thumb apart, but really you’re just moving the other thumb.
Ugh! As near as I can figure the bible is a reason to not believe! And that goes for all you other religions: if your god didn’t bother to tell us how to treat childhood diahrrea and save a choking person’s life, then your god ain’t worth shit. No offense.