Quote:
|
The God of the Bible didn't say sacrifice your kids on an altar.
|
I agree. I don’t believe there IS a “god of the Bible” except in the imaginations of those religious persons who wrote the Bible.
Quote:
|
yes, Isaac was "almost" sacrificed as an example, but I find it impossible that God said, "toss your children in the fire to sacrifice for Me." It's not written there.
|
I cannot believe that the intelligence behind this universe ever “told” Abraham to sacrifice Isaac. The idea is completely ridiculous and unfounded. The very idea that “god” tested Abraham that way is preposterous. But having learned about the sacrifices of young boys which were being practiced throughout the Middle East and Greece at that time in history (and before), it does make sense that the ancient Hebrews might also have practiced this ritual and eventually sought to cease practicing it… therefore, they wrote this story about Abraham as a way out, so that they could sacrifice goats and calves and morning doves instead.
Quote:
|
THus, do not lump animals and children in the same indicting sentence.
|
I will and I do... my choice. I find it no less abhorrent to sacrifice innocent animals for the sake of some religious dogma than to sacrifice children (whether innocent or not).
Quote:
|
Just like saying did you hear about the mother who said "God told me to stone my boys...", I could say, did you hear about the scientist that said, "The message in the petri dish told me to mail anthrax to Bush."
|
Yes… you
could say that… and you would be quite right to lump
both such idiotic rationales together. They are both founded upon delusion.
Quote:
|
Neither statement disqualifies the body of thought behind them.
|
Disqualifies
what body of thought? The body of thought that “god” supposedly “told” religious followers to kill animals or children in some pagan rite of atonement? That body of thought is disqualified by its pure, unsubstantiated, irrational insanity.
Quote:
|
You can still believe in science and you can still(if you desire) believe in the Bible. Making statements as that are very low level arguments, despite the attracting colorfulness of such a story!
|
Well, I respectfully disagree. I make those statements because they are effective at bringing the concept into the real world of today. If we do not believe someone who claims that god told her to kill her children today, why should we believe that god told anyone to do that very same thing thousands of years ago?
Quote:
|
True, many authors - about 40, all writing about the same thing. Pretty incredible. I don't believe you'll find a more consistent compilation of writing over so many years on earth.
|
I disagree that the Bible is consistent. There are numerous inconsistencies that various denominations have been arguing about for centuries:
http://www.skepticsannotatedbible.co...a/by_name.html
Quote:
|
Now that doesn't necessarily justify faith in the folks who said, "God told me to bring these ten commandments from the mountain down you people!" But it does add to the credibility over other books that were written in MUCH shorter timespans that should NOT so blatantly contradict.
|
See the link, above. The Bible contains many contradictions that other people have already done a pretty good job of cataloguing.
Quote:
|
Would I believe the Koran? Unfair question.
|
Maybe you misunderstood my purpose in asking that question. That is a rhetorical question founded in my assumption that you might have been culturally influenced to accept the Bible because you were raised in America rather than in the Middle East. Had you been raised in, say ... Iraq or Saudi Arabia, you would probably believe the Koran instead. So my point was that your willingness to believe the Bible has a cultural component. As Wisper pointed out, it is a meme.
Quote:
|
I never thought I would question government, but alas, I do today. Perhaps if I would have had upbringing that would cause me to think more critically and I'd toss it. But perhaps I'd long for ANYthing "manly" and the Koran calls men to do "manly" things like kill and triumph. That in and of itself attracts MORE men to that religion that other religions. So maybe I'd embrace it on a psych level and not reason level.
|
Right… there you have it. My rhetorical question was designed to point out that most people do embrace the Bible for emotional and or cultural reasons rather than logical reasons... just like those who embrace the Koran.
Quote:
|
On a nano scale, everything in our world does appear to vibrate similarly. Very cool. I love it. Same creator leaving his fingerprints on creation I guess!
|
I agree. There is some very compelling evidence. Go to:
www.reasons.org
...to see a wonderful website by Dr. Hugh Ross - an astronomer who believes in God. I disagree with him about the Bible being inspired by God, but I do agree with his collection of evidence supporting a supernatural intelligence behind the universe (and maybe not
supernatural at all … maybe it is completely “natural” and we simply do not understand it well enough to realize that).