(April 20, 2016 at 4:13 am)robvalue Wrote: Pics or didn't happen.

Ewww . . . .

(April 16, 2016 at 1:27 pm)TheRocketSurgeon Wrote:

(April 16, 2016 at 11:15 am)Drich Wrote: Poor poor pitiful you.

You don't seem to get, that this list only Spoke to the levitates (those born in the family of Levi) Meaning one had to have been born of a priestly bloodline even before anything on this list was a consideration. (Meaning God didn't want you serving him as an OT Jew 10xs over before this list even applies)

Being a levite would most likely have manifested itself in certain physical traits, being only a few hundred years removed from levi. In the time of Moses having a 'flat nose' meant you had too much egyptian in your bloodline even if you were born a jew. Which was fine for everyother aspect of OT Jewish life, but apparently God did not want the 'flat nosed people' near the temple gold (or really anything else holy.)

Um, bullshit. Utter bullshit. It was a set of rules to the Levites, yes, but it regarded who was entitled to enter the Temple. 

Your little Pulled Out of the Ass™ explanation doesn't cover why the same list would include flat noses AND people with hunchbacks and other deformities or handicaps. The simpler explanation is that the Levite priests who wrote the rules thought that just as animals without blemish could be used in sacrifice, that similar purity was expected in the physical form of the worshipers. Or maybe they just didn't want to have to deal with the sight of them.

But to focus on just the nose thing, pull an "Egyptians Unwelcome" explanation out of thin air, and ignore the rest of her list while calling her pitiful is... well, pitiful.

You do understand that only the levites could enter the temple right? (go beyond the court yards) The temple was not a church very few if any common jews were ever allowed to see the inner temple. (the points in which the levitical priests and the requirements of pureity are demanded.)

(April 20, 2016 at 12:09 pm)Drich Wrote:

(April 16, 2016 at 1:27 pm)TheRocketSurgeon Wrote: Um, bullshit. Utter bullshit. It was a set of rules to the Levites, yes, but it regarded who was entitled to enter the Temple. 

Your little Pulled Out of the Ass™ explanation doesn't cover why the same list would include flat noses AND people with hunchbacks and other deformities or handicaps. The simpler explanation is that the Levite priests who wrote the rules thought that just as animals without blemish could be used in sacrifice, that similar purity was expected in the physical form of the worshipers. Or maybe they just didn't want to have to deal with the sight of them.

But to focus on just the nose thing, pull an "Egyptians Unwelcome" explanation out of thin air, and ignore the rest of her list while calling her pitiful is... well, pitiful.

You do understand that only the levites could enter the temple right? (go beyond the court yards) The temple was not a church very few if any common jews were ever allowed to see the inner temple. (the points in which the levitical priests and the requirements of pureity are demanded.)

Yes, I understand. Do you understand that the Levites were an entire tribe? Thousands of people. Those who were not Kohanim (priests) served as other forms of worker in the Temple. Levite children were not allowed to become priests or serve any other role in the Temple if they were in any way deformed... because, apparently, God is a dick. 

But God isn't real. It was the Levite priests (and other Kohanim) who made up the rules that said nobody who was physically deformed could be among their number, or worship in the Temple.

And here's the kicker: you're now asserting that they had enough information about people to tell if they were legitimate Levites or not (or otherwise entitled to enter)... which is probably so. This begs the question of why you'd make up that BS about Egyptians "sneaking in" for the gold, etc.

(April 20, 2016 at 12:38 pm)TheRocketSurgeon Wrote:

(April 20, 2016 at 12:09 pm)Drich Wrote: You do understand that only the levites could enter the temple right? (go beyond the court yards) The temple was not a church very few if any common jews were ever allowed to see the inner temple. (the points in which the levitical priests and the requirements of pureity are demanded.)

Yes, I understand. Do you understand that the Levites were an entire tribe? Thousands of people. Those who were not Kohanim (priests) served as other forms of worker in the Temple. Levite children were not allowed to become priests or serve any other role in the Temple if they were in any way deformed... because, apparently, God is a dick. 

But God isn't real. It was the Levite priests (and other Kohanim) who made up the rules that said nobody who was physically deformed could be among their number, or worship in the Temple.

And here's the kicker: you're now asserting that they had enough information about people to tell if they were legitimate Levites or not (or otherwise entitled to enter)... which is probably so. This begs the question of why you'd make up that BS about Egyptians "sneaking in" for the gold, etc.

Holy crap dude it was joke. Who ever takes a character assessment seriously if it is based on a physical trait? It's like saying people with brown eyes lie more than people with green. or people with crooked teeth tend to be better listeners because they dont want other to see their teeth.

Their is a very long standing joke in jewish community that goes something like "All Egyptians are crooks, if you shake ones hand you'd better count your fingers afterwards."

(April 21, 2016 at 8:59 am)Drich Wrote: Holy crap dude it was joke. Who ever takes a character assessment seriously if it is based on a physical trait? It's like saying people with brown eyes lie more than people with green. or people with crooked teeth tend to be better listeners because they dont want other to see their teeth.

(Emphasis, above, my own.)

The Lord said to Moses, 17 “Say to Aaron: ‘For the generations to come none of your descendants who has a defect may come near to offer the food of his God. 18 No man who has any defect may come near: no man who is blind or lame, disfigured or deformed; 19 no man with a crippled foot or hand, 20 or who is a hunchback or a dwarf, or who has any eye defect, or who has festering or running sores or damaged testicles. 21 No descendant of Aaron the priest who has any defect is to come near to present the food offerings to the Lord. He has a defect; he must not come near to offer the food of his God. 22 He may eat the most holy food of his God, as well as the holy food; 23 yet because of his defect, he must not go near the curtain or approach the altar, and so desecrate my sanctuary. I am the Lord, who makes them holy.’ ”

-Leviticus 21:17-23

Quote:It's like saying people with brown eyes lie more than people with green.

People with bibles lie all the time.

(April 22, 2016 at 1:24 am)Minimalist Wrote:

Quote:It's like saying people with brown eyes lie more than people with green.

People with bibles lie all the time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFlPId8DMNM

(April 22, 2016 at 12:16 am)TheRocketSurgeon Wrote:

(April 21, 2016 at 8:59 am)Drich Wrote: Holy crap dude it was joke. Who ever takes a character assessment seriously if it is based on a physical trait? It's like saying people with brown eyes lie more than people with green. or people with crooked teeth tend to be better listeners because they dont want other to see their teeth.

(Emphasis, above, my own.)

The Lord said to Moses, 17 “Say to Aaron: ‘For the generations to come none of your descendants who has a defect may come near to offer the food of his God. 18 No man who has any defect may come near: no man who is blind or lame, disfigured or deformed; 19 no man with a crippled foot or hand, 20 or who is a hunchback or a dwarf, or who has any eye defect, or who has festering or running sores or damaged testicles. 21 No descendant of Aaron the priest who has any defect is to come near to present the food offerings to the Lord. He has a defect; he must not come near to offer the food of his God. 22 He may eat the most holy food of his God, as well as the holy food; 23 yet because of his defect, he must not go near the curtain or approach the altar, and so desecrate my sanctuary. I am the Lord, who makes them holy.’ ”

-Leviticus 21:17-23

-and now you see how its funny-

(April 24, 2016 at 3:01 pm)Drich Wrote:

(April 22, 2016 at 12:16 am)TheRocketSurgeon Wrote: (Emphasis, above, my own.)

The Lord said to Moses, 17 “Say to Aaron: ‘For the generations to come none of your descendants who has a defect may come near to offer the food of his God. 18 No man who has any defect may come near: no man who is blind or lame, disfigured or deformed; 19 no man with a crippled foot or hand, 20 or who is a hunchback or a dwarf, or who has any eye defect, or who has festering or running sores or damaged testicles. 21 No descendant of Aaron the priest who has any defect is to come near to present the food offerings to the Lord. He has a defect; he must not come near to offer the food of his God. 22 He may eat the most holy food of his God, as well as the holy food; 23 yet because of his defect, he must not go near the curtain or approach the altar, and so desecrate my sanctuary. I am the Lord, who makes them holy.’ ”

-Leviticus 21:17-23

-and now you see how its funny-

I don't understand how this is funny-- it's a list of discriminations against the disabled, prohibiting them from serving in the priesthood even though they were born to the tribe for whom it was a birthright. (Still lets them eat from the food set aside for the priests, though, so... that's nice.) If it really is The Word Of God™, as claimed by Christians, I find that god to be rather horrifying.

On the other hand, if our assertion is correct and the Bible is really just a collection of the bad ideas and social prejudices of one group of Bronze/Iron-Age tribes in the ancient Near East, it makes a lot more sense. Humans are the ones who worry about things like who's having sex with whom, who has a "gross" disability they want to keep out of sight, et cetera, not gods.

It is very clear, from verses like this and from many others, that the Bible is not the "inspired word of God", as claimed. Only those who wear the blinders of religious indoctrination can't see it, clear-as-day.

(April 24, 2016 at 3:01 pm)Drich Wrote:

(April 22, 2016 at 12:16 am)TheRocketSurgeon Wrote: (Emphasis, above, my own.)

The Lord said to Moses, 17 “Say to Aaron: ‘For the generations to come none of your descendants who has a defect may come near to offer the food of his God. 18 No man who has any defect may come near: no man who is blind or lame, disfigured or deformed; 19 no man with a crippled foot or hand, 20 or who is a hunchback or a dwarf, or who has any eye defect, or who has festering or running sores or damaged testicles. 21 No descendant of Aaron the priest who has any defect is to come near to present the food offerings to the Lord. He has a defect; he must not come near to offer the food of his God. 22 He may eat the most holy food of his God, as well as the holy food; 23 yet because of his defect, he must not go near the curtain or approach the altar, and so desecrate my sanctuary. I am the Lord, who makes them holy.’ ”

-Leviticus 21:17-23

-and now you see how its funny-

You know what? I'm still fuming about this.

The above verses could have read:

"The Lord said to Moses, Say to Aaron: 'For the generations to come, all of your descendants shall have a birthright to come near to offer the food of his God; you shall not prohibit equal access to a man with a crippled foot or hand, or who is a hunchback or a dwarf, or who has any eye defect, or who has sickness or damaged testicles. Any descedant of Aaron the priest is to come near to present the food offerings to the Lord, for all mankind are my children, and shall be free to worship as is their right. Whether or not they do this, they may eat the most holy food of God, as well as the holy food; and never because of their differences shall you deny them to go near the curtain or approach the altar, lest you desecrate my sanctuary. I am the Lord, who makes them all holy."

If it had said that, think how many centuries of prejudice, difficulty, and even torment could have been spared to the disabled!

But no, human prejudices and the ignorant fear of the unknown are there, instead.

Edit to Add: When I said, "man", I deliberately left out the part about also allowing women to do it, to provide true equal access, as some modern churches are recently doing, as it seemed a tiny bit beyond the scope of the point I'm trying to reach, here.