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Just musing. Feel free to refute or clarify.
But I was looking at all of the Bible stories that I once loved as a child, that now horrify me, and wondering why they DIDN'T horrify people in the 1960's and 70's. You know, the Flood (genocide), the Exodus (deliberate torture of the Egyptians and then deliberate drowning of their army), the many stories of god-sanctioned murder in order to take a city, the stories of stoning and maiming for minor transgressions . . . all of those and more. Wondering why my uber-fundamentalist parents told us the story of the Tower of Babel, and cheered the moon landing at the same time? Why did I not hear "god committing murder" when he slaughtered the firstborn sons of Egypt, hardened Pharaoh's heart, and sent the Egyptian army into the parted sea in order to deliberately drown them?
- - Because they were the bad guys. They didn't worship god, so they deserved to die. We were insular back then, we were separated from people that were not like us. We were still tribal - everyone we knew was white and christian. (I actually remember a guy standing up at a church dinner and yelling about the "wetback" neighbors that moved into his block. He actually said "If they were good christian folks then god would make 'em talk right, not that devil jabber I keep hearin'.")
And then global news and television arrived, and let us see other cultures. But we really didn't talk to them. They still were "others" who were different and far away and worshiped the "wrong god".
And then the internet arrived. And we could actually talk to those others. I remember playing a game of online Spades in the mid-90's, discussing politics with a couple from Taiwan and a girl from Sweden.
We started to see "others" as part of humanity. And one Easter, I was listening to "horse and chariot were cast into the sea" and all I heard was praise for deliberate murder. It's not so easy to point a finger and say "they worship the wrong god and deserve to die" any more. Because they're just people, like us.
"The family that prays together...is brainwashing their children."- Albert Einstein
April 28, 2016 at 4:25 pm (This post was last modified: April 28, 2016 at 5:04 pm by Lek.)
(April 28, 2016 at 3:27 pm)drfuzzy Wrote: Just musing. Feel free to refute or clarify.
But I was looking at all of the Bible stories that I once loved as a child, that now horrify me, and wondering why they DIDN'T horrify people in the 1960's and 70's. You know, the Flood (genocide), the Exodus (deliberate torture of the Egyptians and then deliberate drowning of their army), the many stories of god-sanctioned murder in order to take a city, the stories of stoning and maiming for minor transgressions . . . all of those and more. Wondering why my uber-fundamentalist parents told us the story of the Tower of Babel, and cheered the moon landing at the same time? Why did I not hear "god committing murder" when he slaughtered the firstborn sons of Egypt, hardened Pharaoh's heart, and sent the Egyptian army into the parted sea in order to deliberately drown them?
- - Because they were the bad guys. They didn't worship god, so they deserved to die.
Actually, when you think about it, those stories aren't so shocking. God murders every single one of us. What about all of those who died in the recent earthquakes? He could have stopped them, but he didn't. And what about the many young children who are dying of painful diseases or starving to death? He could prevent everything that kills every single one of us, but he doesn't. At least the people in the old testament stories died quickly. I think he was more merciful to them than to most of us.
Just musing. Feel free to refute or clarify.
But I was looking at all of the Bible stories that I once loved as a child, that now horrify me, and wondering why they DIDN'T horrify people in the 1960's and 70's. You know, the Flood (genocide), the Exodus (deliberate torture of the Egyptians and then deliberate drowning of their army), the many stories of god-sanctioned murder in order to take a city, the stories of stoning and maiming for minor transgressions . . . all of those and more. Wondering why my uber-fundamentalist parents told us the story of the Tower of Babel, and cheered the moon landing at the same time? Why did I not hear "god committing murder" when he slaughtered the firstborn sons of Egypt, hardened Pharaoh's heart, and sent the Egyptian army into the parted sea in order to deliberately drown them?
- - Because they were the bad guys. They didn't worship god, so they deserved to die.
Quote:Actually, when you think about it, those stories aren't so shocking. God murders every single one of us. What about all of those who died in the recent earthquakes? He could have stopped them, but he didn't. And what about the many young children who are dying of painful diseases or starving to death? He could prevent everything that kills every single one of us, but he doesn't. At least the people in the old testament stories died quickly. I think he was more merciful to them than to most of us.
God doesn't murder any of us. We die because our bodies wear out, because of illness, because of accident. But wow, if you really think that way - - you really are worshiping a monster.
"The family that prays together...is brainwashing their children."- Albert Einstein
It's all about dehumanization. Some people still do it today. It's how black people were treated in the early 1900's, and even today. Listen to the rants of the Charleston Shooter (I know his name, but I'd rather not say it, because he only deserves to be nameless imo), and you'll see that he doesn't see black people as human.
So long as people can detach others from humanity, they're able to justify whatever God's wrath is, and even consider it 'deserved' punishment.
In fact they have to rationalize it. If they don't, then the whole concept of hell falls apart. Equal punishments for different crimes? It makes God look cruel and irrational. And if God looks cruel and irrational, there's no reason to worship him. (And if one takes a good, honest, hard look at how the bible presents him without rationalizing it as much as they can, then they see that the picture painted of him is cruel and irrational)
There's also the fact that most of the horrible stories that make no sense aren't told to children. If my kids read the bible, I'd be horrified. That could easily be emotionally scarring. It's not appropriate material for children.
The whole tone of Church teaching in regard to woman is, to the last degree, contemptuous and degrading. - Elizabeth Cady Stanton
Religion or i should say ancient brainwashing the problem with the religion and all religions..
People like Lek are being sold a lie now get this religions are not original they all rip off each others from older
and much older religions to even sun worship. Then you have christianity which states god throughout the book
as good while doing evil. The only real reason why christianity stuck around for so long was apologetics and even
then the same type of apologetics are being used for islam. Both religions mind you have their similarities all
the preacher and people back then was play on people's emotions and ignorance that's all it takes. Once
that happens you have a sheep someone you can tell to spread the word when in reality it's all a lie
none of it is true at all. Like Cecelia said you dehumanize a person and break them down then sell
them a lie to make them feel good. Then said lie over rights said's person empathy a religious empathy that makes said
believer into a sociopath. So if people truly believe god controls life and death they should look over their beliefs
and really think about if. if god was that type of being and supposedly all loving and makes people burn in hell and die
why worship it at all. But again said lie has been passed down for so long it has stuck with humanity like a bad case herpes
and atheists being the only clear part of the skin.
April 28, 2016 at 7:29 pm (This post was last modified: April 28, 2016 at 7:36 pm by Lek.)
(April 28, 2016 at 6:03 pm)drfuzzy Wrote: God doesn't murder any of us. We die because our bodies wear out, because of illness, because of accident. But wow, if you really think that way - - you really are worshiping a monster.
If God could stop us from dying and he just lets us die after he created us then he is a murderer unless he has a good reason, which he does. For those of us who believe in him, we accept that. It's not all about this life here. If you don't believe, of course it's a joke.
(April 28, 2016 at 6:03 pm)drfuzzy Wrote: God doesn't murder any of us. We die because our bodies wear out, because of illness, because of accident. But wow, if you really think that way - - you really are worshiping a monster.
If God could stop us from dying and he just lets us die after he created us then he is a murderer.
Then if god cannot stop people from dying he is not all powerful and he is a murderer.
