Reading the bible: please help!

[robvalue]

God couldn’t make it look any more believable than the other "fake" religious books at the time, that would make it too easy to pick the right one!

[Drich]

a donkey can not equal a ox work ability.

Tell that to Neddy on Blackpool beach.

most donkeys weigh between 180 to 400 lbs and ox weighs 1500 to 3000 lbs.. the ox pulls more in free body mass than the donkey can pull fully loaded.

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oxes are 10x stronger than donkeys. the way a yoke works is it puts pressure/pain on the animal who works less. If a ox is tied to a donkey in a yoke the donkey no matter how hard he works is always under a great deal of pain. The yoke is designed to spread the weight equally. a donkey can not equal a ox work ability.

Yes, and it's obviously much more important to codify something that everybody knew or would find out the moment they tried it than to order them not to have slaves or that women should be treated equally.  Why is it that the book records only things that people of that culture could be reasonably expected to understand and already believe?  It hasn't been given the name "the goat herder's guide to the galaxy" for nothing.

The implication goes much further than that bright side.. maybe into areas where people would not think to not pair something or people unequally. The idea is if this law pertains to the lowly donkey and ox then it also applies to things of greater status. Perhaps this is a way to give a sect of people rights, in a way that would be ignored or cause civil anger otherwise. Like don't pair a young strong slave with an old weak one and expect the same work to be done, or this could also carry over to a woman not being expected to do things that a man could more easily do in such a society.

[unfogged]

Yes, and it's obviously much more important to codify something that everybody knew or would find out the moment they tried it than to order them not to have slaves or that women should be treated equally.  Why is it that the book records only things that people of that culture could be reasonably expected to understand and already believe?  It hasn't been given the name "the goat herder's guide to the galaxy" for nothing.

The implication goes much further than that bright side.. maybe into areas where people would not think to not pair something or people unequally. The idea is if this law pertains to the lowly donkey and ox then it also applies to things of greater status. Perhaps this is a way to give a sect of people rights, in a way that would be ignored or cause civil anger otherwise. Like don't pair a young strong slave with an old weak one and expect the same work to be done, or this could also carry over to a woman not being expected to do things that a man could more easily do in such a society.

Which doesn't address the point at all. I do not deny that that there are lessons to be taken from many biblical stories just like there are lessons to be taken from Aesop's fables and the Oddyssey and Shakespeare and Dickens and just about any other piece of literature out there. The point is that there is absolutely nothing in the bible that isn't reasonably expected from the culture that produced it.

[Mystic]

Genesis 1:6

"And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters."

Basically, God decided to create the sky (a solid dome - "hard as a molten mirror"), so that there was something separating all that damn water which the entire universe is made of. The sky occasionally opens it's windows so that some water can come through - this is why it rains.
Essentially, when NASA launch their rockets, they go "bonk!" against the sky dome and fall back down again, and the reason nobody has been on Mars is because they all drowned on the way.

Genesis 1:16

"And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also."

It all sounds well and good, doesn't it? God makes the sun to light the day, and the moon for night-time. Yes, it would indeed be all well and good, if he hadn't already created and named light, dark, day and night two days ago.
It would seem that God finished creating days on the third day... So where the hell did the first two come from?

Deuteronomy 22:10

"Thou shalt not plow with an ox and an ass together."

WTF?  Someone please explain

Deuteronomy 23:1

"He that is wounded in the stones, or hath his privy member cut off, shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD."

That's right girls! No dickie and plums, no entry! Don't even ask about what customs is like when you get there!

You've asked good questions. 


These are parables, of a higher reality of how the first humans and reality and everything was created, before they took on form in this world.  Particularly it's about the exalted ones who were the word of God before this world, and were with God, and the word of God was the exalted ones. ("it's bidirectional")

Water represents a parable of the pure and moistness of the light.  Clay represents two things, the molding nature of the spirit and plants and food represent what grows from the heart from the seeds of goodness.

Animals represent desires and abilities and forms our emotions can take.  There are polar opposites from one perspective and complimentary from another, of each type of animal and plant and seed, and part of guidance is balancing everything according to God's ship and Captain.


You have to combine in the beginning was God's word to understand these parable to be about the exalted ones.


The Quran elaborates on these verses through, and the hadiths elaborate on those elaborations, and so the key to understanding all reminders of the past, is through the family of the reminder of your time, which is Mohammad and his family.



The Sun and moon and stars are all referring to the same thing, but they take on different form depending on the stage of the soul.

Star is for all humans outside the door of light, that it's form, a distant star. But the name of God and his chosen image takes that form when we are far from God or the darkness has overwhelmed us.

The moon is most of the stages.

The Sun is the 7th stage, in which there is day, and no longer any darkness in it.



Religion mainly is concerned with the moon and star stage, because, once you get to the sun, you really don't need parables and explanations, but you are directly guided by the sun and it's light.

Moon consist of five stages.

Star is the first stage.

And the 7th stage is the sun.

The rest of the verses, I have not thought about, and don't know what they are about.

[Minimalist]

Every ancient culture had a creation myth, MK.  You think all of them are horseshit except your own, like every other religitard.  Atheists know that ALL of them are horseshit.  The ramblings of primitive men trying to make sense of a world which is far too complex for them.

[Whateverist]

@OP: I want to help you but first you have to want to quit reading the bible.

[Cod]

most donkeys weigh between 180 to 400 lbs and ox weighs 1500 to 3000 lbs.. the ox pulls more in free body mass than the donkey can pull fully loaded.

You've obviously never seen Neddy.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

For most Christians, the Bible is a lot like a software licensing agreement.  They don't actually read it, they just scroll to the bottom and click 'I Agree'.

Boru

[Minimalist]

most donkeys weigh between 180 to 400 lbs and ox weighs 1500 to 3000 lbs.

True.... but jackasses walk around spouting bible bullshit all day long!

[Cod]

most donkeys weigh between 180 to 400 lbs and ox weighs 1500 to 3000 lbs.

True.... but jackasses walk around spouting bible bullshit all day long!

And they take everything literally.