Garden of Eden was a setup...

[abaris]

So after reading the Bible twice and studying the history behind it you arrived at being an Atheist, right?
I'm confused as to whom is did something wrong that precludes you from bowing down to that someone?

Let me put it this way. Neither is it the most enoyable book, nor the most moral one, nor is it - in large parts at least - a logical one.

Quite frankly, you can cherry pick what you want. The bible offers something for everyone. If you want to be a hateful and exclusive person, the Old Testament as well as the new offer you some verses to base your opinion on. If you're a loving person, you discard the old Testament and go for the new one. But only to a certain extent, since Jesus also had some choice words about following him and discarding your family and friends in the process.

[FatAndFaithless]

So after reading the Bible twice and studying the history behind it you arrived at being an Atheist, right?
I'm confused as to whom is did something wrong that precludes you from bowing down to that someone?

Let me put it this way. Neither is it the most enoyable book, nor the most moral one, nor is it - in large parts at least - a logical one.

Quite frankly, you can cherry pick what you want. The bible offers something for everyone. If you want to be a hateful and exclusive person, the Old Testament as well as the new offer you some verses to base your opinion on. If you're a loving person, you discard the old Testament and go for the new one. But only to a certain extent, since Jesus also had some choice words about following him and discarding your family and friends in the process.

Hell, I'd wager the New Testament has shit in it worse than the Old Testament...like, Hell.

[Chad32]

Of course this assumes there really is a god out there, and so forth. There are things the bible approves of that I don't, and things that it disapproves of that I do. Genocide is fine if you're killing people who worship other gods, but homosexuality is an abomination? Having an innocent person brutally murdered in order to forgive people and spare them from possible eternal torture of his making is more ideal than just proportional punishments of the crime and letting people choose where to go after that?

Your god had an idea that didn't work, and the only way he feels like solving the problem is killing people. Even the nicer verses about loving your neighbor as yourself are soured by verses that say you aren't worthy of him if you don't hate yourself.

I'm not going to grovel and beg for answers and understanding. That's not how you deal with a tyrant. I didn't grow up under a dictatorship or monarchy. I grew up in a country where I'm supposed to have inalienable rights, and I expect to have a voice in any situation where someone deems fit to judge me on what I have and haven't done. If you wish to live under a theocracy, feel free to move to some middle eastern country.

[robvalue]

God did a pretty terrible job with the bible if we can all sit here and laugh at how utterly ludicrous the whole thing is.

If God really, actually wanted to communicate with me, I'm sure he could do it directly. If all he wants to do is fuck about, then that's hilarious but it's not my problem. You can't take seriously anything written 2000 years ago that is impossible to invalidate beyond some banal history.

And anyway, God lives in my house. I know some people don't take that seriously, but I'm looking at him right now, and he's telling me you're wrong. Can you trump that? Gonna call him a liar? He will fry your ass for that. We can all make unfalsifiable claims, what makes yours true and mine not?

Oh, God just bro bumped me. I think I did good.

[ChristIsLord]

But did you bow down in humility before the Lord as Saviour and ask him for forgiveness first and then wisdom?

Yes. I. Did. -- The first time. But, eventually, I realized that 20+ years of bowing got me no response other than imaginary ones. So I took off the Jesus-blinders and read and studied the damn thing objectively for a change. You should try it.

Did that objectivity thing without a personal relationship with Jesus in college in almost exactly the opposite order that you did it in. I hated the fact that He would be such a meanie and wanted nothing to do with Him.
I did not know Jesus and wanted nothing to do with a God that would place such burdens on His Creation.

[FatAndFaithless]

Then why the hell would you go back to worshipping such a massive douche bucket?

[robvalue]

Oh wow, personal relationship,with Jesus, you've done it now. Here's a short documentary about that:

http://youtu.be/kLBDFe3mDtk

[ChristIsLord]

Of course this assumes there really is a god out there, and so forth. There are things the bible approves of that I don't, and things that it disapproves of that I do. Genocide is fine if you're killing people who worship other gods, but homosexuality is an abomination? Having an innocent person brutally murdered in order to forgive people and spare them from possible eternal torture of his making is more ideal than just proportional punishments of the crime and letting people choose where to go after that?

Your god had an idea that didn't work, and the only way he feels like solving the problem is killing people. Even the nicer verses about loving your neighbor as yourself are soured by verses that say you aren't worthy of him if you don't hate yourself.

I'm not going to grovel and beg for answers and understanding. That's not how you deal with a tyrant. I didn't grow up under a dictatorship or monarchy. I grew up in a country where I'm supposed to have inalienable rights, and I expect to have a voice in any situation where someone deems fit to judge me on what I have and haven't done. If you wish to live under a theocracy, feel free to move to some middle eastern country.

Is your worthless coward of a president going to give up his kid for your benefit or is he too busy playing golf when he should be running the country.
My God that I worship sent His Son...something I could not begin to imagine doing

[robvalue]

God disapproves of your negative attitude my man. You are losing points in a hurry.

You don't wanna know what happens when you hit negative fifty.

[FatAndFaithless]

Ah, so I see we're off the deep end already.