It's important to remember, Val, that Christianity is not based on a literal interpretation of every passage in the bible (considering that would not be possible since many of them contradict each other)... especially as it pertains to the OT. Which explains why Christian women don't walk around with their heads covered (apart from the very fringe such as the Amish/etc) among many other things.
It varies from denomination to denomination, but Christianity is generally based on and defined by the life and teachings of Christ first and foremost. The rest is taken in its entirety, as an overall message being portrayed - not necessarily individual passages as though they were binding instructions. And they are taken secondary to the teachings of Christ. That's why when the Old Testament says things like "an eye for an eye", and Jesus directly contradicts that by telling us to love our enemies and turn our cheek, as Christians we follow the teaching of Christ between the 2.
Anyway, moral of the story being it doesn't make much sense to point to isolated passages in the bible and say that if Christians were *truly* following their religion they would follow that particular passage (example: women must cover their heads), because that is not how Christianity is.
I feel like most atheists already understand all this anyway, but figured I'd put it out there again since it was brought up.
It varies from denomination to denomination, but Christianity is generally based on and defined by the life and teachings of Christ first and foremost. The rest is taken in its entirety, as an overall message being portrayed - not necessarily individual passages as though they were binding instructions. And they are taken secondary to the teachings of Christ. That's why when the Old Testament says things like "an eye for an eye", and Jesus directly contradicts that by telling us to love our enemies and turn our cheek, as Christians we follow the teaching of Christ between the 2.
Anyway, moral of the story being it doesn't make much sense to point to isolated passages in the bible and say that if Christians were *truly* following their religion they would follow that particular passage (example: women must cover their heads), because that is not how Christianity is.
I feel like most atheists already understand all this anyway, but figured I'd put it out there again since it was brought up.
"Of course, everyone will claim they respect someone who tries to speak the truth, but in reality, this is a rare quality. Most respect those who speak truths they agree with, and their respect for the speaking only extends as far as their realm of personal agreement. It is less common, almost to the point of becoming a saintly virtue, that someone truly respects and loves the truth seeker, even when their conclusions differ wildly."
-walsh
-walsh
