Atheists; what do you base your morals on?

[CleanShavenJesus]

...I don't pretend that those things suddenly have a different meaning because I want them to.

It sounds like you believe that symbolic analysis of a text is completely arbitrary, at least when it comes to Scripture. No doubt for some people that is the case. It takes just as much effort and skill to work the right-side of the brain as it does the left-side. Rational thinking takes diligence and a reasonable understanding of logic. The more complex ideas required even greater effort and skill. Like rationality, symbolic thinking also takes skill and effort. It takes a lot of these to work through the complex symbols and allegories of Scripture.

I know that many atheists on the forums have at one time in their lives been deeply immersed in a specific Christian tradition until some combination of legalism and the absurdity of a literal interpretations, etc. turned them off to the whole enterprise. You've been there and done that. I get it. And I do not disagree that some lampooning of very rigid and shallow approaches can be justified.

But turn-about is fair play. If the literal minded atheist demands that the bible must be taken completely at face value, then he has the same objectionable attitude as a fundamentalist Christian. Point is, it's very easy to be a fundamentalist, you don't have to think passed the surface of the text. It's also very easy to be a literal minded atheist. Neither take the time to consider anything beyond what's right in front of their faces.

Nice post, my point was that when Christians like a certain part of the bible, they like to take it literally. But suddenly when there is a flaw, it's an allegory? This is the case for many passages.

I don't "demand" the Bible be taken at face value. I demand that if you follow the Bible, don't cherrypick. Just because it makes no sense, doesn't mean it suddenly has a second meaning. It just means it makes no sense. The flaws in the Bible are there, whether Christians want to twist the words or not.

I can analyze any passage in the Bible from a literal to allegoral meaning to get it to be something I want to mean. This goes back to, "Who are you to analyze the word of God for what you want?" It makes logical sense to take it as literally as possible. But, hey, that's a different argument.

Of course, even taking the idea of God literally in itself is crazy. So Christians already lose there. Has any of them ever considered any action God ever took to be allegorical? Maybe there is no God, perhaps it's just symbolism for humanity's inability and instability in controlling itself.

Nah, the authors of the Bible weren't good enough for that.

Seriously though, what stops me from saying that Noah's Flood was an allegory? I guess it would help the Christian case, considering God killed millions of people in that flood. Very uncool of Him. The idea in itself is ridiculous. As is the story of Genesis...in fact, as is with any passage involving God.

Maybe "God" is metaphorical. Nothing stops me from saying that. But of course, Christians would be personally offended by me saying that. "What, how could you say something like that?!" How could you say something in the Bible as ridiculous as God giving Moses the Ten Commandments on the mountaintop actually happened, and then said Jonah being swallowed by a whale is allegorical? What's the difference?

There is none, because they'll only take it literally if it makes sense (by religious standards, anyway).