RE: Atheist view on formation of...
May 3, 2013 at 6:50 pm
(This post was last modified: May 3, 2013 at 7:15 pm by Simon Moon.)
[quote='That guy who asked questions' pid='440247'
That's right. I'm wondering what possibilities there are that could have led the Jews into Egyptian captivity, led them out, and established the deity they have. Very specifically I wonder why they chose the laws described within Leviticus and Deuteronomy as the sovereign laws of the society. I would appreciate links or books that can legitimately and conclusively answer these questions with a naturalistic approach. I would ask for information that could possibly prove the supernatural interventions described in the Torah but it seems every time I trust a religiously affiliated group I am lied to.
[/quote]
First of all, there is no evidence that there were ever any Jews in Egypt as slaves.
The history of the Hebrew deity is a little complex, but Yahweh started as a typical tribal war god who leads divine armies against Israel's enemies. Other tribes in the area had very similar gods. He is no different than any other near east tribal deity. Hell, he even had a wife, Ashera.
The idea that the Hebrew god is somehow unique to any god that came before, is a much later idea.
The laws of Leviticus and Deuteronomy are brutal and superstitious. No different than other Iron Age tribal laws of the time.
Here's a good book to start with -
The Bible Unearthed: Archaeology's New Vision of Ancient Israel and the Origin of Its Sacred Texts by Neil Asher Silberman and Israel Finkelstein
Why is my post above empty? When I go to edit it, everything is there.
Here it is again.
First of all, there is no evidence that there were ever any Jews in Egypt as slaves.
The history of the Hebrew deity is a little complex, but Yahweh started as a typical tribal war god who leads divine armies against Israel's enemies. Other tribes in the area had very similar gods. He is no different than any other near east tribal deity. Hell, he even had a wife, Ashera.
The idea that the Hebrew god is somehow unique to any god that came before, is a much later idea.
The laws of Leviticus and Deuteronomy are brutal and superstitious. No different than other Iron Age tribal laws of the time.
Here's a good start -
The Bible Unearthed: Archaeology's New Vision of Ancient Israel and the Origin of Its Sacred Texts by Neil Asher Silberman and Israel Finkelstein
That's right. I'm wondering what possibilities there are that could have led the Jews into Egyptian captivity, led them out, and established the deity they have. Very specifically I wonder why they chose the laws described within Leviticus and Deuteronomy as the sovereign laws of the society. I would appreciate links or books that can legitimately and conclusively answer these questions with a naturalistic approach. I would ask for information that could possibly prove the supernatural interventions described in the Torah but it seems every time I trust a religiously affiliated group I am lied to.
[/quote]
First of all, there is no evidence that there were ever any Jews in Egypt as slaves.
The history of the Hebrew deity is a little complex, but Yahweh started as a typical tribal war god who leads divine armies against Israel's enemies. Other tribes in the area had very similar gods. He is no different than any other near east tribal deity. Hell, he even had a wife, Ashera.
The idea that the Hebrew god is somehow unique to any god that came before, is a much later idea.
The laws of Leviticus and Deuteronomy are brutal and superstitious. No different than other Iron Age tribal laws of the time.
Here's a good book to start with -
The Bible Unearthed: Archaeology's New Vision of Ancient Israel and the Origin of Its Sacred Texts by Neil Asher Silberman and Israel Finkelstein
Why is my post above empty? When I go to edit it, everything is there.
Here it is again.
First of all, there is no evidence that there were ever any Jews in Egypt as slaves.
The history of the Hebrew deity is a little complex, but Yahweh started as a typical tribal war god who leads divine armies against Israel's enemies. Other tribes in the area had very similar gods. He is no different than any other near east tribal deity. Hell, he even had a wife, Ashera.
The idea that the Hebrew god is somehow unique to any god that came before, is a much later idea.
The laws of Leviticus and Deuteronomy are brutal and superstitious. No different than other Iron Age tribal laws of the time.
Here's a good start -
The Bible Unearthed: Archaeology's New Vision of Ancient Israel and the Origin of Its Sacred Texts by Neil Asher Silberman and Israel Finkelstein
You'd believe if you just opened your heart" is a terrible argument for religion. It's basically saying, "If you bias yourself enough, you can convince yourself that this is true." If religion were true, people wouldn't need faith to believe it -- it would be supported by good evidence.
