Christians Endorse God's Hatred

[Whateverist]

So your beef from the fundamentalists is they don't claim to hold a super duper decoder ring that makes excuses for the illogical points of their story?

No excuses, understanding. Things that appear on first blush to be illogical make sense when considered more deeply. It is like this: you walk into a dark room and you think there is a snake in the corner. When you turn on the light you see that it was a coiled rope. If you let in the light of God's truth it will enlighten your understanding of the text.

I'll give you that it is possible to read something more enlightening into the bible than the literal dogma the fundamentalists make of it. The same is true of reading absolutely anything. One can always stop at the surface, but that is what reading comprehension classes are for.

Where we will disagree, I assume, is that -of all the books which one might read for wisdom and insight- the bible is unique in that it maps correctly onto a metaphysical reality of the upmost importance. This book is the one which should inform our actions in the world for the sake of winning a reward which will take place in an after life. Here is where I think you are still too literal. The reward and punishment are instantaneous and enforced by no external or higher agency. Eternity has nothing to do with measuring the extent of time, but only the depth of now.