Atheist Fundamentalism

[genkaus]

NOT extracting your morals from the holy book is the basic lesson of religion - something you learn on your first day.

Where are the people that say this? I know it happens, because how could it not, but I've met very few people that proudly say they cherry pick, and everyone else should do it too. The book tells you that your level of wisdom is not enough, and is pretty clear that everything in the bible should be followed. Some stories are likely meant as allegory, like when Jesus says cut off the hand and gouge out the eye that sins, but when Yahweh talks about how slavery should be done, and what to do when a man rapes a woman, and how to deal with people who aren't worshiping Yahweh, it's meant to be taken seriously.

Cherry picking happens. We all know this. But I think the cherry pickers who are open and proud about it are in the minority.

The reason why cherry-picking has a negative connotation is because there is an implicit assumption that where scripture is concerned, you are supposed to take it or leave it in its entirety. It is that assumption that's being challenged here.

But your point is well-made. What we have here is a contradiction between what people do and say. Most of the religious people I know are silent on the question of whether their scripture is to be followed in its entirety. Saying that it should be and doing it would make them extremists. Saying it should be and not doing it would make them hypocritical. And saying it shouldn't be makes them think that they are undercutting their own beliefs. So most of them remain silent and practice cherry-picking. The vocal ones are those who shout that it should be followed completely and those are the ones we hear.

So, adherence to the scripture being a necessary aspect of religion is conclusion we draw based on what we here. But according to Reza, it is not a necessary part of religion if we judge by what we see.

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What is the religion about then?

I've never been able to figure that one out. Whenever I come close to an answer, someone tells me "but that's not what religion is really about".