Problems With The Bible Pt 5 - Sodom and Gomorrah

[John V]

I can't help but laugh at your research project analogy.

I'm sure. Ridicule is all you seem to have.

I was never threatened with eternal torture for a bad effort on a project.

Also, you're doing exactly what I said you would do. "You don't get it.  Read it again.  Read it harder."  It's typical apologist BS.  Have a different opinion than a believer?  You're obviously doing it wrong.  It can't be the source material's fault.  God works in mysterious ways.  He wants you to work hard at your faith.  But!  Get it wrong, or come to the wrong conclusion based on vague biblical accounts that can't even agree on the basics (like the death and resurrection of Jesus), and it's eternal torture for you!

You can see the problem with that, right?

The problem I see is that you think you understand the biblical plan of salvation when later you admit you've read very little of the Bible.

Ridicule comes easily when the ideas presented hold little value.  And sometimes memes can convey a thought more efficiently than words.  Just because a meme is used, that doesn't mean the idea(s) presented are meaningless.  That you rage against the delivery mechanism rather than the message is telling.

I agree. A meme doesn't necessarily indicate that the accompanying message is meaningless. Memes are used to add an emotional impact to the message. You don't mind if the message doesn't look like coding if you like the message. It's only when you don't like the message that you complain about the style.

And, honestly?  No, I haven't read the entire bible.  I see no reason to.  Just like, I'm sure, you haven't read the qua'ran.

A difference being that I don't then make charges against the logic of the Quran.

But, having been raised in a non-practicing Catholic family, I know the basics.  And they're anything but compelling.    And the same tired arguments people like you attempt to use - you're doing it wrong, read more, read it again, etc. - ring hollow precisely because of the metadata I've mentioned a few times already.  The many, many divisions under the Christian umbrella is evidence enough that you guys don't have the answers.  There's no reason for me to believe in your image of god rather than, say GC's, or Drich's, or Lek's, or prof's.  

If I point out differences of opinion among scientists regarding some aspect of evolution, the response is usually, Yeah, but they all believe in evolution. Same thing here.

Also, if we all believed the same, you'd simply criticize us for being unthinking sheep - a charge we get despite the many divisions. Go figure.

And, of course, this is all a distraction from my earlier points, which I'm sure is intentional.  All the verses you've referenced tell me is that the authors and collators of the bible recognized it was a hot mess of inconsistency, and felt forced to add a few "Trust us!  Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!" lines to wave it away.  

Yes, when you make up your mind that a text is false without having read it, that's what you have to believe.

I have no reason to believe god actually works like that because I have no reason to believe the bible is his infallible word.

Of course not. You'd actually have to read it to have a valid opinion for or against it.

And even if it was, all it tells me is that god is immoral because he knowingly sends (or, creates the conditions in which people inevitably send themselves) to hell because he enjoys playing these games of faith.  Games that are laughably inefficient and convoluted.  Either way, I see no reason to place any value on such a creature.  No reason to attempt to learn more from it.

Says the guy who hasn't read it.