The Kinder God of the New Testament

[Joods]

There is nothing more scarier than believing in a bunch of fictional books (referred to as the bible), written from copies of copies of copies of manuscripts that we have never seen originals of, that tells you to believe in a god, who refuses to show himself to his sheeple, who threatens (by love, of course) to send you to eternal damnation if you refuse to obey him.

Yeah. That.

[Redbeard The Pink]

Thought crime actually shows up in the OT at east as early as the 10 commandments; the 10th commandment is against coveting a neighbor's goods, which is technically a mental offense. Some people might get all semantic over the exact definition of "covet," but fuck those people.

Sorry to inform you but that's not one of the Ten Commandments.  The actual Ten Commandments are found in Exodus chapter 34.  The First Commandment is to steal other peoples lands and to destroy their religious artifacts.

That Ten Commandments doesn't count because it's not the popular one. Also, while it's true that in Exodus 34 Jehovah changed his mind about which 10 commandments he wanted to be the actual Ten Commandments, in Deuteronomy 5 he changed it back to the old ones because let's face it, those ones are cooler.

It's also a lot easier (though still idiotic) to make the argument that our modern legal system is based on the Ten Commandments if you use the version that actually has a few rules in common with basic human ethics.

[Minimalist]

It's all a mistake.

[Rhondazvous]

A new commandment I give you, that you love one another.

When love is done in obedience to a commandment, how can it be real? Christians treat each other any old kind of way and it's all right as long as they do it in love. I like Paul's description of love but don't know too many Christians who actually follow it so they're not obeying the new commandment.

[Minimalist]

When love is done in obedience to a commandment, how can it be real?

Sometimes it costs more.

[ignoramus]

I'd go hell for leather any day with her!

[Wyrd of Gawd]

Sorry to inform you but that's not one of the Ten Commandments.  The actual Ten Commandments are found in Exodus chapter 34.  The First Commandment is to steal other peoples lands and to destroy their religious artifacts.

That Ten Commandments doesn't count because it's not the popular one. Also, while it's true that in Exodus 34 Jehovah changed his mind about which 10 commandments he wanted to be the actual Ten Commandments, in Deuteronomy 5 he changed it back to the old ones because let's face it, those ones are cooler.

It's also a lot easier (though still idiotic) to make the argument that our modern legal system is based on the Ten Commandments if you use the version that actually has a few rules in common with basic human ethics.

While the Deuteronomy 5 commandments were written on stone they are not referred to as the Ten Commandments.  Only the ones in Exodus 34 fit all of the requirements. 

Since a lot of modern day Americans don't know which country we rebelled against in 1776 it's understandable that they are clueless about an ancient ethnocentric Middle Eastern Jewish religious fairy tale.

[Jenny A]

Do you think maybe Jesus is a conservative republican and one of those beasts hanging around his throne is an elephant?

No he was a communist pinko pacifist.  He thought you should give everything to the poor.  Catch a conservative republican doing that.  Or turning the other cheek for that matter.   The patriotic Christians just skip that part.

[Wyrd of Gawd]

Do you think maybe Jesus is a conservative republican and one of those beasts hanging around his throne is an elephant?

No he was a communist pinko pacifist.  He thought you should give everything to the poor.  Catch a conservative republican doing that.  Or turning the other cheek for that matter.   The patriotic Christians just skip that part.

Jesus never gave the poor anything.  When he had the opportunity to do so he told his disciples that he needed it more than the poor did.  So he kept it for himself.  

He also said that he would toss people into the fire for not believing in him.  So he comes across as a cheapskate meanie.

[robvalue]

Jesus could have eradicated the very concept of "the poor" by continually providing everyone with everything they need, forever.

But then they wouldn't need him anymore, would they?