Do you think you'd still be a believer if the bible were more pleasant/accurate?

[Cecelia]

A thought occurred to me.  What if the bible were far more pleasant?  Instead of stories of Adam and Eve getting kicked out of the Garden of Eden, of God flooding the world, and of Hebrews stoning people... you'd find stories of God actually showing what we consider kindness.  No laws against working on Sunday, or disbelievers going to hell, or eating shellfish, or gay people. 

Take out some of the scientific inaccuracies, the sexism, the homophobia, the genocidal rage, etc... and replace it with more pleasant things.  For example the ideas of feeding the poor being important, while also allowing gay people to get married, being against slavery, etc...  Instead of saying the world is only 6000 years old, it might make no claim to the age of the Earth.  

Do you think you'd still be a believer if the bible were more pleasant and less inaccurate?

I'm inclined to think that I would be.  Obviously there would still be a lack of evidence.  But I think most people believe because they already find the bible rather pleasant.  They don't like the idea of gay people having sex, so they aren't bothered by the idea that God forbids gay people having sex.  They can accept it with ease because they are comfortable with it.  I'm willing to admit that if I was far more comfortable with it, I think I'd still be a believer.  It's not the only reason I disbelieve now, of course.  But take the inaccuracies out too, and I doubt I'd still be an Atheist even without proof of god.  I'd probably be like many theists are now, and not need proof, other than my own confirmation bias.  I'd like to think I'm more intelligent than that, but I don't think that I am.

[Minimalist]

Lots of fairy tales have happy endings.


They are still fairy tales.

[Chad32]

Sure. If the Jesus stuff wasn't connected to the old testament, and it really was just about loving your neighbor, giving to the needy, and stuff like that, I'd still be a believer. that's how it was sold to me in the church, more or less. That kind of mindset doesn't really hurt anyone. Hippie Jesus is a cool guy. It's just the other stuff that kind of wrecks it for me. Though the fact that the Jesus story isn't very unique, or original, kind of wrecks it for me too.

[Silver]

Min took my spotlight.

[ignoramus]

Take the business and control aspect out of it and it might gain a slight bit of respect as a harmless cult for the hippies.

[Simon Moon]

Not a chance.

My disbelief is based on the drastically insufficient evidence to support any of the god claims and supernatural stories in the Bible. Even if the god depicted in the Bible wasn't an evil, genocidal, slave supporting, being, there still is drastically insufficient evidence to support his existence.

So no, a pleasant god of the Bible, would not provide me with any more reason to believe he exists.

[J a c k]

I don't think so, but even if I believed, I would never worship.

[The Valkyrie]

Doubtful.

Drop Dead Fred had a happy ending and I still don't believe in imaginary friends.

[Athene]

No. I didn't stop believing because I thought the Bible was unpleasant. 

I stopped because NONE of the magical bullshit that's at the crux of any religious belief, appears to be possible.

[robvalue]

Interesting question. I can't properly comment as I never believed any of it in the first place.

I would imagine there would be a few people who could be swayed this way. Those who are natural sceptics however, I would expect to see through it eventually no matter how nice it was.

I also wonder whether some people would actually leave because it was too nice. Without anything to back up all these horrid threats, people might feel more at ease to walk away from it rather than believe at all costs.