The Holy Bible is rated very highly by all the people who supposedly live by it but who in actuality have not read it. Those who have read it know there are some good parts, but overall it is certainly not the finest thing that man has ever produced. It is repetitive, self-contradictory, sententious, foolish, and even at times ill-intentioned.
Indeed. I agree wholeheartedly.
As you can imagine that has some Christian leaders all worked up.
Including, of course, Franklin Graham.
Okay somebody needs to tell these idiots that just because somebody BUYS the Bible that does not mean they have READ the Bible.
It is actually rare for anybody to sit down and read the entire book from cover to cover.
I actually HAVE read the Bible, which separates me from the vast majority of people who self identify as Christians.
I was in my teens when I read it the first time, and found it laborious and poorly written.
I quite literally could not imagine how such a piss poor book could have inspired an entire religion.
I attempted to read it again in my twenties, but then one day suddenly stopped with the realization that doing so was a complete waste of my time.
And I stand by that assessment.
I suppose, Gryphen, I have a wee more stick-to-itiveness than you. Either that or I'm dumber than a post! (I'm going with the latter.)
ReplyDeleteI have read FOUR different versions of the thing and not once did I find much of any value, except that which has been accepted by societies all over the world for thousands of years.
As you say, just because a person buys something, doesn't mean they actually read/use it. Many, MANY copies of the Bible are given as gifts to children and THEY certainly don't read it as a general rule.
I completely agree with GQ's portrayal of that book.
Come on! What harm could a collection of antique Jewish fairy tales do?
DeleteOy veh! Don't ask.
I agree although I don't like to discourage not to attempt to read it. There are different versions. It has been rewritten into different religions. There are many chapters that don't make sense. I find studying page by page is best. I like to read Our Daily Bread because it is a daily explanation of chapters. The bible in 365 days. Most people that have claimed to have read word for word the entire book I somewhat don't believe because it is difficult to do and many don't have the brains to understand nor comprehend it. It is a book that many interpret to their own words and preach to their own liking. It is a book to put the fear of God into you. Add
ReplyDeleteThee old saying from the beginning of mankind man has used religion to enslave his fellow man.
I lean towards father sun, mother earth, the sun, moon and stars. Watching this beautiful earth spin and all the creatures working in harmony together each day. To each their own.
I am an atheist and I have to disagree. The New Testament is pure propaganda and is of little interest. But some of the myths tales and legends in the Old Testament go back to the earliest days of western civilization. That alone gives it value. Forget the "religious" aspect. Some of the books in the OT like Kings, Judges, and Numbers, are like a glimpse into a different world, a completely alien landscape. A time when a campfire was the brightest light on earth, when nothing was known about the natural world, when people had no idea what the lights in the night sky were. Some bits evoke in me the same feeling of awe I get when I read a good science fiction novel. Some parts are just the record of an ancient people trying to make sense of things.
ReplyDeleteYeah, there is some funky bronze age stuff in there. And there's an interesting book called The Harlot by the Side of the Road and it's all about the inexplicable cultural stuff in parts of the Old Testament.
DeleteM from MD,but not for much longer.
I think it should be read.
ReplyDeleteI would use it to start a fire or as toilet paper when need be...
DeleteAll BULL$hit (over OIL and yellow cake substance$.)
ReplyDelete'Yellowcake (also called urania) is a type of uranium concentrate powder obtained from leach solutions, in an intermediate step in the processing of uranium ores. It is a step in the processing of uranium after it has been mined but before fuel fabrication or uranium enrichment.'
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/iran-s-rouhani-insults-trump-nuclear-deal-hangs-balance-n868921
http://www.pbs.org/video/amanpour-sophie-pedder-and-karl-ove-knausgaard-mz1u1w/
Deletebro*MAN*ce$
The Old and New Testaments are completely different -- contradictory -- and Graham would have admitted it if he weren't out trolling for dollars.
ReplyDeleteJews vs X:s
ReplyDeleteOT-two thread post.~ 666!
"Bob Mueller is “very interested” in the meetings that Kushner had with foreign leaders and business moguls who appear to have helped him obtain financing for his real estate business, including his property at 666 5th Ave in Manhattan."
https://www.politicususa.com/2018/04/25/jared-and-ivanka-go-into-hiding-from-mueller-and-the-press.html
A box of donuts has more nutrition.
ReplyDelete"Virginia Senate candidate worries about mandatory sodomy coursesCorey Stewart doesn't want kids to learn
ReplyDeleteLGBTQ people exist"<FACT!
https://thinkprogress.org/corey-stewart-mandatory-sodomy-2ac0e1add6a8/
The two greatest curses ever visited upon mankind: war and religion.
ReplyDeleteIt's violent, sadistic, vindictive, controlling, unforgiving.
ReplyDeleteThere's also some sexual poetry.
The problem isn't that people don't read it, it's that they graze, they pick and choose and not only only choose to believe what they want they also interpret it to support their own beliefs.
I think the reason some of the Talibangelicals and Xtianuts are so crazy is that they insist on taking literally that which was never intended to be taken literally.
Then there is the corruption by those is power pushing their own agendas. The Bible would be a lot more palatable and less harmfull if they tossed out all of the Paul stuff.
Great masters of literature from Shakespeare to Steinbeck have been inspired by the Bible as literature. (Read the Biblical story of Cain and Abel and then read East of Eden.) Thomas Wolfe described Ecclesiastes as the best literature ever written. http://schuller.id.au/2015/01/08/tom-wolfe-on-ecclesiastes/
ReplyDeleteSo I wouldn't validate GQ's list. Can't imagine why anyone would, unless it supports their own limited literary tastes and biases.
we have bible study every week at our church. we read the whole Bible every year. yes, it's not a good read-it's takes time to work it in your head. but, there it is. the ten Commandments are good basic laws.
ReplyDeleteSOME of the commandments are good basic laws of society! And they have been around a LOT longer than the bible!
DeleteThe ones about gods and relationships with them? Not so much.
Amen. Gryphe Amen.
ReplyDeleteThe Ten Commandments seems to be a list of things for Xtians to do, and not avoid. Adultery, worshipping other gods, bearing false witness? They'll embrace that in a heartbeat. "love thy neighbor as thyself"? Only if he's a white. And the Sermon on the Mount? Toss that sucker!
ReplyDelete