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Why do you believe that Judges 19 is intended to "uplift"? The text certainly doesn't suggest in any way that it should be. To suggest it is simply demonstrates that you fail to see the point.
What exactly IS the purpose of Judges 19? I suppose that was my point. Why do I need to know about this terrible thing that I cannot undo. Assuming that it is true which, in this particular case, I have no reason to doubt.
This is true. I have read the Bible cover to cover, and I am an atheist. And the claim that reading the Bible cover to cover should reasonably cause a reasonable person to become and atheist is very valid. Assuming, of course, that they read the Bible as they would any other book.
To be fair however, I was already an atheist when I undertook to read the Bible cover to cover. My reason for reading the entire Bible at that point was my belief that the Bible is clearly one of the most influential documents in human history, and no one should consider themselves properly educated if they have not read the Bible. Being already a non believer, I read the Bible with the sort of objectivity that believers cannot comprehend. I read the Bible as if it was the work of humans, written by the hands of humans, and expressing human thoughts, needs and desires from the point of view of humans. And not as if I were reading the very words and commands of an omnipotent God. If I actually thought the Bible was inspired by an all powerful Being, it would be clear to me that we are under the dominion of a psychotic lunatic. As a non believer though, I can clearly see that the Bible was written by ancient superstitious people who were trying to make sense of a world they, as yet, had no means to understand. Understandably, what they believed had very little connection to what was actually true.
I didn't need to read the entire Bible to become an atheist. I became an atheist by default when I was 13 years old, based on the portions of the Bible that I HAD read, and the story of Christianity that I was taught in Sunday school by my elders. It became clear to me by age 13 that this version of reality that I was being provided with was simply too silly to have any possible validity. Fifty five years later I can say with all honesty that I have not changed my mind on that.
Here is an example of an "unsanitized" portion of the Bible that is rarely preached from the pulpit.
Judges 19:
[22] Now as they were making their hearts merry, behold, the men of the city, certain sons of Belial, beset the house round about, and beat at the door, and spake to the master of the house, the old man, saying, Bring forth the man that came into thine house, that we may know him.
[23] And the man, the master of the house, went out unto them, Nay, my brethren, nay, I pray you, do not so wickedly; seeing that this man is come into mine house, do not this folly.
[24] Behold, here is my daughter a maiden, and his concubine; them I will bring out now, and humble ye them, and do with them what seemeth good unto you: but unto this man do not so vile a thing.
[25] But the men would not hearken to him: so the man took his concubine, and brought her forth unto them; and they knew her, and abused her all the night until the morning: and when the day began to spring, they let her go.
[26] Then came the woman in the dawning of the day, and fell down at the door of the man's house where her lord was, till it was light.
[27] And her lord rose up in the morning, and opened the doors of the house, and went out to go his way: and, behold, the woman his concubine was fallen down at the door of the house, and her hands were upon the threshold.
[28] And he said unto her, Up, and let us be going. But none answered. Then the man took her up upon an ass, and the man rose up, and gat him unto his place.
[29] And when he was come into his house, he took a knife, and laid hold on his concubine, and divided her, together with her bones, into twelve pieces, and sent her into all the coasts of Israel.
Are we all feeling uplifted, bathed in enlightenment now?
Eloquently stated!
I am the opposite of you, as are most folk from the Caribbean where I am from, are. We grow up with and around Christianity, as did our ancestors for the past 400 years. Many of us barely know of any other worldview, at least at some basics. The bible is a staple in our homes and we are drilled the basics. For the most part, we are told WHAT to believe and HOW to interpret the basics in the bible.
I believe someone (Thrillobyte?) posted a FANTASTIC video by Dark Matter that encapsulates EXACTLY what I am saying. WE have been hearing the "ridiculous claims" from the womb and we entered a world where it was reinforced at just about every turn. To break away USED to be near impossible, but this internet has become a game changer at it did for me 13 years ago.
What exactly IS the purpose of Judges 19? I suppose that was my point. Why do I need to know about this terrible thing that I cannot undo. Assuming that it is true which, in this particular case, I have no reason to doubt.
The repeating theme of Judges is that "There was no King in Israel, each one did what was right in their own eyes" (Judges 21:25). God told Israel HE would be their King -- they didn't need a man to lead them. But they refused to follow him. To the point that it go so bad that this stuff happened. This is an illustration of what happened when Israel turned away from God. They became like the other nations around them.
The repeating theme of Judges is that "There was no King in Israel, each one did what was right in their own eyes" (Judges 21:25). God told Israel HE would be their King -- they didn't need a man to lead them. But they refused to follow him. To the point that it go so bad that this stuff happened. This is an illustration of what happened when Israel turned away from God. They became like the other nations around them.
And when this story is applied to US politics by the Christian Right, it leads to outright theocratic ambitions.
The internet will be the main instrument contributing to the death of Christian fundamentalism.
And as a result, skepticism is so prevalent in American society, young people are growing up, wholesale, discounting religion altogether. They don't even take, at least Christianity, serious. I have 4 children, all 16 and older, and despite me being a Christian once upon a time, my son was just 8 when I busted out from Christianity and my daughters, even younger. I never used to indoctrinate them even before I deconverted (their mother tried) and now, none of them even give Christianity a second look and they are well respectable and adjusted children who bring me jokes of Christians behaving badly that they find on the internet.
But the point does remain that every PERSON ought to do a heart check on this and consider how God would feel about our behavior.
Tell us, Viz...How does God feel about your behavior when you act in a most un-Christian-like manner and write posts mocking the LGBTQ community... and even the use of the letters 'LGBTQ' ? How about when you misrepresent the beliefs of the LDS or claim Catholics aren't Christians? Or when you post something less-the-respectful about Pope Francis. Do you consider how God feels when you do that?
How often do YOU do a heart check? There are LGBTQ Christians and LDS Christians and Catholic Christians posting on this board. Do you think about their relationship with God, and His with them, before you hit the "save" button?
I missed the verse in the Bible that says, "Preachers should lecture everyone on how to behave but are free to act however they like." Perhaps you could post that for us.
Last edited by DewDropInn; 08-20-2016 at 03:40 PM..
Probably you missed the most important parts of the Word of God is that did you forgive , So did you forgive God for all the differences that man put down in the bible thinking it was right ? ,.......... did you forgive God for killing all those people in the Old testament ?............. Did you seek God believing like a little naive child until He revealed himself in the spirit ?......As just reading the bible like a critical reader which will never cut it with God , as He will ignore you also .....
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