The bible

[Phoenyx]

So recently, a poster here who I'm not sure if I should mention the name of given Rule 1 sent me a private message. He reminded me to some extent of a group of friendly Jehova witnesses who spent some time trying to convert me to their religion back when I lived in the state of Yucatan, Mexico. So after a few messages, I find that I couldn't respond to him anymore because his mailbox was full. Perhaps he'll make some space in his mailbox soon and I'll be able to send him my response.

But in the meantime, I thought I'd basically give my take on the bible here. In essence, I consider it a mix of history and fiction. I doubt I'd ever be able to prove that any of it is fictional, but I also doubt that anyone would be able to prove that all of is the truth, at least to anyone who doesn't just take it on faith.

Ironically, until reading a book called "The Da Vinci Code", and later watching it as a film, I never really questioned a lot of things that the bible and Christianity said were true. The Da Vinci Code book got the wheels in my mind turning, but it bills itself as a book of fiction, and the movie does as well. What really got me going was when I picked up a copy of one of the books that it used as source material, namely Holy Blood, Holy Grail. Since reading it, I know that it's had its fair share of critics, and even while reading it, there were some passages that I found dubious. Nevertheless, I found it immensely more interesting then what I had previously thought of the bible and christianity as a whole.

As to my own religion, I've been Pantheist ever since I found out that it essentially mirrored beliefs I'd developed on my own before hearing about it.

Anyway, some reference links:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Da_Vinci_Code

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ho...the_Holy_Grail

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pantheism

[BidenPresident]

Nothing is more boring than bible thumpers.

[NiftyNiblick]

Perhaps they don't sell Mickey Spillane Mike Hammer novels in their neighborhoods.
That's what we read when we were young kids growing up.

[Phoenyx]

Nothing is more boring than bible thumpers.

I've managed to have a few good conversations with them, but what tends to be the stumper is that they seem to think everyone should just take their word for it that the bible is the "word of god".

[Phoenyx]

Perhaps they don't sell Mickey Spillane Mike Hammer novels in their neighborhoods.
That's what we read when we were young kids growing up.

I suspect the issue has more to do with what their parents and/or others close to them taught them growing up. My mother was raised catholic but became dissapointed with catholicism before I was even born. My father's father (aka my grandfather on my father's side) was an atheist until very late in life and even then just kind of went for the idea of god without ever really getting too much into the details. I think he liked the idea of pantheism. So father kind of got into mysticism a bit, astrology, and I think he thinks my idea of pantheism might kind of work, but he also likes science a lot, and a lot of scientists are atheist. Still, there's Einstein, who while nominally jewish, also considered himself to be a pantheist of the spinoza branch. For more on Einstein's thought on Spinoza's Pantheism:

https://pantheism.com/about/luminaries/albert-einstein/

[NiftyNiblick]

God exists because the bible says so.
The bible has to be right because it's the word of god.
No circular logic there.

[NiftyNiblick]

People want to make things too complicated.
Matter somehow arrived to destroy the pure, infinite vacuum.

Things have been fucked up to the max ever since.

Simple and as likely to be correct as anything else.

[Phoenyx]

God exists because the bible says so.
The bible has to be right because it's the word of god.
No circular logic there.

Yeah, logic doesn't seem to be the strong suit of those who don't question the bible. Reminds me of a line I like from science fiction author Frank Herbert's final Dune novel, Dune: Chapterhouse:

"Religion (emulation of adults by the child) encysts past mythologies: guesses, hidden assumptions of trust in the universe, pronouncements made in search of personal power, all mingled with shreds of enlightenment. And always an unspoken commandment: Thou shalt not question!"


I don't think this is true of all religions, but I think too many have this 'do not question' mentality.

[Phoenyx]

People want to make things too complicated.
Matter somehow arrived to destroy the pure, infinite vacuum.

Things have been fucked up to the max ever since.

Simple and as likely to be correct as anything else.

Reminds me of a joke:

Where-AI-stands-today-Then-a-miracle-occurs-C-Sidney-Harris-in-American-Scientist.jpg

[Melchizedek = Michael]

The Bible is worthless without the Holy Spirit to give you the True translation.

[saltydancin]

The Bible is worthless without the Holy Spirit to give you the True translation.

While this Christian Nation preparing for giving thanks in that being Christiananality pedophilia Jesus loves you in & with all their Islamidiotocracy depraved, demented & vile Mohammed pedophilia suicidal super ego True translation....

[Melchizedek = Michael]

While this Christian Nation preparing for giving thanks in that being Christiananality pedophilia Jesus loves you in & with all their Islamidiotocracy depraved, demented & vile Mohammed pedophilia suicidal super ego True translation....

R (4).jpg

[saltydancin]

R (4).jpg

So the supreme swastika up Uranus kangaroo court not so master plan of their not so master race even with SCOTUS granting standing for Islamidiotocracy Mohammed pedophilia flying carpeted flaming chariots to 9/11 Valhalla after granting standing for thieving US Constitution Bill of Rights - old glory - old testament - absentee voting ballots Bicentennial Nazi economics in Rehnquist Fourth Reich July Freudian slip has those crusade - jihad suicidal super egos sociopsychopathilogical homicidal human farming more perfect union "serve the Pope or die" with Islam "death to the infidels" WW II reincarnation Mengele "Angel of Death" beyond the pleasure principle Peter Principle pyramid scheme as their perpetual national religion of "one nation under God with equal justice under law"....

[saltydancin]

Reminds me of a joke:

Where-AI-stands-today-Then-a-miracle-occurs-C-Sidney-Harris-in-American-Scientist.jpg

While not preparing for turkey day in giving thanks for SCOTUS Rehnquist Bicentennial fabricated Islam misnomer in that Mohammed pedophilia tradition so the miracle of Christiananality pedophilia can rule the earth & destroy the world as the supreme swastika up Uranus of thieving US Constitution Bill of Rights - old glory - old testament -absentee voting ballots arsonists interpretation of "one nation under God with equal justice under law" in that WW II Mengele "Angel of Death" baptize thine eyes by urinations Islamidiotocracy of those crooks on Capital Hill....

[gfm7175]

Nothing is more boring than bible thumpers.

Nothing is more boring than a Church of No God member bitching about "bible thumpers".