hylidae

I love this bullet item from the web site: "The practice of decking a tree with silver and gold is actually condemned by God." :lol:

Are Christians who read this book going to stop putting up Christmas trees? It's cruel to deprive a child of his god given right to a tradition that celebrates materialism and gluttony. Surely they wouldn't do that.

Angela

Nonsense. This is the verse in question:

"The customs of the people are worthless, they cut a tree out of the forest, and a craftsman shapes it with his chisel, they adore it with silver and gold, they fasten it with hammer and nails so it will not totter." (Jeremiah 10:3-4)

Jeremiah is referring to the Asherah poles. Asherah is the name of the consort of El - the chief Canaanite god. Wooden poles, carved in her image (Jeremiah says that the tree is *crafted* with a chisel), were often set up in her "honor" and placed near other pagan objects of worship. Jeremiah is only speaking out against idolatry not holiday decorations.

Verse 5 says: "Their idols are like scarecrows in a cucumber field, and they cannot speak; they have to be carried, for they cannot walk. Do not be afraid of them, for they cannot do evil, nor is it in them to do good." This verse is obviously talking about idolatry, and the belief by some people that idols have power.

I thought Atheists were aware that Christians simply cut a Christmas tree and then decorate it. There's no chiseling involved.

hylidae

I know this. That's why I think it's funny. It's an old testament passage about idols and has nothing to do with Christmas, but the way it's written just to grab people's attention will be lost on millions (oh noes! I is sinner for havin Christmas tree?) I was listening to Hank Hanegraaf not long ago and someone called him to ask about idolatry and Christmas because of that passage. He at least had sense enough to answer that it was about idolatry.

bacht

Yep. There are people right now suffering and dying from human brutality. Evil comes from us. The Bible is just a book, I guess a useful blunt instrument if nothing else is available.

Atheos

Your opinion about the bible being "holy" is certainly shared by many people. There are also many millions of people who believe the Quran to be a holy book. Millions believe the book of Mormon to be a holy book. Millions believe the Hindu Vedas to be holy. Would you be equally shocked if somoene wrote a book that exposed the contradictions, absurdities and atrocities in those books? Or does your favorite collection of religious myths get preferential treatment because you happen to believe in it?

As we have no objective reason to do otherwise, many of us here regard the modern Judaeo/Christian bible with the same level of respect and interest as any other religious myth. It is appropriate and worthwhile to reflect on all aspects of it, not just the worthwhile stuff, but also its absurdities and atrocities.

Free Indeed

We should consider that God had a plan and did what was necessary to take make it happen. God will not be denied and knows what to do to secure the future for his people. It’s not like the foes of Israel wouldn’t have done the same thing to them given the chance. We have the proof of that today, woman and children are being killed just because they are Jewish or Christian, look at the holocaust, nations want to wipe out all of the Jews from the face of the earth. The devil doesn’t want us to know he is alive and fighting God.

Archaeopath

Surely if god(s) created humanity in its entirety, everyone is god's people?

If god(s) had a plan, and that plan involved the torment and suffering of his people, then he and/or his plan is evil. If god(s) is omnipotent and omniscient, then he had every opportunity to make anything the way he wanted it to be - there would be no "[doing] what was necessary to make it happen" as it would just be.

Patrick F

So two wrongs make a right for you? Fascinating how Christians are willing to do anything to justify Yahweh's actions, including genocide. Yahweh ordered genocide for six entire nations, including the Perizzites, Hivites, Jubusites, and Hittites. Christians only attempt at an excuse is to say that this was self defense, but when challenged to produce evidence of this they come up empty. Here are a couple of examples of what should "shock" people about the Bible:







Full disclosure: These pictures were scanned from the book Illustrated Stories from the Bible (that they won't tell you in Sunday School). This is from the story "Slaughter of the Midianites" where Moses tell the soldiers to go back and kill all the male children along with any woman who has had sex with a man. This would obvioiusly include pregant women of the Midianite nation.

Free Indeed

When you say "it would just be", maybe it is.

IamJoseph

:constern01:

Which scriptures' laws guarantee equal rights to all - stranger or inhabitant, rich or poor, king or commoner? Which scriptures do not?

Which scripture blessed all humanity equally - before any religions emerged?

Which scriptures perpetrated mass murders more than any others and are hell bent of more of the same if you do not convert?


:huh: