gnosis92

Typo: Should say Do you prefer the OT or the NT, or neither?

Those who prefer the New Testament over the Old include:
Marcion of Sinope, Thomas Jefferson, Mohandas Gandhi, Albert Einstein, Charles Dickenson, Simone Weil, Emily Dickenson, Hellen Keller.

Those who prefer the Old Testament over the New:
Fredrich Niezsche

You could either state your own personal preference, with an explanation, or state the preference of a well known historical figure preferably with reference.

If you google the above figures and take the time to read it, or read their books, you will eventually find a reference.

My self: The OT is a major reason I became an atheist. Considering a lot of atheists here at iidb are ex-Christians who have rejected the Bible due to the genocidal atrocities of the OT, I would hope most Jews would come to the same conclusion, take the red pill, and fall to the Dark Side.

I have the exact opposite opinion: the NT is far superior to the OT. Reading endless geneologies in Chronicles is boring. And the description of the divine in the world we find in John, or the Son as being the sustainer of all things in Hebrews, strikes me as far superior as anything in the OT. The parables and sermon on the Mount strike me as far superior to the tales of Joshua or David's murder of the enemies of God.

A Zen Buddhist actually liked the statement about the birds, as exemplative of Zen Enlightenment. It is highly doubtful the Zen master would care to hear about God destroying the Amelikites (Ref See Zen Flesh, Zen Bones).

franknhonest

The Old Testament wins hands down, because despite all the blood and gore, there is no doctrine of hell. 'Hades' simply means the grave.

Now why wouldn't God warn people in the OT about hell?

gnosis92

Thanks for sharing your opinion.

WWJD4aKlondikeBar

OT G to the O to the D was laying the smack down and proving that he existed. NT jebus is as lame as it all is today.

Splarnst

Prefer in which sense? To read? To live by?

The OT is a more interesting read: lots of interesting stories. The NT has the same story four times in a row and then a bunch of silly letters before getting to a nightmare. The OT is more physically violent, but at least there's no hell.

J-D

Revelation is more horrifically violent than anything I can think of in the Old Testament.

smellincoffee

The Old Testament is great fun -- lots of needless slaugher and mayhem. The NT is kind of stuffy, and all of that red text is annoying.

The Bishop

Well, you don't have to read the Jesus Seminar! :P

The OT wins hands down. Those Hebrew scribes really knew how to write. The Book of Job, the Song of Songs and many of the Psalms are eternal classics of world Literature. Genesis on its own is one of the world's greatest collections of folk tales. So the genealogies in Chronicles and the laws in Leviticus are boring? Well, skip them!

However, I would not denigrate the NT on the grounds of Revelation, which is one hell of a trippy read millennia ahead of its time. (So to speak.)

Fr.Andrew

The NT is boring.

J-D

I do not dispute the claim that some people like violence in what they read. Even horrific violence. I do dispute the claim that the OT is more violent than the NT. They both have violent bits. Whether the reader wants to home in on these or avoid them is another matter.