Carla_Danger
Platinum Member
I think there is something wrong is assumed in your assessment, Tree
Many of these "religion bashers" are arguing that you cannot take certain passages literally. They are mainly arguing against those that do.
Well, I think when someone takes the reductionist view that the Bible promotes oppression or violence, they are insisting that a few vestigial passages trump the overall thrust of a collection of ancient stories which tend to uphold the value of the individual. They're failing to comprehend the cited passages in the context of a world that is completely foreign to modern sensibilities. etc.. Making apples to orange comparisons, putting the cart before the horse, moral equivalence, lacking ability to interpret poetry or mythology, etc..
Such critics fail to approach scripture with any form of creative intelligence. They lack any expertise in exegesis or hermeneutics. It's just my opinion, but in my estimation there are legion of religion bashers on the internet who approach scripture with the same level of sophistication (or lack thereof) of a Christian who thinks the Devil put dinosaur bones in the ground.
"It is a mistake to look to the Bible to close a discussion; the Bible seeks to open one." - William Sloane Coffin
That's right!!! I say we just ignore the parts we don't like!