In the early years of human history there wasn't a single bible that people read and lived by in order to be better people. They did okay. They just did good things or were good people, or they did bad things and were bad people. So maybe we don't need a bible at all?
Some people may think that way and others might not. Do I think everyone in the world should get their day to day guidance on how to be a better person from the bible? Well that would depend on the bible. For instance there is the one most people know about, the Holy Bible, a good book for life lessons if you can understand it. Sure you could probably read the words and know the meaning behind them but if they don't hit home you won't understand them. As in how could I understand, in the world we live in today, if an all powerful being just appeared in the world an made his presence known and said he would destroy the entire world's population in less than a year, all because we'd failed to worship him correctly, or we had sex with the neighbor's wife or some other such nonsense that would hurt an individual's emotions but as far as the species had little or no effect on the world. Sure he sent his son to die for our sins but if he were willing to destroy all life once for no reason except improper worship, I don't think it's the right book to be letting into the hands of our children. If we lived by those laws today people would be shot for simple things like cussing at a teacher or yelling at the board in a town council meeting(and i know people just love doing that, I mean just look at any news footage of a council meeting there's always someone pissed off in the back).
How about a book that teaches you what it means to really be a good person based on doing good things for the satisfaction that one day all your unwarranted help could be reciprocated, all because you stopped at the broken down car to help or helped the old lady across the street. Or any kind of charity you feel up to performing. A book that teaches goodness for goodness, instead of a book that threatens us to be good our whole life with no mistakes or you'll BURN IN HELL!!!
That's not how I want my children to view the world, I want my children to know that all it takes is to be a good person is to do good things and avoid as many of the bad things as possible. Help others until it hurts, do unto others as they do unto you, and never to be a lamb, be a lion posing as a lamb.
Some people may think that way and others might not. Do I think everyone in the world should get their day to day guidance on how to be a better person from the bible? Well that would depend on the bible. For instance there is the one most people know about, the Holy Bible, a good book for life lessons if you can understand it. Sure you could probably read the words and know the meaning behind them but if they don't hit home you won't understand them. As in how could I understand, in the world we live in today, if an all powerful being just appeared in the world an made his presence known and said he would destroy the entire world's population in less than a year, all because we'd failed to worship him correctly, or we had sex with the neighbor's wife or some other such nonsense that would hurt an individual's emotions but as far as the species had little or no effect on the world. Sure he sent his son to die for our sins but if he were willing to destroy all life once for no reason except improper worship, I don't think it's the right book to be letting into the hands of our children. If we lived by those laws today people would be shot for simple things like cussing at a teacher or yelling at the board in a town council meeting(and i know people just love doing that, I mean just look at any news footage of a council meeting there's always someone pissed off in the back).
How about a book that teaches you what it means to really be a good person based on doing good things for the satisfaction that one day all your unwarranted help could be reciprocated, all because you stopped at the broken down car to help or helped the old lady across the street. Or any kind of charity you feel up to performing. A book that teaches goodness for goodness, instead of a book that threatens us to be good our whole life with no mistakes or you'll BURN IN HELL!!!
That's not how I want my children to view the world, I want my children to know that all it takes is to be a good person is to do good things and avoid as many of the bad things as possible. Help others until it hurts, do unto others as they do unto you, and never to be a lamb, be a lion posing as a lamb.
I'm writing my own.
