Can atheist enjoy the Bible?

[cnm]

And @anyone who would agree with that critique.

#MeToo

Even though I haven't read all or much of it. The bits I did read were pretty repulsive, no argument.

 

[cnm]

Why are you so slow?

Why do you talk about proof?

 

[DudleySmith]

Are atheist allowed to enjoy the Bible?

Can atheist dig deeper into one of the bigger influences of English/American development?

Can atheists study and/or practice the ethics taught by Christ in the gospels?

Can atheists gain inspiration from the colorful and powerful stories of the Bible?

or do atheists have an obligation to hate the Bible?

View attachment 479375

“I believe in one God, and no more; and I hope for happiness beyond this life. I believe in the equality of man; and I believe that religious duties consist in doing justice, loving mercy, and endeavoring to make our fellow-creatures happy.” —Thomas Paine

LOL people keep trying to turn a couple of Founders into athesits or Deists, and then by extension make them all Deists and atheists, when in fact few of them were either, not even their favorite mis-quoted and mis-represented Founders Jefferson and Franklin.

 

[ding]

The bible is an excellent piece of literature,

I have read better books and they were written by mere mortal men.

No, you haven't. Lord of the Rings wasn't really that great, no matter what a bunch of hippie stoners say about it.

You would think a Supreme Being would be a better writer

V
It's way over your head, so you wouldn't know about that either.

Lord of the Rings is fantasy, much like the Bible

Now, what if 2000 years from now, people took Lord of the Rings as the word of God?

That wouldn't be my assessment. It's not very balanced.

It’s a better tale than the Bible.
What if 2000 years from now, people worship Lord of the Rings or Game of Thrones?

When questioned....they say they have “Faith” it is all true

Is that really what you believe happened? That all of these different authors were writing fictional novels?

And that it wasn't ancient man passing down information such as history, wisdom, etc?

 

[rightwinger]

Is that really what you believe happened? That all of these different authors were writing fictional novels?

Fiction such as a great flood and parting the seas?

 

[ding]

Are atheist allowed to enjoy the Bible?

Can atheist dig deeper into one of the bigger influences of English/American development?

Can atheists study and/or practice the ethics taught by Christ in the gospels?

Can atheists gain inspiration from the colorful and powerful stories of the Bible?

or do atheists have an obligation to hate the Bible?

That's a tough ask. It's a pretty crappy piece of literature, for one. Second, it is one of our first and worst attempts at morality, ethics, science, and philosophy. And the god character is so nauseating and evil, that one has a hard time discerning anything valuable to learn from it, without the influence of faith and preconceptions about the story and the depicted god. I read it in its entirey when i was younger, but it was more of a challenge to myself than something i enjoyed. Nowadays, i doubt i would get through Deuteronomy without wanting to pluck my eyes out instead.

Dude, that critique says way more about you than that "crappy piece of literature" you are critiquing.

And anyone who would agree with that critique.

What in the Bible is “good writing”?

People say it is a ”Good Book” because they are afraid God will punish them otherwise

Parables of Jesus, Psalms, Proverbs, historical narratives of ancient events, the answers to the origin questions, etc.

 

[ding]

Is that really what you believe happened? That all of these different authors were writing fictional novels?

Fiction such as a great flood and parting the seas?

Embellishment to make the account more memorable and easier to remember and pass down.

 

[ding]

And @anyone who would agree with that critique.

#MeToo

Even though I haven't read all or much of it. The bits I did read were pretty repulsive, no argument.

If discernment were common everyone would have it.

 

[rightwinger]

Is that really what you believe happened? That all of these different authors were writing fictional novels?

Fiction such as a great flood and parting the seas?

Embellishment to make the account more memorable and easier to remember and pass down.

In other words, fictional tales
No, the whale did not really swallow Jonah

What if, 2000 years from now, people read Game of Thrones and accept it as Gospel?

 

[C_Clayton_Jones]

The bible is an excellent piece of literature,

I have read better books and they were written by mere mortal men.

No, you haven't. Lord of the Rings wasn't really that great, no matter what a bunch of hippie stoners say about it.

You would think a Supreme Being would be a better writer

V
It's way over your head, so you wouldn't know about that either.

Lord of the Rings is fantasy, much like the Bible

Now, what if 2000 years from now, people took Lord of the Rings as the word of God?

That wouldn't be my assessment. It's not very balanced.

It’s a better tale than the Bible.
What if 2000 years from now, people worship Lord of the Rings or Game of Thrones?

When questioned....they say they have “Faith” it is all true

Is that really what you believe happened? That all of these different authors were writing fictional novels?

And that it wasn't ancient man passing down information such as history, wisdom, etc?

That’s exactly what happened.

Epic of Gilgamesh

www.ancienttexts.org

 

[ding]

Is that really what you believe happened? That all of these different authors were writing fictional novels?

Fiction such as a great flood and parting the seas?

Embellishment to make the account more memorable and easier to remember and pass down.

In other words, fictional tales
No, the whale did not really swallow Jonah

What if, 2000 years from now, people read Game of Thrones and accept it as Gospel?

Again... you are missing the informational aspect; the transfer of information.

But if you want to dismiss that, be my guest. It's probably easier for you that way than it is to acknowledge what it really is.

 

[ding]

The bible is an excellent piece of literature,

I have read better books and they were written by mere mortal men.

No, you haven't. Lord of the Rings wasn't really that great, no matter what a bunch of hippie stoners say about it.

You would think a Supreme Being would be a better writer

V
It's way over your head, so you wouldn't know about that either.

Lord of the Rings is fantasy, much like the Bible

Now, what if 2000 years from now, people took Lord of the Rings as the word of God?

That wouldn't be my assessment. It's not very balanced.

It’s a better tale than the Bible.
What if 2000 years from now, people worship Lord of the Rings or Game of Thrones?

When questioned....they say they have “Faith” it is all true

Is that really what you believe happened? That all of these different authors were writing fictional novels?

And that it wasn't ancient man passing down information such as history, wisdom, etc?

That’s exactly what happened.

Epic of Gilgamesh

www.ancienttexts.org

Not sure I can agree with that.

 

[ding]

But it seems the answers to the OP are no.

 

[rightwinger]

Is that really what you believe happened? That all of these different authors were writing fictional novels?

Fiction such as a great flood and parting the seas?

Embellishment to make the account more memorable and easier to remember and pass down.

In other words, fictional tales
No, the whale did not really swallow Jonah

What if, 2000 years from now, people read Game of Thrones and accept it as Gospel?

Again... you are missing the informational aspect; the transfer of information.

But if you want to dismiss that, be my guest. It's probably easier for you that way than it is to acknowledge what it really is.

The Bible is composed of morality tales meant to inspire certain behaviors. A work of fiction

No, the earth did not flood
Jonah was not swallowed by a whale
Moses did not part the Red Sea

Makes a good story though

 

[rightwinger]

My favorite Bible Story is Moses leading the Jews out of Slavery.
Inspiring.

Then when Moses receives the Ten Commandments, not ONE OF THEM condemns Slavery

God makes coveting your neighbors goods a sin.......But not Slavery!

 

[ding]

Is that really what you believe happened? That all of these different authors were writing fictional novels?

Fiction such as a great flood and parting the seas?

Embellishment to make the account more memorable and easier to remember and pass down.

In other words, fictional tales
No, the whale did not really swallow Jonah

What if, 2000 years from now, people read Game of Thrones and accept it as Gospel?

Again... you are missing the informational aspect; the transfer of information.

But if you want to dismiss that, be my guest. It's probably easier for you that way than it is to acknowledge what it really is.

The Bible is composed of morality tales meant to inspire certain behaviors. A work of fiction

No, the earth did not flood
Jonah was not swallowed by a whale
Moses did not part the Red Sea

Makes a good story though

There was a flood event. It was not a world wide flood as in the entire earth flooded. It was world wide climate disruption due to an asteroid strike that caused extraordinary raining event all around the globe that was so out of the norm as to be noteworthy and recorded by all ancient civilizations and the narrative was embellished.

There was an exodus from Egypt by Jewish indentured servants and the narrative was embellished.

 

[Grumblenuts]

Do unto udders..

 

[ding]

My favorite Bible Story is Moses leading the Jews out of Slavery.
Inspiring.

Then when Moses receives the Ten Commandments, not ONE OF THEM condemns Slavery

God makes coveting your neighbors goods a sin.......But not Slavery!

Slavery was for the Jews, meant indentured servitude not forced slavery and the practices established for treatment of indentured servitude at that time were heads and shoulders above that of their neighbors.

 

[ding]

Is that really what you believe happened? That all of these different authors were writing fictional novels?

Fiction such as a great flood and parting the seas?

Embellishment to make the account more memorable and easier to remember and pass down.

In other words, fictional tales
No, the whale did not really swallow Jonah

What if, 2000 years from now, people read Game of Thrones and accept it as Gospel?

Again... you are missing the informational aspect; the transfer of information.

But if you want to dismiss that, be my guest. It's probably easier for you that way than it is to acknowledge what it really is.

The Bible is composed of morality tales meant to inspire certain behaviors. A work of fiction

No, the earth did not flood
Jonah was not swallowed by a whale
Moses did not part the Red Sea

Makes a good story though

Considering the age of these texts, I find your conclusions to be overly simple, unbalanced and biased. It never ceases to amaze me how a group of people who see themselves as intellectually enlightened fail to actually take an intellectually balanced position on the things they hate.

 

[rightwinger]

My favorite Bible Story is Moses leading the Jews out of Slavery.
Inspiring.

Then when Moses receives the Ten Commandments, not ONE OF THEM condemns Slavery

God makes coveting your neighbors goods a sin.......But not Slavery!

Slavery was for the Jews, meant indentured servitude not forced slavery and the practices established for treatment of indentured servitude at that time were heads and shoulders above that of their neighbors.

Revisionist history
They were Slaves, their children were slaves
Bought and sold, beaten, women routinely raped and sold off.

You would think God would say it was a bad idea