Originally posted by wonderwench
Some thoughts on this topic:
- There is a great deal of confusion between what is God and what is manmade dogma. Despite the claims that the Bible is the word of God, it has been written, edited and translated by men for centuries.
- The historical context is very misunderstood. Centuries ago, most people were illiterate and the main mode of learning was through stories and parables. These were not to be intepreted in the literal sense that some here are doing.
- Those of you who are dwelling on the existence of heaven and hell have fallen into the trap of Platonic philosophy: there are two worlds. The physical world is sinful and miserable; the joyous world is the afterlife, which we cannot experience until after we die. The Platonic view was seized upon by powerseekers. It is very easy to control someone when they are supposed to put their faith into something they will not truly know until after they are dead. The contrasting philosophy is Aristotelian: we live in reality and have the faculty of reason with which we may understand the universe. Why did God give us the faculty of reason if he did not wish us to use it?
- Religions are forms of philosophies which specify the values that one should follow to live a good life. Stripping away the dogma of organized religion, the eternal truths which are life affirming are best summed up in the Golden Rule. What I find interesting and disturbing is the undercurrent of joy and ancitipation on the part of some of the fervent Christians that those who do not believe the way they do will go to hell. There is a small-mindedness in savoring the future suffering of others. I doubt this is what Jesus meant in his parables and teachings. Nor is it the congruent with the manner in which he led his life.
- Those who are advocating a very literal interpretation of the Bible portray a vengeful God who is more concerned with Faith and being worshipped than the lives of the people he created. To think that God would condemn to hell someone who, in his dealings with others, followed Jesus' example of loving thy neighbor, merely because he doesn't worship God, is to think that God wishes to be an idol.
It comes down to this: do we think we were created in order to bow down to a vengeful God? Or do we believe we were created by a benevolent entity who designed us to lead fulfilling lives? The truth stripped bare of dogma supports the latter.
Likewise, I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments, but rather by means of good works, as is proper for women making a claim to godliness.
