Richard Dawkins backs plans for a bible in every school - Polidicks

[QUOTE=yawmwen;36103277]The content itself is poetic IMO. There is plenty of irony, absurdity, and poetic "justice" in the bible.[/QUOTE] Ah OK, I do agree in that sense. But so it should be handled as a work of fiction/art and not an absolute guide or answer to life, universe and everything.

[QUOTE=Meller Yeller;36103195]It sounds like a good idea honestly. Even if you don't believe it, I find theology very interesting to study. I took a class specifically on the gospels last semester and it was one of my favorite classes.[/QUOTE] I thought you meant eradicate the gays for a second.

[QUOTE=Jackald;36103296]Hebrew. Some of the mistranslations are kind of funny though. For example, "Money is the root of [i]all kinds of evils[/i]" became "Money is the root of [i]all[/i]", and "It's easier for a camel to fit through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich man to enter heaven" became a literal interpretation, when the original hebrew was describing a particular, notoriously slim gateway into Jerusalem.[/QUOTE] I have a Gideon bible, and one of the verses that always makes me smile is in the book of Revelations: "I will kill her children with death".

[QUOTE=DudeGuyKT;36101657]I like it when people are able to look past their opinions and see things for their base concepts. In this case, looking past atheism and being able to see the Bible as a book that has influenced literary traditions and English as a whole.[/QUOTE] uh. Real atheism does not denies that the bible is a good book.

[QUOTE=CakeMaster7;36102974]The bible is not an infallible source, unlike the Koran it wasn't written by prophets, it was written by many different authors, any of whom could easily have added their own biases and opinions into parts of it. You have to remember that these authors had different backgrounds. Not all lived in the exact same place at the exact same time. Another fact is that the bible has been translated numerous times through multiple languages over time (depending on the part) and that what you're reading in your modern language is not necessarily exactly what they wrote.[/QUOTE] Even the Qu'ran had a period of uncertainty before the standardization

[QUOTE=yawmwen;36103332]I have a Gideon bible, and one of the verses that always makes me smile is in the book of Revelations: "I will kill her children with death".[/QUOTE] i have a neon bible

[QUOTE=Contag;36104179]Even the Qu'ran had a period of uncertainty before the standardization[/QUOTE] Exactly. What I'm saying is that only an idiot would read the bible and (whether religious or not) forget that in the end it was written by flawed humans who were just as influenced by the opinions and ideas of their time as you are now.

My school has a bible. Along with both the Koran and the Torah. They don't get checked out much, alongside the books on Evolution and Basic Dinosaur Ecology. Our school doesn't touch on that subject.

[QUOTE=Sobotnik;36102934]I support this move as long as it's put in the fiction section of the library.[/QUOTE] Because that won't be offensive at all! ~~so witty~~

[QUOTE=Ordigenius;36104132]uh. Real atheism does not denies that the bible is a good book.[/QUOTE] I've read a good portion of the bible, it's interesting to say the least. I love the parts that modern day christians completely ignore such as the section explaining why slavery is okay, and the story of the woman that keeps getting passed around her dead husbands brothers, each of which god kills because they don't want to fuck their dead brothers widow.

[QUOTE=JustGman;36104355]I've read a good portion of the bible, it's interesting to say the least. I love the parts that modern day christians completely ignore such as the section explaining why slavery is okay, and the story of the woman that keeps getting passed around her dead husbands brothers, each of which god kills because they don't want to fuck their dead brothers widow.[/QUOTE] yeah it's a goldmine specially ezekiel

[QUOTE=just-a-boy;36101784]Can't wait for fundies and generally religious ignoramuses to not get past the first line and already get their knickers in a twist: "Your precious Dawkins has forsaken you, atheists! God has made him see the light!"[/QUOTE] god forbid people to practice their beliefs during a break period or free study time aka you need to stop making piss-poor posts

On the experiment: Subject is given a passage from bible or Shakespeare; subject is not aware from which it is. Subject is asked to determine source of passage. Hilarity ensues, TV show idea hit success.

[QUOTE=Ordigenius;36104374]yeah it's a goldmine specially ezekiel[/QUOTE]Ezekiel 23:20 "There she lusted after her lovers, whose genitals were like those of donkeys and whose emission was like that of horses."

[QUOTE=smurfy;36101620]I wish Wikipedia had a plot summary for the Bible, shit would be so much easier[/QUOTE] Haha, yeah, as if the Bible has a plot. The Bible is a bunch of incoherent tangential stories about people in the desert who are too stupid to live anywhere but the fucking desert. There is no real plot. Plus, you can learn a shitload about the Bible outside of the Bible. For instance, did you know the original book of Genesis referenced multiple Gods? Judaism was originally a polytheistic derivative of pagan religions. The line "In the beginning God made heaven and earth" is (intentionally) mistranslated. The word [I]Elohim[/I] is a plural, meaning [I]Gods[/I]. The original book implied a pantheon, which was derived from cosmically-rooted deities in the pagan religions present during the genesis of Judaism. The primary deities of this pantheon were Yahweh (derived from the Sun,) Satan (derived from Saturn) and Lucifer (derived from Venus). I've said this before, but there's a reason that Satan, Lucifer and the Devil are never directly associated with one another, and remain distinct characters. That's because they were originally [I]equals[/I] to 'God' (Yahweh), and they weren't evil rebels or servants. This brings a whole new meaning to the original texts of Genesis. Yahweh was not originally a benevolent force, nor was he the supreme force. He was an overlord. The serpent that convinced Eve to eat from the Tree of Knowledge was not an evil interloper of Hell, but simply another god in the same pantheon that wanted to bestow knowledge and curiosity upon Humanity (ala Prometheus). And to top it all off, they had [I]all[/I] created Humanity, not just Yahweh, and they all had equal claim to Humanity's guidance. Yahweh just had a fucking hissy fit when he didn't get his way. [editline]27th May 2012[/editline] [QUOTE=Ordigenius;36104132]uh. Real atheism does not denies that the bible is a good book.[/QUOTE] Uhh no it's an awful book and anyone who's actually forced themselves to read it realizes that. It is perhaps the most poorly written collection of historical fanfiction ever compiled. First it was written by jackasses in the desert. Then it was written by jackasses in the dark ages who wallowed in their own feces. Then it was written by rich fuckers in the Vatican who wanted to get more money.

[QUOTE=Lankist;36105011]Haha, yeah, as if the Bible has a plot. The Bible is a bunch of incoherent tangential stories about people in the desert who are too stupid to live anywhere but the fucking desert. There is no real plot. Plus, you can learn a shitload about the Bible outside of the Bible. For instance, did you know the original book of Genesis referenced multiple Gods? Judaism was originally a polytheistic derivative of pagan religions. The line "In the beginning God made heaven and earth" is (intentionally) mistranslated. The word [I]Elohim[/I] is a plural, meaning [I]Gods[/I]. The original book implied a pantheon, which was derived from cosmically-rooted deities in the pagan religions present during the genesis of Judaism. The primary deities of this pantheon were Yahweh (derived from the Sun,) Satan (derived from Saturn) and Lucifer (derived from Venus). I've said this before, but there's a reason that Satan, Lucifer and the Devil are never directly associated with one another, and remain distinct characters. That's because they were originally [I]equals[/I] to 'God' (Yahweh), and they weren't evil rebels or servants. This brings a whole new meaning to the original texts of Genesis. Yahweh was not originally a benevolent force, nor was he the supreme force. He was an overlord. The serpent that convinced Eve to eat from the Tree of Knowledge was not an evil interloper of Hell, but simply another god in the same pantheon that wanted to bestow knowledge and curiosity upon Humanity (ala Prometheus). And to top it all off, they had [I]all[/I] created Humanity, not just Yahweh, and they all had equal claim to Humanity's guidance. Yahweh just had a fucking hissy fit when he didn't get his way. [/QUOTE] Wow, I like this version way better.

[QUOTE=Mingebox;36105073]Wow, I like this version way better.[/QUOTE] That sort of thing is why polytheism was (and is) so much cooler than monotheism. In monotheism, fuckers do not understand the concept of malevolent or capricious gods. Abrahamic religions think their God is all benevolent and shit, is all-knowing and all-wise and never ever ever ever fucks up. Polytheism, though? Their gods are [I]assholes[/I] and they know it. There really isn't much blasphemy or heresy in polytheistic religions because there's no mandate that someone can't pick a side between bickering gods. In Christianity or Islam, for instance, if you say "God is a fucking prick," you get chased out of town with the torches and the pitchforks. But in a polytheistic religion, you can say whatever the fuck you want about whatever god you want and it's like "yeah, you got a point, dude," because none of them are absolute or supreme. Polytheist gods are very humanized and down-to-Earth (no pun intended). They are frequently wrong in their own mythologies and their constituents know it. Not to imply polytheism is any less silly than monotheism, but it's a lot more modest and a hell of a lot more badass. Christ promised to rid the world of sin. Odin promised to get rid of the Ice Giants. I don't see any fucking Ice Giants, do you?

[QUOTE=Marbalo;36103065]Could it be that the bible was written by a bunch of old sweaty men and that is why there are so many passages that contradict each other? Or am I being too blunt here[/QUOTE] no I think that about sums it up I think there may or may not be a god of some kind but it's just generally easier not to outline any kind of faith in the first place, you're just gonna get depressed and never find the answer before you die. it just saves a whole load of trouble in the long run.

Richard Dawkins makes a complete shit wizard of himself, details at 11.

[QUOTE=Lankist;36105135]That sort of thing is why polytheism was (and is) so much cooler than monotheism. In monotheism, fuckers do not understand the concept of malevolent or capricious gods. Abrahamic religions think their God is all benevolent and shit, is all-knowing and all-wise and never ever ever ever fucks up. Polytheism, though? Their gods are [I]assholes[/I] and they know it. There really isn't much blasphemy or heresy in polytheistic religions because there's no mandate that someone can't pick a side between bickering gods. In Christianity or Islam, for instance, if you say "God is a fucking prick," you get chased out of town with the torches and the pitchforks. But in a polytheistic religion, you can say whatever the fuck you want about whatever god you want and it's like "yeah, you got a point, dude," because none of them are absolute or supreme. Polytheist gods are very humanized and down-to-Earth (no pun intended). They are frequently wrong in their own mythologies and their constituents know it. Not to imply polytheism is any less silly than monotheism, but it's a lot more modest and a hell of a lot more badass. Christ promised to rid the world of sin. Odin promised to get rid of the Ice Giants. I don't see any fucking Ice Giants, do you?[/QUOTE] Hey now, zoroastrianism is monotheistic and also pretty humble. You can't knock monotheism just because of ONE bad apple(Yahweh). "When all is said and done, the soul receives in the afterlife what it has given out in this life. In other words, the soul creates its heaven or hell, both of which are a state of spiritual existence and not places. " "Zoroastrianism suggests the goal of one's life is to achieve ushta - abiding peace and happiness - humanity at peace with itself and an individual at peace with oneself. " "At the end of time all souls will return to God after a cleansing. " [url]http://www.heritageinstitute.com/zoroastrianism/death/index.htm[/url] Doesn't seem too bad to me.

I personally like the idea of Deism, in that there is some sort of supreme creator but he sort of said "fuck it" and then left. (by "left," I mean he basically lets it run it's own course without any intervention)

[QUOTE=Jackald;36102474]It's a good idea. I don't see how anyone could read Exodus 21:7-11, Judges 21:10-24, Deuteronomy 13:13-19 and Nahum 1:2-8 and still decide to follow that religious text if they view it from an objective point of view and aren't, y'know, brainwashed since birth. [editline]27th May 2012[/editline] "If a man is caught in the act of raping a young woman who is not engaged, he must pay fifty pieces of silver to her father. Then he must marry the young woman because he violated her, and he will never be allowed to divorce her." - Deuteronomy 22:28-29 "If within the city a man comes upon a maiden who is betrothed, and has relations with her, you shall bring them both out of the gate of the city and there stone them to death: the girl because she did not cry out for help though she was in the city, and the man because he violated his neighbors wife." Deuteronomy 22:23-24 "When a man sells his daughter as a slave, she will not be freed at the end of six years as the men are. If she does not please the man who bought her, he may allow her to be bought back again. " - Exodus 21:7-11 I agree, good morals.[/QUOTE] those are old testament and meant to be ignored under almost all religions [editline]27th May 2012[/editline] [QUOTE=yawmwen;36102610]Incest violates the bible too, dude.[/QUOTE] Lot impregnated his daughters and was called a righteous man.

[QUOTE=yawmwen;36105266]Hey now, zoroastrianism is monotheistic and also pretty humble. You can't knock monotheism just because of ONE bad apple(Yahweh). "When all is said and done, the soul receives in the afterlife what it has given out in this life. In other words, the soul creates its heaven or hell, both of which are a state of spiritual existence and not places. " "Zoroastrianism suggests the goal of one's life is to achieve ushta - abiding peace and happiness - humanity at peace with itself and an individual at peace with oneself. " "At the end of time all souls will return to God after a cleansing. " [url]http://www.heritageinstitute.com/zoroastrianism/death/index.htm[/url] Doesn't seem too bad to me.[/QUOTE] so if I understand it right, if you live a peaceful life, you'll get the same peace you found in life and experience it in death? I like it, it isn't overly and hypocritically obsessed with retribution and I can live confident that I'm not going to get my flesh melted off by some bright red dude I can nonetheless sympathize with.

[QUOTE=ButtsexV3;36105291]those are old testament and meant to be ignored under almost all religions[/QUOTE] who cares, either way the bible is terrible if you choose to cherry pick and say the old testament doesn't count because it makes you look bad you're just proving it's a book written by men and it is in no way "holy" or the word of god, and if you actually support everything that is supposed to be "the word of god" you're supporting awful outdated barbaric teachings

[QUOTE=ButtsexV3;36105291]Lot impregnated his daughters and was called a righteous man.[/QUOTE] Plus, Adam and Eve only had two sons: Cain and Abel. How the fuck do you people think they got to Abraham? [editline]28th May 2012[/editline] [QUOTE=ButtsexV3;36105291]those are old testament and meant to be ignored under almost all religions[/QUOTE] Jesus is pretty adamant on how the Old Testament is still holy law. And what do you mean "almost all religions?" Only two religions in the world recognize the Old Testament in addition to their illegitimate sequel fanfics, and both of them hate jews.

[QUOTE=Lankist;36105350]Plus, Adam and Eve only had two sons: Cain and Abel. How the fuck do you people think they got to Abraham? [editline]28th May 2012[/editline] Jesus is pretty adamant on how the Old Testament is still holy law.[/QUOTE] Adam and Eve had Cain, Abel, Seth and "other sons and daughters" (genesis 5:4) There was definitely some incest going on there but probably between the children Old Testament was still holy law when Jesus was supposedly alive, as the New Testament hadn't been written.

[QUOTE=Cone;36105317]so if I understand it right, if you live a peaceful life, you'll get the same peace you found in life and experience it in death? I like it, it isn't overly and hypocritically obsessed with retribution and I can live confident that I'm not going to get my flesh melted off by some bright red dude I can nonetheless sympathize with.[/QUOTE] One of the reasons the Persian Empire was so tolerant and laid back was because Zoroastrianism was pretty tolerant and laid back.

[QUOTE=Lankist;36105011] The line "In the beginning God made heaven and earth" is (intentionally) mistranslated. The word [I]Elohim[/I] is a plural, meaning [I]Gods[/I]. The original book implied a pantheon, which was derived from cosmically-rooted deities in the pagan religions present during the genesis of Judaism. The primary deities of this pantheon were Yahweh (derived from the Sun,) Satan (derived from Saturn) and Lucifer (derived from Venus). I've said this before, but there's a reason that Satan, Lucifer and the Devil are never directly associated with one another, and remain distinct characters. That's because they were originally [I]equals[/I] to 'God' (Yahweh), and they weren't evil rebels or servants. This brings a whole new meaning to the original texts of Genesis. Yahweh was not originally a benevolent force, nor was he the supreme force. He was an overlord. The serpent that convinced Eve to eat from the Tree of Knowledge was not an evil interloper of Hell, but simply another god in the same pantheon that wanted to bestow knowledge and curiosity upon Humanity (ala Prometheus). And to top it all off, they had [I]all[/I] created Humanity, not just Yahweh, and they all had equal claim to Humanity's guidance. Yahweh just had a fucking hissy fit when he didn't get his way. [/QUOTE] You got a source? I'd like to read more about this.

[QUOTE=Lankist;36105135]That sort of thing is why polytheism was (and is) so much cooler than monotheism. In monotheism, fuckers do not understand the concept of malevolent or capricious gods. Abrahamic religions think their God is all benevolent and shit, is all-knowing and all-wise and never ever ever ever fucks up. Polytheism, though? Their gods are [I]assholes[/I] and they know it. There really isn't much blasphemy or heresy in polytheistic religions because there's no mandate that someone can't pick a side between bickering gods. In Christianity or Islam, for instance, if you say "God is a fucking prick," you get chased out of town with the torches and the pitchforks. But in a polytheistic religion, you can say whatever the fuck you want about whatever god you want and it's like "yeah, you got a point, dude," because none of them are absolute or supreme. Polytheist gods are very humanized and down-to-Earth (no pun intended). They are frequently wrong in their own mythologies and their constituents know it. Not to imply polytheism is any less silly than monotheism, but it's a lot more modest and a hell of a lot more badass. Christ promised to rid the world of sin. Odin promised to get rid of the Ice Giants. I don't see any fucking Ice Giants, do you?[/QUOTE] The Greek gods were pretty much the same people you see on the Jerry Springer Show.

[QUOTE=Drasnus;36105484]You got a source? I'd like to read more about this.[/QUOTE] [url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elohim[/url] [editline]28th May 2012[/editline] Also it's pretty common knowledge that the entirety of Genesis is just plagiarized shit from pagan myth.