Quora: What is the most disturbing thing in the Bible that you have found as an atheist?

Debate Room
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Besides, those “commandments” mention driving other tribes away from their lands (an absolutely fucking horsecock move), and you are commanded to destroy their altars etc., the god emphasises her narcissism by explaining how no other gods are to be heeded, how often and how to feast and sacrifice for the same narcissistic god, and for these stone age or bronze age tribes to wait for some stone tablets with similar narcissistic tripe on them.

You seem to be overlooking the role that the biblical fairytale plays in current world affairs this very minute. The Zionists base their agenda on several Bible passages, including the First Commandment = Exodus 34:11-16 (NKJV), Deuteronomy 1:6-8 (NKJV), and 2 Esdras 6:55-59 (CEB).

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I generally read words literally, unless there is a good reason to imagine they don’t mean what they actually say. So if an assertion, in the bible or anywhere else, is vague, contradictory, ambiguous, or unintelligible, I don’t leap to the conclusion it contains some esoteric message, especially if someone is trying to claim it is inspired by a deity with limitless knowledge to create it, and limitless power to communicate it, and who has created everything, including the message, so that I will conclude both it and the message are real.

That underlined part is the opposite of accurately defining something, it sounds more like a method to produce an entirely subjective interpretation, and given the archaic and fragmented nature of much of the biblical narratives, this just seems like a recipe for projecting one’s own subjective beliefs into the text, quelle surprise of course, but this is what many theists and religious apologists do all too often.

Which would explain why we have different versions of the bible, and more importantly approximately 45k different sects and denominations globally under the umbrella of Christianity.

Seeing any problem with that at all, and the notion a quick subjective reinterpretation will clarify things?

I think you mean allegedly, as we have no objective evidence, indeed not even one contemporary or independent record of anything Jesus may have said or done, assuming he actually existed of course, and the evidence supporting that is pretty scant, even given the elapsed time from the events purportedly described in the gospel myths, which are both anonymous and written decades later. So attaching some esoteric significance to a number like that seems meaningless to me, and again this is the kind of thing we see theists and apologists of all stripes do all too often to produce deepities as if they are profundity.

I’d be more interested in why you think your subjective interpretation is of any more significance than anyone else’s, and you’re starting to sound like a very strange atheist I must say?

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I am not. But the fact that someone chooses to read stories and follow instructions in a book to the letter does not imply that those stories have anything at all to do with actual history or that the instructions are based on anything but old myths. As an analogy, take the Harry Potter book series. In these books, instructions for the game of Quidditch are given. The fact that some people read these books, interpret the Quidditch instructions, and actually play the game (albeit in a muggle and non-magical way) does not in any way mean that someone, somewhere, have actually played the game with flying broomsticks and autonomous magic balls, nor that it is even possible to do it.

My point was, in extension of your comment, that the fact that someone, today, read and practice bronze age instructions for how to please a old middle eastern desert god with animal sacrifice and fumes from burning meat or incense does not take away from the conclusion that the god described in those stories is an narcissistic and egomaniacal character and that the “commandments” described there are insane laws not fit for anything else but show and mystery to keep the populace subservient to the priests.

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I have a question…

Why do you call yourself File Cabinet? :dizzy_face:

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The Bible is nothing but collection of ancient ethnocentric Middle Eastern Jewish religious fairytales, just like the Koran is about Arabian religious fairytales. But, when discussing them it’s best to address what they are saying if you wat to have a meaningful discussion. Otherwise, you can just say that they are all BS and talk about cutting lawn grass or washing dirty clothes.

From a literature POV, the Bible is very well written because the storytellers and writers linked all of the stories in the Old and New Testaments to one or more of the real Ten Commandments in Exodus 34:11-26. They also did a very good job by including countless clues that they whole thing was just an elaborate hoax because there was no Bible as a book until a committee based in England produced three master copies in Latin in the 680s-early 690s AD. Each copy weighed about 75 pounds and one still exists today. You can not find legitimate authentic Bible as a book written before that time on this planet for all of the gold in the Milky Way Galaxy. The Catholics needed a book to counter the Koran, which was written around 640 AD. They included lots of war stories so that the priests could inspire the troops to engage in mass killings because, after all, God had OK’ed it in the Bible.

The fourteen books of the Apocrypha are generally more secular in nature and they do contain some good timeless advice that just about everyone can benefit from. Two English bigots deleted them from the Bible when they revised it in 1881. So, you re probably more familiar with the Reader’s Digest version than you are with the complete Bible.

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Since there are plenty of well known bibles much older than that; I’m going to assume you are going to dismiss any counter-examples out of hand as not legitimate authentic?

eta: Additionally it seems you agree the bible is a book of fairy tales, suggesting no copy could be legitimate authentic; so why is that being used as a standard?

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This doesn’t address anything I said? Some of it even contradicts what you said initially, so it seems pointless addressing you a second time when you haven’t the integrity for honest debate.

Try reading my post again, and if you can muster something beyond a new raft of unevidenced sweeping assertions, then I might give you the benefit of the doubt a second time.

As one example this directly contradicts your earlier claim here:

Also you have responded by repeating my claim back to me, which was offered in response to your entirely unevidenced assertion we should interpret them in our own words?

You’re not making any sense, you’re not engaging honestly with responses to your nonsensical assertions, and your claims are contradictory, and you are making sweeping assertions without even the pretence of objective evidence to support them.

Would bullet points help you understand? Oh that’s condescension in case you missed it, as you seem to think it represents impressive argument.

See, contradictory bs? Note nothing presented to support either claim, not even the pretence of any epistemological, rational, or empirical support.

0/10, this is going to fuck your average, up your game.

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@FILECABINET, do you plan on supporting any of the many assertions you’ve proffered with data or evidence, as requested?

This is an important question and it is an important action for you to take.

This is a debate forum, not a podium. As such, it seems reasonable for me to request that you accompany your assertions with supporting information or perhaps you should consider taking your thoughts over to X (Twitter) as it would be a more appropriate platform for your current style of activity.

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One of the more interesting things is that in lots of passages it simply doesn’t matter if you are a good person because your ancestry or physical condition will condemn you to being on God’s shit list. And you have no control about who your ancestors were or about your physical condition. It is also interesting that the Jesus guy preached that you should engage in self-mutilation to keep from sinning. The Old Testament God character hates physically defective people.

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Dude… you are preaching to atheists… no one on the site believes the shit in the bible or the way you are stringing things together. Cherry pick the verses any way you like. You can make the book assert anything you like. That’s why we have over 45,000 Christian denominations globally. Your long-winded verbiage and bible quotes mean jack. You lost me back when you thought there were 10 commandments written on stone someplace. Do you know nothing of the history of the Book you are quoting?

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You make a very relevant point. since most people who post on the forum are admitted atheists, including myself. it might be a very good idea to simply shut down the forum because it seems that no one can express any opinion other than that there is no god. Because everyone has already written that numerous times and no other opinions are tolerated, taking a crap might be more intellectually stimulating than trying to have an intelligent discussion with certain people.

Some forums have a “block” feature where you, as an individual, can block people who piss you off and you are no longer able to see each other’s remarks. That might be a nice feature to incorporate on this forum.

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Not even remotely what he said, this latest logical fallacy is called a straw man. Perhaps at some point, when you actually read and understand what others are posting, you might grasp the difference between disbelieving a claim, and making a contrary claim, but at this point I am dubious.

Another straw man, sulking and lying that no other opinions are tolerated, just because you have been challenged to offer a shred of objective evidence to support your sweeping rhetoric, isn’t as impressive as you seem to think.

Already available champ. Now what did you want to debate again? Only you seem to have, dare I say, the religious apologist’s knack for preaching irrational unevidenced claims, while ignoring all rational objections or criticisms to your rhetoric.

Stop pretending you know everything, and everyone else does not, you might actually learn something.

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No one? When did I express that opinion?

Please check your inbox. I’ve sent you a notification.

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Has he been voted most strident and closed minded poster for May 2024?

Damn, I have been chasing that one for ages, I just can’t catch a break. :smirk:

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  1. Look up atheism in a dictionary.
  2. You’ve been here one whole day, so your opinion, trite and petulant as it appears, must be weighed accordingly.
  3. That is a bare faced lie, I was courteous enough to initially describe it as a straw man, on reflection I feel I was offering the lie, far more courtesy than it deserved.

Another lie…

Any response might actually cause an irony overload, but I can offer a tacit agreement… :smirk: :wink:

Including this one, though there is of course more severe sweeping and permanent recourse to deal with those who exhaust the impressively prodigious patience of the moderators. :face_with_raised_eyebrow: :smirk:

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I’ve got a question. Can you demonstrate that there is no god? How would you do that? Please share. I can see you defining a specific god out of existence. For example, claiming that a god can exist beyond time and space is moronic as existence is temporal. Existence as we know it is defined by time and space and so has no meaning at all without time or space. A god that exists for no time, and no space is the same thing as nonexistent. So, I get a specific god. But you said God and that references all Gods. Please demonstrate that no concept of a god, all concepts of god or gods, do not exist. I would love to see you do it.

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Conmen create gods as a way to gain power and prestige over their more superstitious buddies. This has been true for all groups throughout the ages. The conmen get to wear special clothes and ornaments to show that they are buddies with the god they created. Their buddies give them money so that they don’t have to do any physical labor.

In ancient times all of the emperors, kings, and high priests claimed to have been gods of some sort. The biblical God bit the dust around 530 BC when the Babylonian emperor croaked and the empire collapsed. He is never, ever, coming back. The last god was the Japanese emperor who lost his power at the end of WWII. However, all national leaders are semi-gods because they have the power of life and death over their people. And parents are gods and goddesses (or demons) in their families. Even you are a “god” (or a demon).

The Bible tells how gods are created.

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This is your last chance, @FILECABINET, back up this assertion with data.

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How do you know that?

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If my opinions are causing you too much emotional and mental anguish, then simply mute me and your happiness should be restored.