I should have thought to check on the authenticity of his degree. LOL… I was busy concerning myself with the trees and I missed the forest. Nice Catch!
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I agree. I was trying to prove the point that a difference of perspective can give a broader picture, but @David_Killens and @Nyarlathotep proved it more efficiently than I.
How many scientific errors can be allowed in a book that is supposed to have been authored by God? Well, let’s count some off.
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Serpents can talk?
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Donkey’s can talk?
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Jewish slaves in Egypt (No scientific evidence, In fact, evidence against the idea)
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Global Flood (Scientific evidence against the idea.)
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How old did people once live to be? Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha …
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Bats are birds?
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Rabbits chew their cud?
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There is a magic tree from which you can see the entire earth?
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Your God is omnipotent and omnipresent but can’t figure out where Adam and Eve
are hiding. -
Moses existed and is not a compendium of 3 earlier stories.
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A man can live inside a fish.
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Order of events in the creation account:
DAY 1: Darkness and separation of darkness from light (No light source.)
Day 2: Firmament, separation of waters above from waters below,
Day 3: A formless Earth, Separation of Earth from the sea.
Day 4: Creation of the sun and the moon.
Day 5: Creation of birds and fish.
Day 6: Creation of land animals and humans.
BUT SCIENCE SAYS ----- SOMETING DIFFERENT — lol ---- you look it up. -
Earth and its geological features are not in motion (1st Chronicles) Plate tectonics proves the bible wrong. “The earth can not be moved.”
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Isaiah 11:12, The world does not have four corners and it is not a disc.
Oh fuck this gets boring, Now I know whay Tin was so polite. There are over 100 pages of scientific contradictions…
Zombies waking from the dead and walking the streets.
Desciples of Jesus flying.
The existence of Jesus.
Water cab be turned into wine with magic.
This is fucking endless…
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Sheesh Cog, you didn’t even touch on the historical errors.
For me, the biggest one is that the Exodus did not happen.
I had a similar conversation regarding some of the stories in the Bible with some theists.
It seems there is always some strange flip-side between this forum and the people I come in contact with outside of it.
This is why I was looking for a particular topic that was brought up here regarding the watered-down versions of bible stories that we were all told as children. The moral lessons are completely lost in most cases.
Now, again I can only speak for my perspective, and to date I haven’t found any people who quite understand things as I do, but I will share with you what I think.
When I read the Bible for the first time, it was as an adult and without any preconceived notions. I had really forgotten the gist of most everything I had ever heard outside of criticisms. Personally, I find some of it, like the story of creation reads like an adult trying to explain something complex to a child. (I experience the same feeling in a lot of ways when I read indigenous creation stories). Some of the material, reads more like a fable: a story with a moral lesson.
When I read for example the story of Adam and Eve as an adult, the focus was not the talking snake.
It was the parts I had never thought of as a younger person. In fact, no one has ever really talked to me about what I determined upon reading it: A man had everything else in the world and lived in a paradise, yet he still longed for human companionship.
Yet, when he received exactly what it was that he desired, he forgot that it was a gift. Later, when both he and his wife made mistakes, neither of them took accountability for them. They were more concerned with being punished. Therefore, she blamed someone they all knew was a snake and he blamed his wife and his God.
Donkeys can talk? We all know the implications of an ass telling a person what they should already know. As a child, I didn’t know anything about that. As an adult, it was a different story.
I’ll get to what I think of some of the other stuff tomorrow if you care to know it. Thanks, guys. Have a good night.
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I said “Jewish Slaves in Egypt,” did not match up with science. From what we know of Egypt at the time of the Exodus, there was a thriving Jewish community and many of the Jews were government officials. One was a famous general in the Egyptian army but I don’t remember the name. The idea that Jews built the pyramids or even that ‘slaves’ built the pyramids is a complete fabrication. It is as much a fabrication as Christians being sacrificed to lions in the Colosseum in Rome, IT NEVER HAPPENED.
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And just as I have tried to say several times already in various ways, therein lies the very foundation of the problem with the bible and the religion built upon it. Specifically…
The Holy Bible… THE ultimate guide for humanity… Within its pages depicting an All-Powerful, All-Knowing, All-Benevolent, PERFECT God… With the PERFECT God within the book having inspired the writing of the book, and having dictated its contents… That same PERFECT All-knowing God having supervised and approved the writings within it… It is so overwhelmingly loaded with critical errors in just the FIRST CHAPTER ALONE that it totally counters its being developed by an All-Powerful, All-knowing, PERFECT entity. Hell, even the fact that God had to rely on MAN to write the book for him should be a HUGE clue in and of itself. You mean to tell me a God that can create the ENTIRE UNIVERSE (and humans) is incapable of writing one simple book with clear and concise instructions? To call that absurd would be a monumental understatement. In other words, the VERY FOUNDATION of the religion built upon the Holy Bible is SEVERELY cracked and beyond unstable.
It is actually laughable in many ways. Nevertheless, countless WARS have been started because of that book, and unimaginable numbers of human lives have been caused terrible suffering and/or been completely destroyed as a direct result of its “teachings”. And for whatever reason(s), that is the point you seem to be missing.
Is there some sort of “Supreme Being” out there in the cosmos “beyond space and time” watching us all and manipulating all that we do? Maybe. Maybe not. Hell if I know… (shrugging shoulders)… One thing for sure, though (in my opinion), if it is anything like the narcissistic, egotistical, genocidal, insecure bully-of-a-god as depicted in the bible, then we are ALL pretty much fucked. (Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, Atheist, etc. Doesn’t matter.) Thankfully, the bible itself pretty much negates that probability. Meanwhile, I have better things to do with my life than sit around heaping praise on, and kissing the ass of, such a horrible entity.
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And it is great that you were able to see some form of a good “lesson” in those stories. As I have already stated, yes, there are actually a few words of comfort and “wisdom” scattered (sparsely) throughout the bible. And if these are things that give you happiness and peace of mind, then, by all means, use whatever works for you to cope with life and the world. In order to do that, however, remember that you have to either purposely ignore and/or somehow find a way to “justify” the blatantly horrendous acts that are expressly promoted and condoned by that very same book. And while you and a handful of others prefer not to dwell upon the insidious side of those “holy scriptures”, keep in mind there are countless others out there who actively seek to utilize those “not-so-nice” scriptures for the purpose of power, control, and personal gain. History has proven that time and time again. And no matter what excuse(s) you may try, you simply CANNOT pick and choose the goody-goody parts you like, and then pretend the other parts do not exist. That is not how that book works, no matter how badly some may want it to.
What wisdom is present in the bible is not unique to the book and certainly existed prior to its construction. Also, considering wisdom can be found outside the book rather makes that religious path an irrelevant one. Furthermore, the thing with biblically oriented theists is they tend to fallaciously think their belief system alone has a monopoly on morality and wisdom they claim can only be found in their book.
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I grew up in the United Church of Canada, where they emphasized the positive stories, and avoided the nasty stuff. Even the threat of hell was casual, it was implied that the path to heaven was easy. We were the feel-good hippies of protestants.
But Tia, please understand that most atheists look at both sides of the coin. If god talks about love and such, this god also talks about horrible vengeance, genocide, rape, and harsh punishment. Yes, many of us attack the god of the bible, because we understand that it does harm on many levels. Children are taught that they are born in sin, that any accomplishments are attributed to god, and any mistakes or failures are our fault, we are sinners. Many use biblical passages to justify beating children, slavery, murder, even removing the rights of a woman to her own body.
One can not, one must not ignore such passages in the bible.
Good looking guy, wearing a suit, charming smile. How can you not like him? Oh yea, it is Ted Bundy.
I am sure you have heard many atheists claim that they began to convert when they sat down and truly read the bible. After over thirty years of searching for my creator and nirvana, I did, and my reaction was “holy shit, this is one nasty fucked-up book”.
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Ah. Yes. Thank you for filling in that gap. Good catch.
Now, I had fully intended to give my opinion on what I have read through @Cognostic list:
This is why I began as I did.
I am curious as to what was meant about bats as birds and a magic tree from which you you can see the whole earth, however. Perhaps, y’all could fill me in.
At any rate, I felt up to giving said opinion, but it seems that in the meantime I should say that I do not feel like I must "justify” the blatantly horrendous acts found in the Bible or any other book, religious or otherwise. I also feel that there are books that are meant to have historical value and some books that contain situations that are meant to covey a message.
I will give you one example, if you will have it.
Recently I read the story of Samson, and found that most people do not understand it’s purpose. It is full of truly awful scenarios, and yet they are as y’all have pointed out–generally glossed over. Instead of an important message, that is still very relevant today, people paint Samson as a hero: the strong man who lost his strength after Delilah discovers his secret and cut his hair off. When I read the story as an adult, I received a different message entirely. The more one knows about what a Nazarite was supposed to be, the more you can see how Samson willfully and purposefully rejected what he thought was right for what he thought was wrong.
His strength and his hair were the least of it.
I wrote it down and shared it with theist friends. I will share it with y’all also:
We all know what it is like to make mistakes, and feel sorry, fully intending to change our behavior.
In some cases however, when faced with temptation, we may forget our earlier resolve and end up making those same mistakes again.
This was a habitual and tragic problem for the Israelites, highlighted in the Book of Judges.
Influenced by the beliefs and customs of the Canaanite people, they eventually turned away from worshipping God.
As a result they continually fell into the oppression of their rulers.
And it came to pass that the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD
and were delivered into the hand of the Philistines forty years.
Yet, there was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah. His wife was barren, and they had no children.
One day an angel of the LORD appeared unto the woman, and said unto her, Behold now, thou art barren, and bearest not: but thou shalt conceive, and bear a son. (Judges 13:1-3)
Now therefore beware, I pray thee, and drink not wine nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing:
For, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no razor shall come on his head: for the child shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb: and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.
The woman ran and told her husband.
(Judges 13:4-7)
And the woman bare a son, and called his name Samson: and the child grew, and the LORD blessed him.
One day, when Samson was of marriageable age, he went down to the city of Timnath.
While he was there, he saw a woman, one of the daughters of the Philistines and he desired her.
Thus, he told his father and his mother: I have seen a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines and I want her. Therefore get her for me to wife.
Now, for a judge of Israel to marry a woman from among the daughters of his nation’s enemy would have caused probable enmity and danger for all of Israel.
His father and mother were distraught and implored him: Is there not a woman among the daughters of thy brethren, or among all my people, that thou goest to take a wife of the Philistines?
But Samson was resolute: Get her for me; for she pleaseth me well. (Judges 14:1-4)
Thus, Samson went down into enemy territory and took his father and his mother with him.
Once there, he left his aging parents alone at their camp and journeyed towards the vineyards of Timnath.
Yet, before Samson could touch the border of the vineyards, behold, a young lion roared against him.
Samson was too powerful for the lion. He overcame the beast, defeating it easily and with only his bare hands.
Yet, despite the danger of what he had just encountered Samson did not go back and tell his parents what had happened.
Instead, he continued down to visit the woman; and she pleased him well. (Judges 14:5-7)
Samson did not marry the Philistine woman at that time, even after all that he and his parents had been through.
Even so, after a time he returned to Timnath to take her yet again.
And as he journeyed, he turned aside and view the carcase of the lion he had conquered: and, behold, a bee hive teaming with honey had grown up in it’s rotting remains. (Judges 14:8)
Now, even though it was prohibited for an Israelite to eat such things, because they were unclean, Samson took thereof in his hands, and ate it from his fingers.
And when he came to home of his father and mother, he gave some to them and they did eat of it also.
Yet, he did not tell them that he had gotten the honey out of the carcase of the lion. (Judges 14:9)
In time Samson bid his father yet again to go down unto the woman.
And Samson made there a wedding feast; after the manner of the Philistines; for so used the young men there to do.
And it came to pass, when the people saw him that he had no men, that they brought thirty companions to be with him.
And Samson said unto them: I will now put forth a riddle unto you: if ye can certainly declare it me within the seven days of the feast, and find it out, then I will give you thirty sheets and thirty change of garments:
But if ye cannot declare it me, then shall ye give me thirty sheets and thirty change of garments. And they said unto him: Put forth thy riddle, that we may hear it.
So he did: Out of the eater came forth meat, and out of the strong came forth sweetness.
Despite all of their speculation the men could not in three days discover the answer to Samson’s riddle.
And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they said unto Samson’s wife: Entice thy husband, that he may declare unto us the riddle, lest we burn thee and thy father’s house with fire: Have ye called us here so that he may take what we have? Is it not so?
And Samson’s wife was more loyal to them rather than her husband. Therefore, she wept before Samson, and said: Thou dost but hate me, and lovest me not: thou hast put forth a riddle unto the children of my people, and hast not told it me.
Samson tried in vain to console his wife and said: Behold, I have not told the answer to my father nor my mother, and shall I tell it thee?
But on she wept before him all the time their feast lasted.
Before that seventh day had ended, he finally told her, because she lay sore upon him with her cries.
And as soon as she knew it, she ran and told the children of her people. (Judges 14:10-17)
Therefore, before the sun went down on the seventh day the men of the city called him forth, and expounded the answer to him saying:
What is sweeter than honey? Said one.
And what is stronger than a lion? Said another.
Samson was enraged, and said unto them: Ye had not found out my riddle if ye had not plowed with my heifer.
Thus, in fury, he left the people of Timnath. He went down to the Canaanite city of Ashkelon, and slew there thirty men, and took their spoil. Then he took and gave the changes of garments unto them to which he had expounded his riddle.
And although his anger was yet kindled, he returned to his father’s house.
And Samson’s wife who had betrayed him was given to his companion, whom he had used to stand as his friend for the marriage feast. (Judges 14:18-20)
But it came to pass within a short while, in the time of wheat harvest, that Samson determined to visit his new wife with a kid.
For, he said: I will go in to my wife into the chamber.
But her father would not suffer him to go in. And he said: Verily, I thought that thou hadst utterly hated her; therefore I gave her to thy companion.
Is not her younger sister fairer than she? Take her, I pray thee, instead of the other.
Samson looked down at the child and thought: Now shall I be more blameless than the Philistines, though I shall do them a displeasure.
So, he went and caught three hundred foxes, and took firebrands, and turned tail to tail, and put a firebrand in the midst between two tails.
When he had set the brands on fire, he let them go into the standing corn of the Philistines. They burnt up the shocks and the standing corn, and also the vineyards and olives.
When the Philistines discovered what had happened to their harvest they said, Who hath done this?
And they answered: Samson, the son in law of the Timnite, because he had taken his wife, and given her to his companion.
Thus, the Philistines came up, and burnt her and her father with fire.
But Samson said unto them, Though ye have done this, yet will I be avenged of you, and after that I will cease.
And he smote them hip and thigh with a great slaughter: and he went down and dwelt in the top of the rock Etam. (Judges 15:1-8)
Then the Philistines went up, and pitched in Judah, and spread themselves in the plain of Lehi.
And the men of Judah said, Why are ye come up against us? And they answered: To bind Samson are we come up, and to do to him as he hath done to us.
Then three thousand men of Judah went to the top of the rock Etam, and said to Samson, Knowest thou not that the Philistines are rulers over us?
What is this that thou hast done unto us?
And he said unto them: As they did unto me, so have I done unto them.
So the men of Judah answered and said: We are come down to bind thee Samson, that we may deliver thee into the hand of the Philistines.
Therefore, Samson made them swear unto him, that they would not fall upon him themselves.
And they promised him, saying: We will bind thee fast, and deliver thee into their hand: but surely we will not kill thee. Then they bound him with two new cords, and brought Samson up from the rock.
When he was finally brought unto Lehi, the Philistines began to holler and shout loudly against his face: and he was once again overcome with fierce anger.
The cords that were upon his arms became as flax that was burnt with fire, and his bands loosed from off his hands.
He saw a new jawbone of a slaughtered ass, and put forth his hand, and took it. And therewith he defeated a thousand men before he was done.
And it came to pass that Samson spoke saying: With the jawbone of an ass, heaps upon heaps, with the jaw of an ass have I slain a thousand men.
When he had made an end of speaking, he released the jawbone to the dust at his feet. And to this very day, that place is called Ramath-lehi, or Jawbone Hill.
And it came to pass that Samson was sore athirst, he finally thought to call upon the LORD. Thus, he said: Thou hast given this great deliverance into the hand of thy servant: and now shall I die for thirst, and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised?
It was then that he looked and saw a hollow place that was clave into the jaw.
And there flowed a clear fluid thereout. And though he was prohibited from such things, Samson drank and revived himself: and called the name thereof Enhakkore, which is in Lehi unto this day.
Thus, he lived to judge Israel in the days of the Philistines twenty more tumultuous years.
(Judges 15:9-20)
And it came to pass that Samson had not slacked his thirst for danger and disloyal women. Therefore, one day Samson went to Gaza, another city of the Philistines, and he saw there an harlot whom he desired, and went in unto her.
The Gazites forthwith were warned of his arrival, and they compassed Samson in. They hid there all evening, waiting for him at the gate of the city.
And they were quiet all the night, saying: In the morning, when it is day, we shall rise up and kill him.
But, Samson awakened at midnight. He took the doors of the gate of the city, and the two posts. And he went away with them, bar and all. He put them upon his shoulders, and carried them up to the top of an hill that is before Hebron. And Samson continued to judge the people and the Philistines could not put an end to him. (Judges 16:1-3)
And it came to pass some time afterwards that Samson loved another woman. She lived in the valley of Sorek, and her name was Delilah.
One day, the lords of the Philistines approached Delilah, and said unto her: Entice him, and see wherein his great strength lieth, and by what means we may prevail against him, that we may bind him to afflict him, and we will give thee every one of us eleven hundred pieces of silver.
Delilah desired the silver more than she desired Samson. Therefore she said to him: Tell me, I pray thee, wherein thy great strength lieth, and wherewith thou mightest be bound to afflict thee.
Thus, Samson smiled and said unto her, If they bind me with seven green withs that were never dried, then shall I be as any other man. And Delilah gave him his reward.
But, afterwards when Samson was sound asleep, the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven green withs which had not been dried, and she bound him with them.
And the men hid, and lay in wait, and abided with them in the same chamber.
Thus it was, that when Delilah had tightly bound him, she cried out: The Philistines be upon thee, Samson!
But he broke the withs, as a thread of tow is broken when it toucheth the fire. Therefore, the source of his strength was not discovered by the Philistines.
Delilah was indignant. Thus, she cried: Behold, thou hast mocked me, and told me lies: now tell me, I pray thee, wherewith thou mightest be bound.
And he comforted her saying: If they bind me fast with new ropes that never were occupied, then shall I be as any other man. And she gave him his reward.
Therefore, after Samson was sound asleep, Delilah took new ropes, to secure him therewith.
When he was thus bound, she cried out: The Philistines be upon thee, Samson!
And again, there were yet men lying in wait with them, abiding with them in the chamber.
But he broke the new ropes from off his arms like one would break a thread.
Delilah was outraged and she cried: Hitherto thou hast mocked me, and told me lies: tell me wherewith thou mightest be bound.
So, he told her: If thou weavest the seven locks of my head with the web, my strength shall be as any other man.
Once Samson was fast asleep, Delilah fastened his hair with a pin, and shouted, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson!
And when he awaked out of his sleep, the hair of his head pulled the pin out of the beam, along with that of the web. (Judges 16:4-14)
Delilah was furious: How canst thou say, I love thee, when thine heart is not with me? Thou hast mocked me these three times, and hast not told me wherein thy great strength lieth.
And it came to pass, that she pressed him daily with her words, and urged him so vehemently that his soul was vexed unto death.
So it was, that Samson finally told her all his heart: There hath not come a razor upon mine head; for I have been a Nazarite unto God from my mother’s womb. If I be shaven, then my strength will go from me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man.
When Delilah saw that he had in truth finally told her all his heart, she called for the lords of the Philistines, saying: Come up this once more, for he hath shewed me all his heart.
Then the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, with their money in their hands. And she made Samson to sleep upon her knees.
She called for a man to come and shave off the seven locks of Samson’s head; and she began to afflict him as was their custom.
But his strength had gone from him. Thus, when she cried: The Philistines be upon thee, Samson!
He awoke out of his sleep, and thought: I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself.
But, he did not realize that his strength was departed from him.
So, when the Philistines came forth from their hiding places and took him, they overcame him and put out his eyes. Then they brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass.
They caused Samson to grind day and night in the prison house.
Yet, in time Samson discovered that the hair of his head had begun to grow again after he was shaven.
And it came to pass that the lords of the Philistines gathered them together for to offer a great sacrifice unto Dagon their god, and to rejoice, saying: It was our god that hath delivered Samson our enemy into our hand.
And when the people saw him, they praised their god: for they said: Our god hath delivered into our hands our enemy, and the destroyer of our country, which slew many of us.
And when their hearts were merry, they said: Call for Samson, that he may make us sport. And they called for Samson out of the prison house; and he made them sport while the multitudes looked on. And when they were satisfied for a time, they set him between the pillars of the house.
And it came to pass that Samson said unto the lad that led him by the hand: Suffer me that I may feel the pillars whereupon the house standeth, that I may lean upon them.
Now the house was full of men and women; and all the lords of the Philistines were there. And there was upon the roof about three thousand men and women, that beheld while Samson made sport.
In his suffering, Samson finally thought again to call upon the LORD, and said: O Lord GOD, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once more, O God, that I may be avenged of the Philistines for this my two eyes.
And he took hold of the two middle pillars upon which the house stood, and on which it was borne up, of the one with his right hand, and of the other with his left and said:
Let me die with the Philistines.
And he received his desire. Samson bowed himself with all his might; and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that were therein.
And the dead which he slew at his death were more than they which he slew in his life. (Judges 16:15-30)
We can know by Samson’s final words, that he did not even realize what things he should pray for.
He did not seek salvation or even forgiveness for all the damage he’d caused.
In the end he did not remember his family or the lives he had affected. Samson only wanted more vengeance to right perceived wrongs.
Remembering who we are and what our purposes are is essential to protecting us from manifold dangers.
Take the counsel of trustworthy guides, rather than turning solely to the world to measure your personal worth and find your way.
Strength comes to us when we remain righteous, true, and faithful to what we know is right.
Unironically, the entirety of the book can be subjectively interpreted so as to make its contents meaningless.
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Perhaps, this is why the teachings of Jesus are so important. Subjectivity was actively occuring at the time the books of the Bible were written.
The doctrine as found in the New Testament gospels concerns the clarification of liturgical restrictions.
They instruct that to love one another, not only encompasses all the law and the prophets, it is how humanity can demonstrate love for God. (Matthew 22:36-40, 1 John 5:3)
There are no rituals, rights of passage, national superiority, violent domination, or birthrights. Instead, it was taught:
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. (Matthew 23:25)
We should love one another as much as we do ourselves.
All the rest of the scriptures may be subjective, but the teachings of Jesus effectively reduce a vast collection of histories, moral lessons, and concepts down to their simplest reduction. And that reduction is cohesive with a code of conduct that is universal across nearly every ideology around the globe. All the doctrines contain this precept, but only the teachings of Jesus make it the most important of all rules or commandments. Only the teachings of Jesus teach that loving each other is how we show for God.
I happen to find that to be significantly meaningful.
Bigotry. Absolutely no inter-racial marriage. GOD (claim) ISREAL was the ONLY ONE 
worthy of “god” and “god rulership” (His laws NOT man’s).
The only “danger” was subjecting this particular tribe of supremacists to other humans with their OWN stories and gods and culture and foods and celebrations. They were after all, “uncircumcised” 
(oooohhhhh, remained natural and NOT mutilated genitals as a god mark of being special and ABOVE others). [wife of the uncircumcised Philistines: Judges 14:3])
FIRSTLY- Sampson betrayed his parents. He secretly had them commit a sin against one of god’s rules. Was he “threatened” to betray them? Nope. Just felt like it 
Did he fess up??? Nope.
His wife (whom he divorced??? cause she wasn’t an Israelite, SO was a lesser human being) was blackmailed/threats against her family over an answer to a riddle.
Sampson was so “mad” 
he used it as an opportunity to kill and steal.
struck down thirty men of the town and took their spoil and gave the garments to those who had told the riddle. In hot anger he went back to his father’s house. 20 And Samson’s wife was given to ihis companion, jwho had been his best man
Please, spare me moral platitudes drawn from stories which encourage nationalism, bigotry, deceit, misogyny, prejudice and “class entitlement” over other humans.
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BATS ARE BIRDS:
Leviticus 11:13-19 - New International Version
13 “‘These are the birds you are to regard as unclean and not eat because they are unclean: the eagle,] the vulture, the black vulture, 14 the red kite, any kind of black kite, 15 any kind of raven, 16 the horned owl, the screech owl, the gull, any kind of hawk, 17 the little owl, the cormorant, the great owl, 18 the white owl, the desert owl, the osprey, 19 the stork, any kind of heron, the hoopoe and the bat.
Of course bats were a kind of bird. Science was in its infancy. If they saw kangaroos they would have just been big rats. We are talking Iron Age ignoarnce.
@Whitefire13 you are right. That’s the point.
You are right
You are right.
Precisely.
Everything you wrote and more things happened for the reasons you said. The Bible was not painting him as a hero. He was just interpreted as one. Samson was a judge and purposefully broke every rule, except for the one he thought retained his strength. As a result people needlessly died, including himself. You are right @Whitefire13
You would think so, and yet consider for just one example Ruth, the Moabitish woman. She showed qualities of faithfulness and she ended up marrying Boaz, one of the ancestors of Jesus. (There are plentiful other examples)