by Paul Richard Harris, Axis of Logic editor
I’ve been watching the drama unfolding in the United States over who’s going to be running for elections in November 2012, on the off chance that it’s actually going to matter to anyone, including Americans, which clowns get elected. As an American comedian explains it, ‘When you go into the booth, your choice is between two bowls of shit. The only difference, is the smell’.
But I’ve become even more agitated than I used to be because of all the damn Bible thumping. The United States is currently polarized between multiple views of the greatest con job ever – religion. In this case, it’s mostly Christianity. And it’s getting worse.
So here’s the thing – ‘The Bible’ is the authoritative text for Christianity. The first part of it is holy to the Jews; even the Muslims make some concessions to it and actually think Jesus was a pretty decent fella.
In the United States – and to a lesser but still powerful degree here in Canada – the Bible is THE authority. The Bible is the Word of God (always capitalized). It is referenced constantly as the sole arbiter on what is right or wrong, and is frequently used to back up an amazing array of arguments – whether or not the Bible actually refers to the issue at all. In the US, it is almost inconceivable that anyone could hold high public office without making clear that this book guides his or her every thought. That’s not so much of a problem in Canada, although there is a frightening increase in the evangelical movement here.
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Axis of Logic exclusive, Aug 14, 2011
“The Bible is like a person, and if you torture it long enough, you can get it to say almost anything you’d like it to say.”
- Rev. Dr. Francis H. Wade
I’ve been watching the drama unfolding in the United States over who’s going to be running for elections in November 2012, on the off chance that it’s actually going to matter to anyone, including Americans, which clowns get elected. As an American comedian explains it, ‘When you go into the booth, your choice is between two bowls of shit. The only difference, is the smell’.
But I’ve become even more agitated than I used to be because of all the damn Bible thumping. The United States is currently polarized between multiple views of the greatest con job ever – religion. In this case, it’s mostly Christianity. And it’s getting worse.
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So here’s the thing – ‘The Bible’ is the authoritative text for Christianity. The first part of it is holy to the Jews; even the Muslims make some concessions to it and actually think Jesus was a pretty decent fella.
In the United States – and to a lesser but still powerful degree here in Canada – the Bible is THE authority. The Bible is the Word of God (always capitalized). It is referenced constantly as the sole arbiter on what is right or wrong, and is frequently used to back up an amazing array of arguments – whether or not the Bible actually refers to the issue at all. In the US, it is almost inconceivable that anyone could hold high public office without making clear that this book guides his or her every thought. That’s not so much of a problem in Canada, although there is a frightening increase in the evangelical movement here.
Continues >>
2 comments:
Perhaps the mythical and ahistorical stories of the Old and the New Testament were not meant for people with open eyes but for people with closed minds and receiving hearts! Can any human being with some intelligence and cognitive faculties intact believe all that is written there?
To give any rational form to these books and make them more palatable to the modern readers may not be easy. But a total revision and re-editing of the texts may be one way out of the mess. I believe such a task will not be too difficult for a clever editor. No believer should get worried; these books have been subject to change and alteration through the centuries. Adding a bit or making some changes in the texts (with good intentions!) will not be something new.
Paul Richard Harris has made a good effort to show the contradictions of the Bibles. In doing so, he may have earned himself a good place in the Heavenly Kingdom! Whether the King there is Big Spirit, Jehovah, Jesus, Buddha, Brahma, Tao, or Allah, etc., etc., I simply don’t know. Perhaps one of them, or all of them or none of them. The enlightened ones can guide me here.
When the homo sapiens developed improved linguistic abilities and a capacity to use mental symbols they began to wonder about the overwhelming forces of nature that confronted them in their early form of life and primitive living conditions, they formed some sort of ideas about spirits or gods. That was partly a bold step for the early humans to find the main source that had control over them and the rest of the nature. Thus were gods born. They were the figment of human imagination and fantasy; they were the creatures of human beings. And they have been with us ever since, not as the creatures of human ingenuity but as the ‘creators’ of mankind and the universe.
What started as speculation about the mighty forces that the early humans used to understand and explain what to them was mysterious and awe-inspiring phenomena, the creative spirits and gods became more and more powerful and also complicated in human imagination. That old tradition of our distant forefathers has shaped our attitude to gods/ god. These imaginary creatures acquired more power and prestige in various cultural traditions and civilisations. Hymns were sung and prayers offered to them with a view to appease them. It was believed that they would use their power for the betterment of human lot. Another big leap in reaching the gods was made when some people wrote such books and mythical stories and ascribed them to gods and told others that they were literal words of gods themselves. This process in, what we call, the monotheistic tradition had its special twists; the number of gods was reduced to only One God and the rest were discarded as ‘false gods’. Now that ‘God’ started to speak or inspire some chosen ones, who said they were from the true God. That’s how we got the ‘holy scriptures’. There are very many people who sincerely believe that such books are from God, because there is an Almighty God ‘out there’. But no one thus far been able to point to where that ‘out there’ is!
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