I think the biggest lesson I've taken away from actually reading the bible and talking with theists is that it really depends on perspective. When I was one of the "faithful" Noah's flood was just a story about God hitting a "reset" button and getting rid of wicked people. When I got older, I thought more about how God just drowned every living person, man, woman and child. They couldn't have ALL been bad, and even if they were, it's no justifiable genocide. And Noah was kind of an asshole according to the stories about him in the Bible. Then again, God also felt that Lot and his family were the only ones worth saving after destroying Soddom and Gomorrah. He was going to let the town gang rape his daughters.* Father of the year, right there, not to mention that he had sex with them and impregnated them. Or, it's great to be on God's side and be victorious over his enemies. Again, as I got older, and thought about it from different perspectives in the context of the Bible, its still pretty horrible. "Join me or suffer forever, because I love you."
*Actually when googling the story to make sure I was right about the Lot story, the first site that came up was this one. There was an interesting lack of mention of Lot's compromise to the town, which was to let them rape his daughters. Noticeably verses 4-8. Luckily for the daughters, the town was only after the angels.
I agree, perspective is a huge thing. When I was growing up I had a similar view of those bible stories as you, the people who were killed by god in those stories are evil, no need to see things from their point of view.
I remember the first time I thought about a bible story from a different perspective, it was job's family. They died during the story, but god made it right in the end by giving job a new family. But what about his old wife and kids? The story only works if they are nothing but property.
I love that you gave Jesus a mixed drink with an umbrella in it...it's a "fruity" joke waiting to happen...I'm just not funny...
ReplyDeleteI think the biggest lesson I've taken away from actually reading the bible and talking with theists is that it really depends on perspective. When I was one of the "faithful" Noah's flood was just a story about God hitting a "reset" button and getting rid of wicked people. When I got older, I thought more about how God just drowned every living person, man, woman and child. They couldn't have ALL been bad, and even if they were, it's no justifiable genocide. And Noah was kind of an asshole according to the stories about him in the Bible. Then again, God also felt that Lot and his family were the only ones worth saving after destroying Soddom and Gomorrah. He was going to let the town gang rape his daughters.* Father of the year, right there, not to mention that he had sex with them and impregnated them. Or, it's great to be on God's side and be victorious over his enemies. Again, as I got older, and thought about it from different perspectives in the context of the Bible, its still pretty horrible. "Join me or suffer forever, because I love you."
ReplyDelete*Actually when googling the story to make sure I was right about the Lot story, the first site that came up was this one. There was an interesting lack of mention of Lot's compromise to the town, which was to let them rape his daughters. Noticeably verses 4-8. Luckily for the daughters, the town was only after the angels.
I agree, perspective is a huge thing. When I was growing up I had a similar view of those bible stories as you, the people who were killed by god in those stories are evil, no need to see things from their point of view.
DeleteI remember the first time I thought about a bible story from a different perspective, it was job's family. They died during the story, but god made it right in the end by giving job a new family. But what about his old wife and kids? The story only works if they are nothing but property.