Dear, Author
You cannot deny, no matter how hard you try, that the bible does have good messages. Yet, you seem to ignore these messages in favor of using points against the bible.
The Bible is both good and original. The trouble is that the good parts are not original and the original parts are not good.
To further enhance your book, I recommend trying to analyze the bible, ignoring the cultural paradigms of the time.
I am afraid that that suggestion will have to be placed in the garbage bin. You see, the Bible was “of its time” – what else could it be? You would not think of studying Shakespeare without reference to his time, much of what he says was based upon events that occurred in his lifetime or happened in what was then the recent past. It is essential that the historical context is understood completely that the message might be understood.
I think you will find that even in today’s world, the bible has some relevancy.
I am afraid that this statement fails because it is far too general. I have no idea if you mean that the Bible is relevant today as it condemns murder (as all civilisations condemned murder), or if the Bible is relevant today because it tells us there are witches and demons.
You see, we cannot ignore “the cultural paradigms of the time.”
The law of the Bible (i.e. the criminal and civil law in Leviticus) is lifted from Hammmurabi; The Flood is lifted from The Epic of Gilgamesh; The virgin birth is lifted from countless gods who were born this way; the rising from the dead has its origins in other myths.
This is why I earlier said that “The trouble is that the good parts are not original and the original parts are not good.”
I try to also send the message of love to those around me.
I’m sure that is very nice for them. There have been people like that from the dawn of time. That is why we are where we are now.
What was your point? It’s not very clear.
As to the question of why God does not heal amputees, … I believe that God gives equal opportunity to everyone.
Your logic seems to have let you down. You know that a child, born healthy of Harvard Graduates in good employment positions is not equal to the child born of a widow fleeing the violence in Somalia – yet you make this statement.
You are obviously using the word “
equal” in some specialised way that only you understand.
these opportunities are for happiness and for the ability to spread happiness.
Tell me of the Somali chid destined to die of malnutrition before his mother also dies the same way. How, exactly do they “
spread” happiness? – Or are you using “
spread” and “
happiness” to mean something else?
Everyone has the equal capacity for love, no matter who you love. This is where God is fair.
Your logic fails again! Look around you – the ignorant, the poor, the violent, A child brought up in an abusive home is not going to have the full capacity, is he?
I'm afraid that your vivid imagination is leading you away from reality.
The poor may find it hard to find food, yet they have the same capacity to love and to be loved.
Exactly how poor? You do not understand, do you? And what on earth use is “a capacity to be loved” when death faces you in a strange country and devoid of anyone to help? Does God help here? NO – He watches them die in their thousands.
The rich may find it easy to eat, yet they find themselves to connected to their material things to find love.
1. Name a few poor religious leaders… 2. Why should the rich always be singled out? It seems to me that you are stirring up hatred of the rich, whom you wish us to despise. It seems that you want to bring out jealousy and envy in us and then say "Ah, but you who are not rich are better than the rich, aren't you?
What sort of a message are you giving us here?
If you are looking for the perfect image of God, It does not exist.
But this does not stop people like you from imagining what God is like – but none of you follow the Bible, because you pick and choose things that suit you – God turns out to be very much like the believer – Man creates God in his own image.
