Originally Posted by
Guisslapp
I have read it. Have you?
Because I don’t see how anyone could read the Bible and not conclude the following:
1. This is a time capsule of how humans without the benefit of scientific learning and enlightenment tried to make sense of the world and establish a moral code.
2. More importantly, the god of the Bible is an evil, petty, jealous, spiteful, capricious god. He commits murders, plagues, mass enslavements and chooses who to spare and save. He was kind of like Hitler.
3. None of it is believable. But if you were to believe it, I can’t see why you wouldn’t be just as likely to conclude that hell separated from such a terrible god wouldn’t be better. And perhaps, if there is a real god, the Bible is just a test: will you follow an evil powerful god on the promise of salvation or will you use your experiences in life to understand how people SHOULD be treated and then recognize that this god is evil. In this scenario, your salvation could actually be tied to rejecting the poisoned fruit offered by a lower god.