- Colossians 3:13
Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
I was stuck on the last sentence. “Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”
The lord will rise from the dead!
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The Atheist’s Devotional
“The primary religion of mankind arises chiefly from an anxious fear of future events; and what ideas will naturally be entertained of invisible, unknown powers. while me lie under dismal apprehension of any kind, may easily be conceived.”
David Hume
A question for christians…
Reading through the bible this morning and I ran across this verse:
Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
This lead me to wonder about forgiveness again. The almighty forgiver is supposed to be god. This almighty didn’t do such a great job at forgiving.
The question is a basic one but one that requires answering. If god is so forgiving why didn’t he forgive Adam and Eve?
Well, which is it?: The Errant Word of Man (Episode 1)
So, here we are. If you are reading this you are either one of the regular readers of this blog or you are not. If you are, you know my views on this subject more or less. If you are new to this blog, welcome. For the new people just joining in, be warned. I am a contrarian. I am an infidel. I am a heathen. I am an Atheist. I think it’s been said better before me and probably will be said better in the future. I think I recall someone calling themselves “anti-theist”; but I have gotten comfortable with Atheist. So for now… Mr. Atheist will do.
I am by no means an expert in the fine art of debating. I wish I was, but I am not. I usually fall prey to the many “fallacies” that are common among the most seasoned debaters. I have committed a few on this blog myself and have been called on it by some. OK.
So, quick recap. I am an Atheist and I am not a professional debater. Done.
I am interested in discussing the bible. The christian bible as I have heard it referred to. The bible I am referring to is the book that is considered the holy word of god. The god inspired scripture. The “inerrant” word of the almighty bearded guy in the sky (thank Michelangelo for that image). I think it is something worth discussing.
I am of the opinion that many, many christians have not really read the bible. I would like to invite christians and catholics to open up that “great” book. My invitation is not meant to be facetious in any way. I am seeking understanding and more importantly how it is that a book so widely published is so hardly read (especially by those who claim to use it as the “lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.”
I have been told by believers that I need to read the bible with an open heart and an open mind. It has also been uttered by these same individuals that I should refrain from reading it in the following manner:
1) Critically
2) Literally
The first option is practically impossible. The second option is possible, but then I must ask when and where is it to be taken literally. If it is meant as a metaphor… (oh wait! am I breaking rule #1?)
I hope to have fun with this and hope to have a serious discussion on this subject. I was tempted to call this the Atheist bible study, but that seemed to “jokey”.
I would love to get some feedback and would love to tackle this book from “the beginning”. But I am warning you… THIS COULD GET UGLY.
We can start with the two creation stories if you like. We can jump ahead to the “Cain and Abel” story. We can discuss the flood. We could take on Abraham and Isaac. We could spend some time with Lot. Quite a few interesting things to discuss.
My only hesitation with creation is that it is just so fantastic. Too large a leap for me. I think it’s been done already and we would only cover ground that has already been argued elsewhere. The same goes for the topic of Adam and Eve.
So, if you are game…
Let’s discuss Cain and Abel.
Starts out sexy…sort of. Adam and Eve do it and have a child (Cain). Not sure why Eve feels the need to say that she was able to conceive thanks to the lord. (I guess this is where celebrities get the concept of thanking god).
She has another kid, names him Abel. There are 4 people on earth now. Two parents. Two kids. Chores. Cain gets the gardening while Abel is given the role of shepherd (animal husbandry?).
Time for an offering. Cain gave from fruit of his field and Abel showed up with some meat.
Cain is snubbed.
Abel is killed.
Cain is banished and fears being murdered by who ever finds him. (I thought there were only 4 of them on the entire planet so who would do that?)
The almighty says no worries. No one is going to kill you. If they do they will be taken care of seven times over.
Cain heads out. Away from the only other people on the planet, right?
(p.s.) I included this last verse for a little extra credit/fun!
Cain has relations with his wife…. where did she come from?
HUH??
Forgiveness
What is forgiveness?
We are stuck with the fact that this is a coping mechanism that is deeply rooted in religious traditions all over the globe. This in my opinion does not a monopoly on forgiveness make. The “golden rule” is an example of how something that is sheer common sense was appropriated by religion; so much so that it is commonly thought to be religious in origin.
Forgiveness is what exactly if it is not a coping tool we are born with. Is it a good thing? Is it over used? It is necessary? Did we have this sense of needing to forgive and be forgiven when we were still struggling as early humans on the savannah? Did our ancestors use this as a negotiating tool when ills were perpetuated between the early tribes? Did it seep into the religious lexicon as a carry over along with theft, perjury, and murder?
Is forgiveness, the religious version we are all aware of, actually an excuse to perpetuate wrong-doing?
“Oh, I screwed up. God will forgive me.”
Atheists do not have this “forgiveness” available to them (assuming of course it exists for the sake of this argument). I argue that an atheist does not need this forgiveness. If you think you will be forgiven, no matter how heinous the action is, the believer considers a higher authority; so I ask, what good does it do? Forgiveness in no way serves as a preventative measure; in fact it seems like an easy OUT.
“Oh, I screwed up. God will forgive me.”
It seems that if this “law of forgiveness” did not exist… We’d be better off. If we didn’t believe that a transcendent figure would forgive our transgressions… We would hold ourselves more accountable to each other and to ourselves.
You have the last word…
What would it take for you to believe?
What would it take for me to believe in god (any god for that matter)?
I have noticed that the question gets asked of Atheists and Agnostics quite often. You may be interested in my answer. Before I share my answer…
I must ask. What would it take a “believer” to NOT believe? What would it take for you to take a step back and say… “I no longer believe in god.”
Introducing…
My photo blog.
I get criticized for not taking pictures of people. Just things. Most people are not that interesting. The one thing I could never tire of taking pictures of (my wife) isn’t interested in having her picture taken all that often let alone posted for all to see.
I will post some of my own favorite pics and maybe someone might find them interesting or tasteful or horrible. I am open to all comments.
To my christian followers out there try to restrain yourselves from using some of these pics to prove the existence of a deity. 
Jovanotti
His new album, recorded LIVE in New York, is available on iTunes!
BUY IT or just CHECK IT OUT!
I will be back soon…
Here is his newest:
Ciao!
FW: JOKE (this is really funny)
I HATE these emails. I am not sure why people still send these things to me. I hate them. They are usually not funny. Wait. They are never funny, let alone THAT funny.
“FW:” is basically friendly SPAM as far as I am concerned. Sometimes it is hidden, right? “RE: FW:” is the usual tip-off. DELETE.
Only one good thing has ever come from a “FW:” in known history. My wife. That is a different story I will not go into here. Let is be known that that was the last time I “read” an email with “FW:” in the subject line (that was not related to work of course!).
I am not sure how many times anyone needs to read “You know you are (insert ethnicity of choice here) if…” emails. HELLO?
I will say that I do enjoy corresponding with multi-millionaire African Princes and Princesses and other heirs of large forutnes. Sometimes they are in the UK (more believable location). They are really fun to talk to. I strongly suggest doing that. I mean, they seem like nice people and have some extra cash to give away…
I am considering a new venture in Africa: Estate Planning & Asset Protection. It seems there is a real need that has not been met there. It is rather strange to me though as the figures quoted don’t much correspond with the images on TV, documentaries, news reports, etc… I think the media may have it all wrong. Anyone else want to join me in this venture? There seems to be much work to do and why not me?
You have the Last Word…
THIS JUST CAME IN:
Dear Friend
I am Mr Jubril Abaa. From Ouagadougou Burkina Faso in west Africa. I want to inquire from you if you can handle this transaction for mutual benefits/life opportunity for you and me.The transaction is about seeking your consent to present you as the next of kin/ beneficiary To our late customer over his fund (US$10.8Million dollars).
He died with his family during their vacation journey. I am waiting for your response for more details. The fund is going to be share at the ratio of 60/30.30% for you and 60% for i and my family which we are going to use for inverstment.and 10% for outstanding expencies.
Below is the website of the incident involving the late Mr. Andreas Schranner for your viewing: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/859479.stm.
Please treat this business proposal with utmost confidentiality and send me the following
Informations
1,Name……………,2Address,…………………3Age,…………………………………4Phone Num, ………………………5Country,………………6Proffession,……………International Passport,7………………………Sex……………………..
Thanks
Mr Jubril Abaa
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