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Cherry-picking the Bible and using verses out of context has been done for centuries

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By John Fea

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Many holy texts and historic religious injunctives are being way too stretched these days. Desire and need become the justification for much now days. Much of the source stems from a root fundamentalism, no matter the denomination, no matter the faith. Extreme rhetoric from those claiming traditionalist faith is little less, though, than child-like lashing out, to that which threatens their self- identity and self-interests; but because of social media and the 24/7 news cycle, they have found new and powerful voices to air their causes (especially to our children). Just today I read that Islamic scolars among the Taliban are justifying a proposed reintroduction into the illegal drug trade, so long as "Afghans are not the ones harmed."

6 ( +8 / -2 )

A devout evangelical Christian friend of mine recently texted to explain why he was not getting the COVID-19 vaccine. “Jesus went around healing lepers and touched them without fear of getting leprosy,” he said.

Go walk on a deep lake, then.

6 ( +10 / -4 )

"30 Years War" 1618 to 1648

=Catholics lost. Surprised it wasn't mentioned from a history standpoint.

-5 ( +1 / -6 )

2021 and this is still a thing?

No wonder the world is in so much trouble.

3 ( +7 / -4 )

When the Bible is placed in the hands of the people, void of any kind of authoritative religious community to guide them in their proper understanding of the text, the people can make it say anything they want it to say.

Given how long the Bible is and how many contradictions it contains, a religious community can also make it say what they want it to say. The ‘authoritative’ religious communities have different opinions on what this book says, and they’ll argue their interpretation is the ‘proper understanding’.

2 ( +6 / -4 )

The Bible was not written by one man but by hundreds.

And written by people living at different times and living in different places.

Looking at this collection of writings which are often in directly contradiction makes me suspicious when I hear anyone or any group saying they have a ‘proper’ understanding of it.

I get the sense those flying around in private jets, building mega churches, cathedrals etc. take the line that Bible is all in favour of getting mega rich. The people who love firearms while loving the pacifist, turn-the-other-cheek, ‘prince of peace’ are an interesting crowd.

3 ( +7 / -4 )

Christianity is the worlds biggest book club, and only centred around a single book. But the people who like that book really, really like it. I’m ok with that, it’s when others expect the rest of us to live our life according to that boon they really like.

-1 ( +6 / -7 )

"Christianity is the worlds biggest book club, and only centred around a single book."

That's all you need to say to expose your complete lack of understanding. Such a lazy comment.

"One book" you say? The Book of Job and The Book of Revelations...same one book? Old AND New Testaments..."one book"? Have you ever talked to Jews about the "New Testament" being included in "the" Bible? (Also, would you smugly dismiss Judaism or Islam a "book club", too? Somehow....I doubt it? Even the least educated among us, I hope, could factually affirm that, much like Christianity, there's also a LOT more going on there than simply "centering around a single book".)

Do the Orthodox, Catholic, Coptic and Protestant wings all use "the" same "book"? And would Catholics, let alone any Christian, agree with you that everything is "centred" around "a single book", and nothing besides?

lol. Jesus...ever heard of "Sola Fide"? It's pretty big with many Christians, you should know, and centres around not "a" book, but as the Latin implies...Faith! Alone!

The Bible, a COLLECTION of BOOKS, was never written from start to end, never even intended by its many authors to finish up as a single entity. For hundreds of years there WAS NO "Christian Bible" yet there WERE plenty of Christians, just as for hundreds of years after the artificial creation of "the" Christian Bible, there was still NO majority consensus on what "the" Bible actually consisted of, or which parts should be included in Christian beliefs and worship! Heterodoxy of belief, as well as a heterodoxy of "Bibles", was and continues to be, a core characteristic of Christendom.

As for this throwaway article from the so-called "non partisan" source (yeah, right!), if you can't see the agenda the writer started with BEFORE writing, THEN constructed their weakly argued commentary around in order to encapsulate and prove said PRE-CONCEIVED CONCLUSIONS, then you definitely need to learn more critical thinking skills before you ever take on any deconstruction of "A" Bible. You'd find many more similarities than differences between this propagandist and most of the "Books" in "The" Bible if you did...

-5 ( +3 / -8 )

@Hito Bito

I think calling the Bible ‘a book’ is a reasonable thing to do.

The Bible is a collection of writings or books compiled into a larger ‘book’.

I’d call a Bible ‘a book’ and 2 bibles ‘2 books’.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

All books from centuries and millennia ago should be studied for their historical value only. They are not books that people should model life around in the modern age as they do not have the answers to modern life, only to life in pre industrial times. They may have had real meaning thousands of years ago but they do not today.

It is time humanity stood on its own and accepted it's mortality and acted accordingly with due respect to all others.

5 ( +7 / -2 )

All books from centuries and millennia ago should be studied for their historical value only. They are not books that people should model life around in the modern age as they do not have the answers to modern life, only to life in pre industrial times. They may have had real meaning thousands of years ago but they do not today.

There is some good stuff in these books among all the barbarism, crackpottery and nonsense. ‘Do not follow a multitude to do evil’ is a sound piece of advice.

Outside of the monotheisms, Buddha often spouted a load of cobblers but he had a few zingers.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

I prefer school physics, chemistry and biology textbooks.

4 ( +6 / -2 )

"One book" you say? The Book of Job and The Book of Revelations...same one book? Old AND New Testaments..."one book"? Have

Call it an anthology then if it makes you feel better. It doesn't change the fact that it's a work of fiction from thousands of years ago, that some people expect the rest of us to live by, because they really, really like the story. It's the same as if Harry Potter or L. Ron Hubbard readers expected us to live our lives by those works of fiction.

4 ( +6 / -2 )

The Bible: A collection of stories written thousands of years ago, based on fictional bedtime stories from a time before the common man or woman could read or write, in order to control children with fear if the unknown. The original texts of these bedtime stories were written in languages no longer in use, some of which lingual scholars cannot definitely translate as a group. The translations of those texts, whether in Latin or Greek, were done so by humans centuries after the original story was told, and translated under the confines of the cultures in which the interpreter lived.

Therefore the "teachings" of the bible, whichever version you choose, are no more accurate nor applicable today than cave drawings from the Neolithic era.

No better than me translating a paragraph of any English newspaper today into Japanese. There will be some part lost in translation. Guaranteed.

3 ( +5 / -2 )

All religion is part of the problem not the solution.

4 ( +6 / -2 )

Cherry-picking the Bible and using verses out of context has been done for centuries

I didn’t understand why a JT post about the Bible had so many people talking, so I clicked.

Ha! Tricky MSM. The vax pushers are getting creative.

-5 ( +2 / -7 )

This just gets better and better.

This one is priceless,

that God works through science.

Is that so. I little bit of vax brainwashing couched in his idea of historical and present day truth. Too funny. He’s no better than FOX news or CNN or anyone else pushing the vax.

-5 ( +1 / -6 )

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