is an interesting book that has been used for a millennium to exploit and control people... there is nothing inherently shitty or immoral in it... only people's ability to use it to interpret their shitty or immoral dogma/ideas


the Bible can as well be used to uplift people and ideas if interpreted in that way... unfortunately, it seems it has caused more exploitation than love and uplifting

Really?

Seriously?

So...Exodus 21 describes NOTHING immoral?

Really?

and some of which are very good. As an anthropological artefact it's interesting and useful because it illustrates the development of a belief system as well as the social structures and practices of an ancient civilization. As it depicts both good and evil, we can see that not much has changed. However, what a particular verse or section meant to the people who wrote it down may be drastically different from what some modern readers might believe, not only because of translation errors but because of a particular viewpoint at a particular time. You can interpret it to mean pretty much whatever you want it to mean; you can use it as an anthropological/sociological relic, a moral treatise, or a cudgel to beat people over the head with.

Against Jim Crow, against torture, against nuclear weapons, and to support gay rights. All decidedly not shitty things.

People use religion or politics or whatever to justify all sorts of things. I look at their actions to judge, not just a biased interpretation of the source.

and not chopped into verses out of context for bolstering arguments.

I mean, how shitty can you get?

Why it is used as a basis for anything leaves me dumbfounded.

It is not cited nor referenced in our Constitution and should not be used as justification or reference by any government official.

to the operations of the government. If you believe in some or all of what's in it, fine; just don't pretend it has or should have any effect on how the government is run.

supposed to smear all Muslims, Jews, or any other religion.

Most Christians ignore huge parts of the book exactly because much so much of what is has to say is utterly vile.

along with his parents.

They would know that there are many passage in the Bible that say we should welcome immigrants.

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/23/pope-francis-jesus-refugee_n_5508721.html

We believe that Jesus was a refugee, had to flee to save his life, with Saint Joseph and Mary, had to leave for Egypt,” Pope Francis said, according to Zenit. “He was a refugee. Let us pray to Our Lady who knows the pain of refugees.”

The pope made his petition to the Church, which he defined as “all of us,” not limited to “priests, bishops, or the Vatican,” reported Asia News.

World Refugee Day is on June 20. “The number of these brother refugees is growing and, in these past few days, thousands more have been forced to leave their homes in order to save their life. Millions of families, millions of them, refugees from many countries and different faiths, experience in their stories tragedies and wounds that will not likely be healed,” said Pope Francis. “Let us be their neighbors, share their fears and uncertainty about the future, and take concrete steps to reduce their suffering.”

https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2017/12/27/were-jesus-mary-and-joseph-refugees-yes

Jesus reminds us that any time we “welcome the stranger” we welcome Jesus himself (Mt 25). Refugees and migrants are our brothers and sisters desperately in need of our help. Jesus’ command to care for the stranger is also, for the Christian, a law superseding any laws that would hinder, prevent or outlaw such care and compassion.

Jesus was never a refugee and neither were his parents. And they never were poor either -- another fantasy promoted by those unfamiliar with the Bible.

The situation he was in with his parents -- fleeing for his life because of persecution in his homeland -- was the same as many refugees experience today.

The technical legal term "refugee" didn't exist back then. But the lived experience did.

and the family went to Egypt to hide from the assassins. However, you're right, they were certainly not poor at that point, because that was after the wise men had given the family all that gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Matthew 2 : 13-15

When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. "Get up," he said, "take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him." So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: "Out of Egypt I called my son."

...beginning with oral history. For instance, there are two versions of Genesis in it.

Second, recommend you read it in some modern translation. King James is Shakespearian and poetic, but hard to parse.

It is sprawling in its description of human behavior, everything from incest to rape in the fields to sensual true love, and that's just the Old Testament. It has beautiful poetry and hair raising Jeremiads.

Jesus has not one word to say about homosexuality or abortion, but he does tell those who are about to stone an adulteress to death to stop it. He exhorts in the strongest terms that his followers feed the poor, shelter the homeless, visit those in prison... You can find almost anything in it: Jesus says to treat your brother as yourself, and Leviticus says to treat the stranger in your gates as your own because Jews "were strangers in Egypt."

So no, I am not going to buy into your blanket condemnation of the Bible. Many human beings wrote it, and for better or worse human beings interpret it.

Inasmuch as humans are known to create gods in their own image, I will say that the god of people like Jeff Sessions and Sarah Hucks is a small, mean, spiteful, and vengeful god. I repudiate it as I repudiate them.

That's a big difference.

I do think your OP could be described as espousing shi**y ideas, though.

Why is Genesis like a baseball game?

Jesus said:

35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’