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David Plotz - The Bible: Disturbing, Hilarious, Inspiring

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Slate Editor David Plotz Questions Cruel Nature of God

05 min 17 sec

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Slate's David Plotz: Samson 'Dumbest Jew Who Ever Lived'

01 min 54 sec

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55 min 10 sec

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4 Comments

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Gary Bagshaw

Posts: 5

Posted: 01.12.10, 06:53 AM

A sense of right and wrong can stem from empathy for others, it doesn't require a God. But if your claim is that God is required for humans to be moral then shouldn't your God be moral as well?

How can an immoral God be the foundation of morality? And how can a moral person not anylize (and Judge) immorality where ever it is found?

Genocide (as one example of many biblical evils) is an immoral act. If God perpetrates, demands, or condones genocide, He is immoral. If He is immoral, he cannot be the source of morality.

Its always the way of the pious to claim authoritative truth. They claim the Bible is unerring knowledge of God's will until they come to problematic scripture; which we are NEVER to question because "we can't know Gods will".

Either you know God and his designs or you don't, and, of course, you don't.

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galthouse

Posts: 4

Posted: 12.03.09, 12:28 PM

How does the speaker measure right and wrong? How can he do this without a bias as to what "he" thinks is right or wrong. He is basing his judements on whatever modern ifluneces have shaped his perspective of morality.

If the God of the Bible exists - and if he is all knowing all powerful and the creator of all, how can a mere mortal created being stand in right judement of God?

This man went looking for soemthing, some idea of what he expected to find "who 'God' is". He is jumping to conclusions about God without examining his own system by which he measures God.

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CMK2009

Posts: 2

Posted: 11.17.09, 02:31 PM

The Bible is not a science manual, it is not a reliable history textbook, and it is not a good basis for morality. It may be used as a literary text, but nothing more.

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Gnarlodious

Posts: 8

Posted: 03.30.09, 08:23 AM

I would say that the old testament writings were compiled and perpetuated by an extreme authoritarian patriarchal elite of hebrew society. This served to consolidate power and frighten a weak and lazy population into some sort of social cohesion. The success of their society we see today, for those of us who are the result of it. An illiterate inbred tribe whp rose to greatness and influenced the world, it is a pretty unusual story in the history of anthropology.

"The Bible" continues to be a glimpse into the relationship of a weak childish majority led by a strong mature minority. Rebelling against that authority has been a Jewish pastime for millenia, resulting in a constant supply of genetic and philosophical apostasy. We, the Jews, are the "Sons of Seth", and The Bible has been the ox-goad that inspires us to be the contrarians we are.

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