What They Don’t Tell You About the Bible.
By Brian Looney
-----------Romans 13-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Submission to the Authorities
"13:1 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, 4 for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience. 6 For the same reason you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. 7 Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed."
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"For the sake of the Lord submit yourselves to every human authority: to the Emperor, who is the supreme authority, and to the governors, who have been appointed by him to punish the evildoers and to praise those who do good."
-1 Peter 2.13
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"Don't criticize the king, even silently, and don't criticize the rich, even in the privacy of your bedroom."
Ecclesiastes 10.20
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"...the king is like God's angel and can distinguish good from evil."
-2 Samuel 14.17
------------------Matthew 21--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"He left them, and went out of the city to
lodged there. Now in the morning, as he returned to the city,
he was hungry. Seeing a fig tree by the road, he came to it,
and found nothing on it but leaves. He said to it, "Let there be no
fruit from you forever!"
Immediately the fig tree withered away. When the disciples
saw it, they marveled, saying, "How did the fig tree immediately
wither away?""
"As the disciples walked past the fig tree the next morning, they noticed that it was completely dried up, roots and all. Peter remembered what Jesus had said to the tree. Then Peter said, "Teacher, look! The tree you put a curse on has dried up."
Jesus told his disciples:
Have faith in God! If you have faith in God and don't doubt, you can tell this mountain to get up and jump into the sea, and it will. Everything you ask for in prayer will be yours, if you only have faith. "
(Seems kind of ridiculous that Jesus would destroy a healthy fig tree simply because it has no fruit, then try to justify his actions later... I'm sure some Christians will try and liken the fig tree to humanity and God as the gardener. If that's the case, then the Gardener planted the fig tree and instead of fertilizing and watering it when it doesn't yield fruit, he kills it. That's how i see it anyway, if you want to get symbolic on me.)
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"Then the Lord said, "I will not allow my people to live forever; they are mortal. From now on they will live no longer than 120 years."
-Genesis 6.3
"After reaching the very old age of a hundred and thirty, [Jehoiada] died."
-2 Chronicles 24.15
"Job lived another hundred and forty years...long enough to see his grand-children and great-grandchildren."
-Job 42.16
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"And I heard God say to the other men, 'Follow him through the city and kill. Spare no one; have mercy on no one. Kill the old men, young men, young women, mothers, and children.'"
Ezekiel 9.5-9.6
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"Curse those who do not do the Lord's work with all their heart! Curse those who do not slash and kill!
-Jeremiah 48.10
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"It is the one who sins who will die. A son is not to suffer because of his father's sins, nor a father because of the sins of his sons. Good people will be rewarded for doing good, and evil people will suffer for the evil they do"
Ezekiel 18.20
"Warn the
-Ezekiel 21.3
"
-Hosea 13.16
"I have already told him that I am going to punish his family forever because his sons have spoken evil things about me."
-1 Samuel 3.13
"I destroyed you, my people, i killed your children because you did not stop your evil ways."
Jeremiah 15.7
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"The Lord spoke to me. "Mortal man," he said, "with one blow I am going to take away the person you love most. You are not to complain or cry or shed any tears."
-Ezekiel 24.15-16
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"God is not like people, who lie; He is not a human who changes his mind."
-Numbers 23.19
"When the Lord's angel was about to destroy
2 Samuel 24.16
"The Lord changed his mind and said, "What you saw will not take place."
-Amos 7.3
"The Lord changed his mind again and said, "This will not take place either."
-Amos 7.6
"I am the Lord, and I do not change."
-Malachi 3.6
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"So I reached out and crushed you because I was tired of controlling my anger."
-Jeremiah 15.6
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"I will condemn those who turn away from me and put their trust in human beings."
-Jeremiah 17.5
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"Watch out for people who grin and wink at you; they have thought of something evil" (Proverbs 16.30).
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"Take your son," God said, "your only son, Isaac, whome you love so much, and go to the land of Moriah. There on a mountain that I will show you, offer him as a sacrifice to me." -Genesis 22.2
(God stops the sacrifice in time, yes, but it's just funny that the omnipotent would need Abraham to prove his doggish obedience)
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"If you have a dreaded skin disease, you must wear torn clothes, leave your hair uncombed, cover the lower part of your face, and call out, 'Unclean, unclean!'"
-Leviticus 13.45
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"When a woman has her monthly period, she remains unclean for seven days. Anyone who touches her is unclean until evening. Anything on which she sits or lies during her monthly period is unclean."
-Leviticus 15.19-20
"If a man has sexual intercourse with her during her period, he is contaminated by her impurity and remains unclean for seven days, and any bed on which he lies is unclean."
-Leviticus 15.24
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"If a man has sexual relations with another man, they have done a disgusting thing, and both shall be put to death."
-Leviticus 20.13
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"Do not wear clothes made of two kinds of material."
-Leviticus 19.19
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"The Lord himself will lead you and be with you. He will not fail you or abandon you, so do not lose courage or be afraid."
-Deuteronomy 31.8
"The Lord said to Moses, "you will soon die, and after your death the people will become unfaithful to me and break the covenant that i made with them...When that happens, i will become angry with them; I will abandon them, and they will be destroyed."
Deuteronomy 31.16-17
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"Joshua captured all these cities and their kings, putting everyone to death, just as Moses, the Lord's servant had commanded."
-Joshua 11.12
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"But they would not listen to their father, for the Lord had decided to kill them."
-1 Samuel 2.25
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"That day David said to his men, 'Does anyone here hate the Jebusites as much as I do? Enough to kill them? Then go up through the water tunnel and attack those poor blind cripples.' That is why it is said, 'The blind and crippled cannot enter the Lord's house.'"
-2 Samuel 5.8
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"A man has no need to cover his head, because he reflects the image and glory of God. But woman reflects the glory of man; for man was not created from woman, but woman from man. Nor was man created for woman's sake, but woman was created for man's sake. On account of the angels, then, a woman should have a covering over her head to show that she is under her husband's authority."
-1 Corinthians 11.7-10
"It is a disgraceful thing for a woman to speak in a church meeting."
-1 Corinthians 14.35
"The basket had a lid made of lead. As I watched, the lid was raised, and there in the basket sat a woman! The angel said, 'This represents wickedness.' Then he pushed her down into the basket and put the lid back down. I looked up and saw two women flying toward me with powerful wings like those of a stork. They picked up the basket and flew off with it."
-Zechariah 5.7
(I find it hilarious how modern Christians just pick and choose what decrees they wish to follow. Corinthians IS from the New Testament. Shouldn't Christian women cover their heads in shame when they worship? Haha, the funniest thing in the world is a feminist Christian. Wouldn't you agree?)
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"Slaves, obey your human masters with fear and trembling; and do it with a sincere heart, as though you were serving Christ."
-Ephesians 6.5
"Do your work as slaves cheerfully, as though you served the Lord, and not merely human beings. Remember that the Lord will reward each of us, whether slave or free, for the good work we do."
-Ephesians 6.8
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"No pupil is greather than his teacher; no slave is greater than his master. So a pupil should be satisfied to become like his teacher, and a slave like his master."
-Matthew 10.24
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"And if your eye makes you lose faith, take it out and throw it away! It is better for you to enter life with only one eye than to keep both eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell."
-Matthew 18.9
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"Don't be tempted by their beauty; don't be trapped by their flirting eyes. A man can hire a prostitute for the price of a loaf of bread, but adultery will cost him all he has."
-Proverbs 6.25-26
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"Wisdom is a fountain of life to the wise, but trying to educate stupid people is a waste of time."
-Proverbs 16.22
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(Damnnn, this is GHETTO!)
"When some fool starts an argument, he is asking for a beating."
-Proverbs 18.6
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"If you do not obey the law, God will find your prayers too hateful to hear."
-Proverbs 28.9
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"There are four things that the earth itself cannot tolerate: a slave who becomes king, a fool who has all he wants to eat, a hateful woman who gets married, and a servant woman who takes the place of her mistress."
-Proverbs 30.21-23
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"God is testing us, to show us that we are no better than animals."
-Ecclesiastes 3.18
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"I found one man in a thousand that i could respect, but not one woman."
-Ecclesiastes 7.28
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"The king acts with authority, and no one can challenge what he does. As long as you obey his commands, you are safe."
-Ecclesiastes 8.5
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"But if you endure suffering even when you have done right, God will bless you for it."
-1 Peter 2.20
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"Offer yourselves as a living sacrifice to God, dedicated to his service and pleasing to him."
-Romans 12.1
"For what is life? To me, it is Christ. Death, then, will bring more."
-Philippians 1.21
"Someone who is always thinking about happiness is a fool. A wise person thinks about death."
-Ecclesiastes 6.4
(A fixation with death and an obsequious obediance to a divine authority. How disturbing.)
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"THE LORD(to Job): Now stand up straight/ and answer my questions./ Are you trying to prove that I am/ unjust--/ to put me in the wrong and/ yourself in the right? Are you as strong as I am?/ Can your voice thunder as loud as mine? If so, stand up in your honor/ and pride;/ clothe yourself with majesty/ and glory."
-Job 40.7-10
"JOB: I know, Lord that you are/ all-powerful;/ that you can do everything/ you want."
-Job 42.2
"JOB: So I am ashamed of all I have/ said/ and repent in dust and ashes."
-Job 42.6
(Now, Job did nothing wrong. God was just showing off to Satan. God rules by strength, obviously. Does that make him just?)
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"Everything that happens was already determined long ago, and we all know that you cannot argue with someone who is stronger than you."
-Ecclesiastes 6.10
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Here's what religion boils down to, people. At the very base, it is an insecurity in oneself. It is the need to rely on some divine power for assistance through the pressing obstacles of life. So basically, do I rely on my own strength or on the strength of some omnipotent entity? Christianity would have us believe that we are nothing without God and Christ. Absolutely nothing. We are weak and God is strong. We must thank God for every gratuitous occurance, any achievement: even if it has been accomplished based on our own individual labors and those of our fellow humans. God is everywhere, God is always watching you.
When you do something difficult like give a public speech, or tackle any other obstacle you feel insecure about, do you find safety in saying a prayer for your own well-being? Or are you strong enough to rely on yourself and your fellow humans only, and build your character up that way? Because when one believes a goal is accomplished by the grace of some abstract force rather than on personal effort, development is marred. How can a self-esteem be built when a person cannot even function without God's divine intervention? The surest way to control a person is to destroy his or her's self-esteem. Christianity teaches us to be ashamed. It actively seeks to destroy any trace of personal pride. All things come from God, you are a worm. Your primary function is to obey. Everything else is evil.
When i get done with a public speech, do i get down on my knees, thank God for success, and vow to pray and rely on God in the future? Or do I go over exactly what I did right, exactly what steps I took to conquer my fear? Which path is the healthier to my personal development? If God existed, wouldn't He be concerned with my personal development over his own jealous pride? Christianity would have you believe that we are clay and God is the sculptor. One of the frequent arguments in the Bible is that a sculptor has every right to do whatever he wishes to his sculpture for whatever reason. Just read Job because that story is probably the clearest exposition of this idea(though it is found everywhere in the Bible). We are property.
Do you remember when you believed in Santa Claus? How about the Tooth Fairy? The Easter Bunny? Try and think of something you once believed in, in the innocence of childhood. Why did you believe in Santa Claus? (a) Your parents told you that he existed. (b) It was fortuitous to believe in him. (c) You had no real reason to believe otherwise. (d) His existence is steeped in tradition, myth, bedtime stories. (e) Your friends were all believers.
Yet even when (c) became questionable and you began to doubt, the presents kept coming. Your parents, family, and popular society reinforced Santa Claus's existence. So you continued to believe until you grew older. Some authority figure had to sit you down and tell you that there is no Santa Claus, that the idea of a chubby jolly man squeezing his fat ass down all the narrow chimneys of the world is an absurd idea.
How is this any different than your faith in God and Christianity? In people like me sitting you down and using logical, critical analysis to demonstrate the absurdity of a fickle God who demands ignorance, unquestioning obediance, and cultural intolerance? Maintaining your faith is much easier, because the churches have divine authority on their side. By claiming to know all that goes on in the afterlife, they command a fear of the unknown. Cower at the fires of Hell, you of weak faith, you sinners!
Haha hey i've got a riddle for all you! Here it is:
THE QUESTION: What do you get when a low self-esteem and fear of the unknown are combined?
THE ANSWER: Mind-slaves! Woo hoo!
Another area of Christianity that i think needs to be addressed is the rich-poor relations. I am always told that Christianity shares my hatred of the propertied classes. To a certain extent this is true: "God chose the poor people of this world to be rich in faith and to possess the kingdom which he promised to those who love him. But you dishonor the poor! Who are the ones who oppress you and drag you before the judges? The rich! They are the ones who speak evil of that good name which has been given to you" (James 2.5-7) At first glance, this statement does seem to be true to life and justice. But notice how it alludes to a divine justice, a justice that will come about in the afterlife, rather than on earth: "Your life here on earth had been full of luxury and pleasure. You have made yourselves fat for the day of slaughter" (James 5.5). And yet the poor are encouraged not to revolt: "Don't criticize the king, even silently, and don't criticize the rich, even in the privacy of your bedroom"(Ecclesiastes 10.20), and "For the sake of the Lord submit yourselves to every human authority: to the Emperor, who is the supreme authority, and to the governors, who have been appointed by him to punish the evildoers and to praise those who do good"(1 Peter 2.13). Doesn't this, then, deter any kind of revolution? Doesn't it cripple any movement toward equality and advancement? Imagine that there is no afterlife, heaven, hell, or God. What then? The poor and oppressed are pacified because they are deluded into thinking that justice will come after death and only if they are peaceful, respectful, and obedient during life. In the meantime, the rich use them to get richer and become more and more powerful. Christianity, then, is nothing more than an elaborate means to control the toiling masses. It has always been used to consolidate wealth and power to the ruling elite of the time. It is a business, a monopoly, and a lucrative one at that.
I try to shake your faith because i believe religion is the worst institution on the planet with government coming in close second. It is a recipe to control the masses and nothing else. As Nietzsche once said, "Religion is a fraud but is necessary for the masses." Shakespeare and Socrates would have us believe that the mass of people are ignorant and fickle. I would have you believe that the masses, the "hoi polloi," are ignorant and fickle because every institution in society develops them toward that end. That is religion, government, education, and economics. The ruling elite create these institutions and, as we all know, their job has always been to remain in power. To do this, they must have a populace which actively depends on them. I'll end with what is perhaps the most well-known phrase regarding power: "Power corrupts but absolute power corrupts absolutely(Lord Acton)."
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