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Catching Elephant is a theme by Andy Taylor

 

Pretty good read so far. I figured I would mention it because I saw some stuff on Facebook tonight where atheists will take a passage from the Bible that’s about raping women, condemning people to horrible deaths—the stuff that can make you cringe—and using that to condemn the entire book as being devoid of love or kindness or goodness. I’m not a theologian, or a Jew, or a Christian, but a hyper-literal reading of the Bible, removing any context that gets in the way of the point you want to push through, is a dumb move. And I’m coming to realize that both sides of the argument do the same thing. Right-wing Bible-thumpers, cynical atheists… they have way more in common than they know.

Pretty good read so far.

I figured I would mention it because I saw some stuff on Facebook tonight where atheists will take a passage from the Bible that’s about raping women, condemning people to horrible deaths—the stuff that can make you cringe—and using that to condemn the entire book as being devoid of love or kindness or goodness.

I’m not a theologian, or a Jew, or a Christian, but a hyper-literal reading of the Bible, removing any context that gets in the way of the point you want to push through, is a dumb move. And I’m coming to realize that both sides of the argument do the same thing.

Right-wing Bible-thumpers, cynical atheists… they have way more in common than they know.

Stop saying something is your “spirit animal.” You just like that thing. That’s all. So just say that.

Yeah, maybe don’t co-opt religious beliefs you don’t actually adhere to just because it’s pithy and other people on Tumblr do it.

I’m starting to think that picking and choosing facets of religious belief is a dangerous road to tread. I think maybe you don’t get to believe simultaneously in, for example, reincarnation and repentance. Granted, I don’t have details on any religion—nothing qualifies me for this bout except a critical mind—but maybe the fact that they have grown apart and become discrete from each other means some separation is the only thing that gives any of them meaning.

All of this is to say that I think treating members of your tribe and your species is hard to argue against, really. The details of specific religions, however, have cultural and historical significance that you can’t fairly wear as you fancy.

amynaz: Cute. I believe the pervading myth in the Greek canon is that Prometheus made man out of clay. There was something about taking part of the clay dude and making a clay lady out of it (good job lifting that story, Bible!), but I don’t remember the specifics of that one story I read that one time. Prometheus also stole fire from Mt. Olympus after Zeus had a tantrum, and Zeus punished mankind by sending Pandora to Earth. You know all about the box of bad shit she opened, but according to Hesiod, “[f]rom her is the race of women and female kind … of her is the deadly race and tribe of women who live amongst mortal men to their great trouble, no helpmeets in hateful poverty, but only in wealth.” Whether that means all women are awful, or just the gold-diggers who are only helpmeets (sweet word, Hesiod’s translator!), I’m not sure, but the bad stuff in the world is here at the fault of women (good job lifting THAT story, too, Bible!) Religious texts are fun, yo.

amynaz:

Cute.

I believe the pervading myth in the Greek canon is that Prometheus made man out of clay. There was something about taking part of the clay dude and making a clay lady out of it (good job lifting that story, Bible!), but I don’t remember the specifics of that one story I read that one time.

Prometheus also stole fire from Mt. Olympus after Zeus had a tantrum, and Zeus punished mankind by sending Pandora to Earth. You know all about the box of bad shit she opened, but according to Hesiod, “[f]rom her is the race of women and female kind … of her is the deadly race and tribe of women who live amongst mortal men to their great trouble, no helpmeets in hateful poverty, but only in wealth.”

Whether that means all women are awful, or just the gold-diggers who are only helpmeets (sweet word, Hesiod’s translator!), I’m not sure, but the bad stuff in the world is here at the fault of women (good job lifting THAT story, too, Bible!)

Religious texts are fun, yo.

(Source: sleepyouth)

thebronzemedal: Article suggestion for Buzzfeed: People who don’t know the difference between the Imacculate Conception and the Virgin Birth. (One is Mary being conceived without sin, the other is Jesus being concieved without sex.) Wha? I didn’t know that.

thebronzemedal:

Article suggestion for Buzzfeed: People who don’t know the difference between the Imacculate Conception and the Virgin Birth. (One is Mary being conceived without sin, the other is Jesus being concieved without sex.)

Wha? I didn’t know that.

animalstalkinginallcaps: HELLO, AND WELCOME. IT’S GOOD TO SEE SO MANY SMILING FACES IN THE PEWS TODAY. NOW, IT’S IMPORTANT THAT WE GET BACK TO GOOD OLD FASHIONED CHRISTIAN VALUES IN THIS COUNTRY, AND I THINK THE BEST WAY WE CAN DO THAT IS TO FOCUS ON THE PARTS OF THE BIBLE THAT OCCUR BEFORE CHRIST. THAT’S WHY WE’RE CHRISTIANS. BECAUSE CHRIST ISN’T IMPORTANT. WE NEED TO FOCUS ON THE PRIMITIVE, SUPERSTITIOUS, DEPLORABLE PARTS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT THAT ALLOW US TO BE AS FAR REMOVED FROM THE NAMESAKE OF OUR CHOSEN RELIGION AS POSSIBLE SO THAT WE DON’T HAVE TO DO THINGS LIKE EXPLAIN GAY PEOPLE OR ECONOMIC DISPARITY TO OUR KIDS WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY SHITTING ON THE POOR AND REDUCING WOMEN AND BLACKS TO THE LEVEL OF PROPERTY, STRIPPED OF THEIR HARD-WON RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS. WHAT WE ABSOLUTELY SHOULD NOT DO IS ACKNOWLEDGE THE TEACHINGS AND WISDOM OF THE NEW TESTAMENT, WHICH IS THE BOOK OUR RELIGION DRAWS ITS NAME FROM. THAT WOULD JUST BE SILLY, AND WE’D HAVE TO APOLOGIZE TO … EVERYONE, BASICALLY, FOR BEING ENORMOUS, UNREPENTANT ASSHOLES WHO PLACE PERSONAL PROFIT AND COMFORT OVER THE RIGHTS AND NEEDS OF THE MANY. I CAN SEE A LOT OF YOU HERE TODAY ARE GOING TO START ASKING THE SAME KIND OF QUESTIONS THAT GOT JESUS IN SO MUCH TROUBLE, AND I JUST WANT TO ASK YOU: WHAT ARE YOU, SOCIALISTS? STOP ROCKING THE BOAT. IF YOU HAVE A CONSCIENCE THEN THE TERRORISTS HAVE WON. AMEN. Seriously, who can honestly have a problem with Jesus’ core message? Be nice to others. Love them. Is that so hard?

animalstalkinginallcaps:

HELLO, AND WELCOME. IT’S GOOD TO SEE SO MANY SMILING FACES IN THE PEWS TODAY. NOW, IT’S IMPORTANT THAT WE GET BACK TO GOOD OLD FASHIONED CHRISTIAN VALUES IN THIS COUNTRY, AND I THINK THE BEST WAY WE CAN DO THAT IS TO FOCUS ON THE PARTS OF THE BIBLE THAT OCCUR BEFORE CHRIST. THAT’S WHY WE’RE CHRISTIANS. BECAUSE CHRIST ISN’T IMPORTANT. WE NEED TO FOCUS ON THE PRIMITIVE, SUPERSTITIOUS, DEPLORABLE PARTS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT THAT ALLOW US TO BE AS FAR REMOVED FROM THE NAMESAKE OF OUR CHOSEN RELIGION AS POSSIBLE SO THAT WE DON’T HAVE TO DO THINGS LIKE EXPLAIN GAY PEOPLE OR ECONOMIC DISPARITY TO OUR KIDS WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY SHITTING ON THE POOR AND REDUCING WOMEN AND BLACKS TO THE LEVEL OF PROPERTY, STRIPPED OF THEIR HARD-WON RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS.

WHAT WE ABSOLUTELY SHOULD NOT DO IS ACKNOWLEDGE THE TEACHINGS AND WISDOM OF THE NEW TESTAMENT, WHICH IS THE BOOK OUR RELIGION DRAWS ITS NAME FROM. THAT WOULD JUST BE SILLY, AND WE’D HAVE TO APOLOGIZE TO … EVERYONE, BASICALLY, FOR BEING ENORMOUS, UNREPENTANT ASSHOLES WHO PLACE PERSONAL PROFIT AND COMFORT OVER THE RIGHTS AND NEEDS OF THE MANY.

I CAN SEE A LOT OF YOU HERE TODAY ARE GOING TO START ASKING THE SAME KIND OF QUESTIONS THAT GOT JESUS IN SO MUCH TROUBLE, AND I JUST WANT TO ASK YOU: WHAT ARE YOU, SOCIALISTS? STOP ROCKING THE BOAT. IF YOU HAVE A CONSCIENCE THEN THE TERRORISTS HAVE WON. AMEN.

Seriously, who can honestly have a problem with Jesus’ core message?

Be nice to others. Love them.

Is that so hard?

wine-loving-vagabond: theholyprepuce: White Jesus modeled on Cesare Borgia? The theory is that people were generally not too enthusiastic about the Catholic Church’s regular massacres of Jews and Crusades against Muslims, because the people they were killing looked like Jesus.  Pope Alexander VI then ordered the destruction of all art depicting a Semitic Jesus and commissioned a number of paintings depicting a Caucasian Jesus.  His son, Cardinal Cesare Borgia, was the model for these paintings.  Thus, the nastiest of all the Borgias, became the iconic Caucasian Jesus so loved by Christians today.  In 1995, GZA’s Liquid Swords album featured the solo track by Wu-Tang Clan affiliate, Killah Priest, ”B.I.B.L.E. (Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth)”. The lyrics include the lines; “I even learnt Caucasians were really the Tribe of Edam, The white image, of Christ, is really Cesare Borgia” hmmmm Further support for the notion that the Catholic Church and Christian values are only aligned when politically beneficial. Sometimes, I Vatican’t believe the wrongheaded things that have been done in the past couple centuries.

wine-loving-vagabond:

theholyprepuce:

White Jesus modeled on Cesare Borgia?

The theory is that people were generally not too enthusiastic about the Catholic Church’s regular massacres of Jews and Crusades against Muslims, because the people they were killing looked like Jesus.  Pope Alexander VI then ordered the destruction of all art depicting a Semitic Jesus and commissioned a number of paintings depicting a Caucasian Jesus.  His son, Cardinal Cesare Borgia, was the model for these paintings.  Thus, the nastiest of all the Borgias, became the iconic Caucasian Jesus so loved by Christians today. 

In 1995, GZA’s Liquid Swords album featured the solo track by Wu-Tang Clan affiliate, Killah Priest, ”B.I.B.L.E. (Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth)”. The lyrics include the lines; “I even learnt Caucasians were really the Tribe of Edam, The white image, of Christ, is really Cesare Borgia”

hmmmm

Further support for the notion that the Catholic Church and Christian values are only aligned when politically beneficial.

Sometimes, I Vatican’t believe the wrongheaded things that have been done in the past couple centuries.