Alright a new thread as requested, if you want to follow the topic look at the last few pages of this thread begining on page 7:
HERE
Quote:
Originally posted by Faceman:
---and for the patronizing point---
4. It seems to me that all of you have taken the discussion to a meta-level where it's not about making a point anymore but about who is entitled to make a point and if the point he made was correct. The fun is in the game people! Not in arguing with the referee (or with each other if you lack one)
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You make some excellent points Faceman. I totally agree with the one I have quoted. As for the Bible not making contradictions on the important points, I have to disagree. Here are my thoughts as too why
The whole "Thou shall not kill" issue is striking to me. I have read and heard many a justification for killing by people who claim to use the bible as the final authority on moral behavior. It is clear to me that in many cases killing is sanctioned, even endorsed by God. In other cases its is forbidden by the direct rule of God. Mixed messages abound on whether or not violence is sanctioned or condemned as well. I must question the blanket moral authority of a tome that gives such mixed contradictory moral messages.
Many fundamentalist use the beleif in the final moral authority of the bible as a "sword" in attempts to slay non-believers and dissenting believers alike. Revealing the dull edge and poor craftsmanship of the sword serves to clarify what should matter about the bible and what shouldn't with regards to "moral" issues. That is (to me) allowing discerning thinkers to reconcile the contradictions themselves in order find moral clarity from within their own hearts, minds, and expiriences rather than blindly and verbatim from a book.