An Atheist Reads The Bible: Talking Out Its Ass

In my last post I skipped over one of the most bizarre stories in the Bible (though I’m saying this so often it’s starting to lose meaning). Considering the last post dealt with genocide, I didn’t want to confuse the theme and I ran out of space. But I felt this story is too good to ignore (the title alone is worth it) so I figure I might as well write a post about it. So the story begins in chapter 22 of the Book of Numbers when Balak, the King of the Moabites, noticed that the Israelites were exterminating everyone they came across. Not wanting to be wiped off the face of the Earth, Balak does the only thing … Continue reading “An Atheist Reads The Bible: Talking Out Its Ass”

June 24, 2015ReligionAn Atheist Reads The Bible, Atheism, Balaam, Balak, Bible, Book of Numbers, Donkey, God, Israelites Leave a comment

Were The Biblical Prophecies Fulfilled?

A common argument made by Christians is that the Bible contains prophecies that it would be impossible for any ordinary human to know and must have come from God. These claimed fulfilled prophesises are supposedly undeniable proof that the Bible is the word of God. “Unique among all books ever written, the Bible accurately foretells specific events-in detail-many years, sometimes centuries, before they occur. Approximately 2500 prophecies appear in the pages of the Bible, about 2000 of which already have been fulfilled to the letter—no errors.” This is seen as irrefutable proof in the truth of the Bible and of God and it is claimed that “the odds for all these prophecies having been fulfilled by chance without error is … Continue reading “Were The Biblical Prophecies Fulfilled?”

January 15, 2014ReligionAtheism, Bible, Biblical Prophecy, Christianity, Failed, Fulfilled, Prophecy, Religion, Unfulfilled Leave a comment

Religion As A Cause Of War

I would argue that a major cause of most (but not all) wars is religion. Religion divides people into separate groups and tells them that they are incompatible with each other. It provides justification for the killing of others and the promise of reward for martyrs. There are numerous examples of religious wars. Some of the main ones include the Crusades, Yugoslavia, Iraq, Afghanistan, The War On Terror, The Thirty Year War, Northern Ireland and the numerous religious wars of England and France (which culminated in the Saint Bartholomew Day Massacre). A frequent justification for the British, French, Spanish, Portuguese etc, (which led to horrendous massacres) empires was so that the natives could be converted to Christianity. Religions claim they … Continue reading “Religion As A Cause Of War”

May 22, 2012ReligionAtheism, Bible, Christianity, God, International Relations, Political Theory, Politics, Religion, War Leave a comment

Terrible Parts Of The Bible Part 3: Homophobia

“If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death.” (Leviticus 20:13) I was shocked the first time I saw this. I know religion is well known for its prejudice against homosexuals, but death? Surely that is too far for even the most bigoted homophobe. Religion has always been the harshest critic of homosexuality. This is appalling as you cannot choose who you do or do not love; therefore homosexuals are condemned for something they cannot control. Even still I was surprised at the harshness with which homosexuality is condemned in the Bible, especially as a reason is never given. The Bible is … Continue reading “Terrible Parts Of The Bible Part 3: Homophobia”

April 26, 2012ReligionBible, Christianity, Homophobia, Homosexuality, LGBT, Religion, Terrible Parts Of The Bible Leave a comment

Terrible Parts Of The Bible Part 1 – Genocide

Most my life, I, like most people assumed the Bible was a book about love, peace, tolerance and rules for a good life. It was always assumed that if more people took a page out of the Bible the world would be a better place. However, recently I have started to look into the Bible and found a lot of pretty nasty things. So many in fact,  that I can’t fit them into one post so this will have to be a series. I was shocked and horrified when I found out that the Bible justifies ethnic cleansing and genocide. For example, we all know the story of how Moses helped the Jews escape from Egypt. In order to get … Continue reading “Terrible Parts Of The Bible Part 1 – Genocide”

April 18, 2012ReligionAtheism, Atheist, Bible, Christianity, Ethnic Cleansing, Genocide, Killing, Massacre, Religion, Terrible Parts Of The Bible Leave a comment