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Radar · 12-09-2002, 08:07 PM

The scrolls that were later compiled and translated (twice - once from ancient Aramaic to Greek, and then from Greek to old English) for the King James Version of the bible were written 400 - 500 years after the supposed death of Jesus of Nazareth. During those hundreds of years, the stories were told from father to son for generations upon generations. I've read the bible several times among other religious texts. I prefer the NIV version for accuracy because it was translated directly from Aramaic to English and the King James for it's poetry.

I don't know if any of you remember the telephone game children play, but it goes something like this. You line up 10 or so children and the first one whispers something in the ear of the child next to them and they pass it on until it gets to the end. By the time it gets to the end it's completely different than the original message. This is undoubtedly the case with the bible stories. They've surely been embellished and changed to the point where they're hardly recognizable from anything that may or may not have happened in reality.

I don't recognize the bible as "divine" or as "factual". I don't recognize it as a moral authority or as an accurate historical record. I see it as one of many religious texts out there with some well known stories and parables intended to teach a set of values. The same is true with Zen Buddhism, Islam, and every other religion. They all have similar stories.

I personally believe that if you boil all religions down to their essence they teach the same thing. Once you remove ignorant things like restrictions on diet, wardrobe, grooming, etc. you find that they all have the same universal message. Whether you call that message the golden rule, karma, or something else the message is far older than any organized religion. Far older than Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, or any other religion that has ever existed. The 10 commandments are based on this rule. Thou shalt not steal. Why? Because you wouldn't want other people to steal from you. Thou shalt not commit adultery? Why? Because you wouldn't want your spouse to do it and you wouldn't want someone else to do it with your spouse. Thou shalt not kill? Why? Because you don't want to be killed and you don't want your friends or family killed. It goes on and on and it's all about being a decent human being. The worse part is that more people have been killed in the name of god than for anything else in the history of the world. This is ridiculous when you consider the basic message is the same and people can't focus on similarities, but rather differences.

I’m personally sickened by all organized religion. I’ve seen far far far too much hypocrisy in the Christian religions. And I’d rather just be a decent person who makes a genuine effort to treat others the way I’d be treated. At least those I care about and aren't so offensive personally that they deserve nothing more than my contempt.

12-09-2002, 08:07 PM	#273
Radar Constitutional Scholar Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Ocala, FL Posts: 4,006	The scrolls that were later compiled and translated (twice - once from ancient Aramaic to Greek, and then from Greek to old English) for the King James Version of the bible were written 400 - 500 years after the supposed death of Jesus of Nazareth. During those hundreds of years, the stories were told from father to son for generations upon generations. I've read the bible several times among other religious texts. I prefer the NIV version for accuracy because it was translated directly from Aramaic to English and the King James for it's poetry. I don't know if any of you remember the telephone game children play, but it goes something like this. You line up 10 or so children and the first one whispers something in the ear of the child next to them and they pass it on until it gets to the end. By the time it gets to the end it's completely different than the original message. This is undoubtedly the case with the bible stories. They've surely been embellished and changed to the point where they're hardly recognizable from anything that may or may not have happened in reality. I don't recognize the bible as "divine" or as "factual". I don't recognize it as a moral authority or as an accurate historical record. I see it as one of many religious texts out there with some well known stories and parables intended to teach a set of values. The same is true with Zen Buddhism, Islam, and every other religion. They all have similar stories. I personally believe that if you boil all religions down to their essence they teach the same thing. Once you remove ignorant things like restrictions on diet, wardrobe, grooming, etc. you find that they all have the same universal message. Whether you call that message the golden rule, karma, or something else the message is far older than any organized religion. Far older than Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, or any other religion that has ever existed. The 10 commandments are based on this rule. Thou shalt not steal. Why? Because you wouldn't want other people to steal from you. Thou shalt not commit adultery? Why? Because you wouldn't want your spouse to do it and you wouldn't want someone else to do it with your spouse. Thou shalt not kill? Why? Because you don't want to be killed and you don't want your friends or family killed. It goes on and on and it's all about being a decent human being. The worse part is that more people have been killed in the name of god than for anything else in the history of the world. This is ridiculous when you consider the basic message is the same and people can't focus on similarities, but rather differences. I’m personally sickened by all organized religion. I’ve seen far far far too much hypocrisy in the Christian religions. And I’d rather just be a decent person who makes a genuine effort to treat others the way I’d be treated. At least those I care about and aren't so offensive personally that they deserve nothing more than my contempt.