Atheists does this make sense to you? From an atheist?

Question

THE PARADOX OF BIBLICAL JABBERWOCKY
One night, I was very tired and alone in my study. I didn't reach, as I usually did, for a book of religious argument. I grabbed Lewis Carroll's "Through The Looking Glass", plopped myself down in a comfy chair and sleepily began reading. I skimmed through the pages and stopped at Humpty Dumpty's explanation of 'Jabberwocky' to Alice. A thought occurred to me that if I were to read 'Jabberwocky' the same way I read the bible, it wouldn't make any sense at all. I put Carroll's book aside, folded my hands and stared at the wall, lost in thought.

The Bible didn't make sense to me. But why did it make sense to others? What were they seeing that I didn't? Did they so desperately want there to be a God that they had deluded themselves into thinking that there was one? It was New Year's Day, 1998. I made a resolution to read the entire Bible again, only this time I was going to read it as I would poetry or fiction, and not as a proposal of fact.

Full article:
http://www.ex-atheist.com/from-skepticism-to-worship.html

What I got from it was that when he gave it a chance, it worked differently. Instead of trying to poke holes in arguements he was looking for understanding. He didn't say that he thought of it as fiction. He said that he thought of it as a book with a message. Instead of hunting for arguements and errors he was looking for answers and reasons.

Answer 1

A wonderful testimony, well done and written from a changed heart. May God use it to touch the hearts of others.


The Bible is the greatest book ever written, the biggest seller of all time.... why? It's has affected the lives of millions! Are they deluded? Weak? Are they desperate? No. Just convinced that there is more to it than just words on a page. It's a spiritual book which contains more relevance and truths of life and the human condition than anything else that has ever been written.

The central theme is Jesus Christ. All the other religions are our attempts to reach God and/or enlightenment. Christianity is about God reaching out to each of us individually. It is having faith in the possibility that Jesus Christ is who He says He is, and that He has done what He said He has done. Its about love and our relationship with God and other people.

If we wrong someone who we care about, we say that we are sorry and try to assure them we will change our ways of doing things, to not hurt them again. We "repent" of what we did. The relationship is still dead until that person forgives you. When the friendship is restored, you can interact with one another again. In a way, this is our situation with God. We have offended Him, and He wants our relationship restored, but you must first repent. Then we are able to interact with Him and He will then prove to you that He is a real and living God. It is why Christ died for us, so that God could establish a new covenant with mankind, allowing us to be restored with Him. We love Him, because He first loved us.

Cross those lines you've drawn and come to Him with a humble and repentant heart in prayer. He will answer and is waiting for anyone who will believe this. You will then understand why we are so strong in our belief. God will show you that He is real by touching your heart with His love, and you will come to know and love the living God.

Answer 2

See, this is what I like to hear. Considering all the angles. Now, though I'm a Christian person, I know just how hard it is to approach the Bible as fact. I mean, Christ must have cured half a million people of "demon possession" throughout the entire New Testament--but I grew up in a world were "demonic possession" could be any number of clinical diseases...

Though I respect the sanctity of the Bible, I have sort of taken your approach as well. I respect and honor the ideas and messages within the Bible, but to use it like some encyclopedia of human history is really looking at it the wrong way. To me, it's like this... If this is a book of spiritual enlightenment and understand, and in five minutes I can completely understand everything from the last 30 pages, how enlightening can it be?

That's why it is all in the approach as to how you read it. For you it might be poetry, or fiction, or insight into how people thought and wrote centuries ago. To me, it is a spiritual guide sometimes, and others, just a simple read. But what's so admirable about your point is that you're not afraid to at least look into something--no matter how hard you may not believe in it. And I feel the same way about evolution. Though it does go against a lot of my held beliefs, I find a lot more truth in it by being open-minded.

Answer 3

nice..I read your whole page. It's what I consider the "nice" thing about the bible. I'm having a problem and some one tells me to go and read a certian verse- and I'm always like-some one told me to read that once before for another problem- and it made sense and applied to the situation then-but I know it and how can it help me now? But then I'd go and read it and I'd get a completely different understanding from it that would help me. Isn't the Jabberwocky also mentioned in C.S Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia as well? I remember reading about it and getting scared as a child.

Answer 4

"The Bible didn't make sense to me. But why did it make sense to others? What were they seeing that I didn't? Did they so desperately want there to be a God that they had deluded themselves into thinking that there was one?"

Yes. They only see what they want to see. We know this as everytime something 'good' happens they attribute it to god. When something bad happens they don't. They also pray 1000 times and if a coincidence happens they say their prayer is answered. This is delusion, seeing what you want to see. I don't think they can see it though. You can believe in anything if you want to, with thousands of churches, a big book and thousands of followers it gets so much more easy as thousands are deluded. Comfort in numbers-how can all these people be wrong?! If you are of a weak mind also and feel like you need help or to be part of a group, again easy to join a religion. Humans like to be part of things, so if you think life is quite bleak and we're all gonna die one day-which is true, you'll take comfort in thinking that you'll go to heaven. I say face up to reality to these people and stop being cowards..

Answer 5

Am I lacking some thing right here....? We ALL (toddlers, persons who on no account heard of the bible, and so on) deserve to visit hell for the reason that a paranormal speakme snake satisfied one lady 1000s of years in the past to consume one fruit? Isn't that just a bit unfair? And what the hell used to be improper with consuming the fruit besides? Whats improper with competencies of well and evil? If Adam and Eve could not fully grasp evil, how would they recognize that consuming the fruit used to be improper? Hopefully your query used to be only a quite weird shaggy dog story....

Answer 6

I think you are on to something. There seems to be a considerable need to believe in the human psyche. But to focus this on religion (where ultimately we can know nothing) as opposed to on science (where ultimately we can know anything that we care to investigate) is bad aim indeed. The bible can only make sense if you pick and choose; it contains hundreds of errors and scores of internal contradictions, so to make anything that is remotely consistent requires choice.

Answer 7

It seems to me, he could only accept in once he read it as a piece of fiction rather than fact. Indeed, a bizarre piece of fiction which includes things with, in real life, are impossible.

Answer 8

Religion evolved as a result of our evolution. As humans began to talk and to wonder about our existence and the world we live in people started to theorize about reality. In the beginning religion was an early attempt at science and to create order in society. Religions evolved into social institutions creating a conglomeration of ritual, science, law, and government.

Answer 9

"One interpretation of any verse or passage would render the whole story as nonsensical. But the other interpretation allowed the whole story to make sense."

The "other interpretation" being to ignore all science and think irrationally.

This interpretation would make ANYTHING "make sense". Seriously...

"But this man was able to see the horrible nature present in all of humanity and yet he had sacrificed himself to save us from ourselves."

So Jesus sacrificed himself for our sins and yet we also have to confess our already-forgiven sins? THIS MAKES NO SENSE.

"But He was very, very real."

And yet... he has NO EVIDENCE. No evidence = very, very real? Schizophrenic delusion anyone?

"My atheistic philosophy had allowed me to lose my compassion for others. I no longer had the ability to love anyone, not even myself."

This is called being a psychopath (when not having the ability to love). It has nothing to do with atheism. Most atheists can and do love.

"I no longer saw people as a sum of their components or this life as a meaningless exercise..."

Of course this moron thinks that atheism = meaningless/ pointless/ purposeless life. How original. -_-

"...but I now saw both as something more valid than my rational thought had allowed"

A fairy-tale? How nice for you...

Theists are cracked-up in the head.

Answer 10

You should probably read "The Thinker's" answer several times. Then after that, click on here, http://evilbible.com read it several times if necessary, and give a detailed analysis, and explanation of why the bible is so wonderful.