Have you read the bible? Seriously?

Question

Have you read the bible? Specificaly the old testament. Why does god keep telling moses to kill other tribes and rape there women. This isn't a joke... research the canaanites if you don't believe me.

They must be dividing the spoils they took: there must be a damsel or two for each man, Spoils of dyed cloth as Sisera's spoil, an ornate shawl or two for me in the spoil. (Judges 5:30 NAB)

Foreign women are the spoils of war. Each man can have one or two "damsels".

When a man sells his daughter as a slave, she will not be freed at the end of six years as the men are. If she does not please the man who bought her, he may allow her to be bought back again.
EXODUS 21:7-11 NLT

Answer 1

Yes, I have read and re-read it several times at different stages of my life.

The first time I started reading it was in "bible studies" class in first grade.

In my conservative Christian town, the local fundies had a neat loophole for getting around the "Separation of church and state" issue. Obviously, it violates the constitution and a host of other state laws to actually teach Christian mythology as if it were fact INSIDE the school. So, they got the clever idea to "allow" those children who “chose to,” take an "extra-curricular course" outside the school in little mobile trailers, (like airstreams).

OF COURSE EVERY kid in 1st grade wanted the free punch and cookies these proselytizing bastards handed out. Imagine our dismay when we discovered that we had to listen to bible stories and take quizzes. I remember there was this nasty woman teacher (Mrs. Bishop) who hit a kid with a yardstick on his back for falling asleep during a film.

She was the same “teacher” who got mad at me for asking questions very much like yours. I read at nearly college-level before I was in kindergarten, so I was able to slog through a good portion of the old testament during the first week. Being fueled up with sugary snacks helped! But, I did not understand all the terrible things that god supposedly did. Particularly, the book of Job brought up some poignant questions. This woman, got flustered and rather indignant about my innocent inquiries. I thought they were rational questions. I still do.

You can imagine my parent’s horror when they found out that the public school was directly supporting BuyBull Bull when it was supposed to be teaching children reading, writing, and arithmetic.

There was a public outcry, along with a heated debate in the local newspapers. The net result was that the teacher was ostracized for hosting this class and the fundies that funded the “bible studies” curriculum were prohibited from interfering with state-funded school programs forever.

I also gave the bible serious consideration when a neighborhood friend asked me to attend her church when we were in fourth grade. My parents, (both atheists) encouraged me to go and see for myself what was going on. I did.

We attended services on Sunday, and also had a after-service bible study program, complete with sugary snacks and bright red punch. ( Hmm, interesting pattern of chemical brainwashing techniques huh?) As part of that formative experience, they had me read selections from the bible, (King James version) in class. Again, when I asked why god was such a “meanie,” I got the strangest reaction. I simply pointed out the genocidal killing, environmental terrorism, (salting the Earth), rape, (ravishing) cruelty to animals, (slaughter) etc.etc.

By asking simple questions about the “word of god” (as they called it) I started a furor amongst the children and was chided mercilessly by the teacher too. I found out what a “good friend” my friend Christine was. She told her parents that I smarted off to the teacher and that I was a bad influence. She was not allowed to associate with me after that. As it turns out, Christine got pregnant when she was seventeen, had the baby, gave it up for adoption and became a prostitute. She died of a drug overdose at twenty-one in a Florida flop-house. I actually feel sorry for the stupid whore. Her parents brainwashed with religious guilt and psycho-sexual images.

Later, in college, I was forced to read the bible again, but this time in a comparative religion class. The professor was excellent and we learned about MANY religions, including the Pagan and Gnostic religions that Christianity plagiarized its main myths from.

I read the entire bible, with several translations from some of the original Greek texts. I read numerous interpretations. I read about the history of the bible, some of its “Authors” (the men, …not god of course) and I read many opinions of the bible’s validity.

During that summer session, I had time to talk to my college friends about religion et al. (That’s one of those subjects that just comes up at dinner parties and on road trips.) I found out that most people then called me an “agnostic.” I just couldn’t find any excuse for the biblical god. There certainly was and is no excuse for the behavior of some of god’s followers. So, I accepted the agnostic label as a non-pejorative term for my religious skepticism.

It wasn’t until I had finished college (Masters) and started supporting myself that I reconsidered everything I knew about religion. Loneliness, long hours, hard work and hanging around boring uneducated people took its toll on me. When a nice girl from my place of employment suggested that I come with her on a trip, I accepted. It was supposed to be a fun “retreat” for just as girls. I found out after we got there that she was taking me to a religious “retreat” sponsored by “The Way” ministries in Ohio. I was flummoxed.

Part of the “seminar” involved people acting like they had suddenly been infused with holy spirit. They got up and rolled their eyes back and started mumbling the most retarded gibberish, which I was informed was supposed to be “speaking in tongues.”

It was hilarious! I nearly peed myself giggling!

As it turns out, I had a sort of “religious epiphany” of my own right then and there!

I walked out of that room without saying goodbye, called a cab, got a hotel at a nearby town, bought plane fair back home and spent the evening drinking with strangers at the hotel bar. I flew home the next day, quit that awful job and said goodbye to all the people there. It only took one day to get a better job.

I have been functional and happy ever since! Really.

Seeing those hopeless morons trying to impress each other with their fake holy spirit, somehow cinched the whole religious subject for me. To this day I still have a kind of “back-handed” thanks for those idiots. They nearly had me, or at least they could have had me in their flock. If only they were a little more educated; if only they were a little more open minded to facts and a little less believing of their own BS, maybe I would have succumbed.

But, they were ridiculous. Now, thankfully, I am saved! …free forever from any religious belief! I still feel more wholesome, light, sane and healthy because of it.

Yes, I read the bible. That is the main thing that turned me against religion. The ludicrous actions of believers are the other influence that set me permanently free.

My friends no longer call me an agnostic. I am a freethinker… an atheist.
…and it is mostly because I thoroughly studied that awful book of lies.

Answer 2

I've read just a few parts...Genesis and such. I think trying to find a logical explanation for activities written in a book, possibly things drastically lost in the translation over a few thousand years, when even the un-altered versions were people writing stuff and being treated as gospel (no pun intended) if they said God was inspiring them, etc... Well, it's just a bit of a stretch...but my personal favorite is "Balaam's *** Speaks" in Numbers 22, I believe. Just a perfect example of how meanings change....you read passages like "And then the angel of the Lord opened the mouth of the ***...the *** spoke.." Haha! Too funny...but some versions changed that...and that's just within this generation.

In fact, the gross differences in interpretations and actual words in the Bibles, so to speak, might be part of the reason some people don't think God said that and some do. Probably when the fundamentalists see something like that, they might react sort of like..."Crap!" and issue a new version twisting the previous meaning or completely obscuring it. I notice the older the version of the Bible, the more of a comedy it is.

Answer 3

I have read all of the Bible several times. The Old Testament is the story of God's covenant with Israel. God never tells them to rape women, but He does tell them to destroy the Canaanites. Do you know why He wanted these people destroyed? The Canaanites were extremely wicked people. They sacrificed their babies in the fire to stone idols, had orgies in the the temples of their gods, and did all kinds of manner of filth. God didn't want the Israelites to follow their pattern of living. If you were moving into an area that was infested with rape gangs, cannibals, thugs, murderers, and God told you to go ahead and wipe these evil people out, I'll bet you would too.
God especially hates it when man worships idols. That is the ultimate insult to Him, and He has no tolerance for that- because man should know better than to bow down and worship a rock.

Answer 4

because if they didn't kill everyone, they would follow the Gods of the other nations. They didn't kill everyone and look what happened, they kept following other Gods.

Judges 5:30 I would have to refer you to Story of Jacob, Genesis 29:14 . Jacob married 2 sisters and then their maidservants. The story is telling about what happened. The stories in the bible don't necessarily mean it is God's will. Some of them tell stories of what happened to people who stepped out of God's will. Jacob had a horrible time with having more then one wife.

If you look at Judges it is a poem about a women who killed Israel's enemy. Where were the men when she took it upon herself to finish him off? They were collecting their prizes.
God didn't say it was good. Nor does God say it was good for her to do so. Was it God's will? I don't know. Even today I may think something is God's will and sing praises to God. Perhaps there is a lesson here in this story but I'm not going to search for it tonight.

Exodus: Setting up rules and guidelines for a society who is following other ways and customs. It is pretty much protecting the women from becoming a beggar or prostitute after a man is displeased with her. Trying to hold on to some kind of goodness

Answer 5

Personally, I read 3-4 chapters every day-which gets me though the bible once each year. In addition to that, Jehovah's Witnesses, as a group, comb through the entire bible verse by verse over the course of every 5 years in our Theocratic Ministry School.

Answer 6

You're reading it all wrong. You probably didn't get the memo, but I'll just give you the gist of it.

Okay, so the parts that condemn gays and say that the world was created in six days -- those are literally true. The parts that seem kind of shady or offensive, or cast God in a bad light, we attribute to unique historical conditions, or that it was a metaphor. As a last resort, we'll invoke the mysteriousness of God. Got it?

Answer 7

The bible is ment to be read all together or you will not understand it. I have herd what you said from many athiests then I look it up myself and it makes perfect sense. If you are reading the bible to not believe it, you arn't going to. You are going to see things that seem odd in it then forget things that make it make sense. Or you dont give it time. I have come across things in the bible and thought wow this is weird. Then I come back to it the next day and it makes sense to me. The bible says that you wont understand it if you do not have the holy spirit in you from accepting Christ. Thats why I think alot of atheist miss read it. I have read mathew many times in my life, and it seems like each time I discover somthing I didn't notice before, that shows God's love even more. Its kinda like when you watch a movie for the second or third or forth time. You notice things you didn't before and it makes more sense (especially those puzzle movies). Anyway if your out to not believe the bible or God you wont. If your out to believe God and believe the bible you will believe. I believe because He is the only person that makes sense out of this life. That twisted figure on the cross all bloody with nails in His hands and thorns in His head, thats a God that knows my pain, and worse. Thats a God who has proved His love. Thats our God. God bless.

Answer 8

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Answer 9

that was the old testament. it is not the center of belief for Christians. The New Testament is the center of belief for Cristians. If you add the book and verse of the Bible where God tells Moses to rape women ill check it out.

Answer 10

Yes

Answer 11

I have read the Bible and I have been a sunday school teacher and I don't recall god telling any one to rape anyone