DeletedUser
Since this really has nothing to do with evolution or daily gospel, I decided to start one more thread for it. Not that I think anyone really cares what my view of it is, but I don't care.
First, I think that too many Christians speak as though anyone who doesn't believe in Abraham's God is an atheist. That isn't even close to being true; there are more people in the world who follow other religions than there are who follow Christianity, but most of them still believe in one or more gods. I think it's wrong to throw all non-Christians into one group.
Next, in defense of Justin Michael, there are different "types" of atheists. True atheists don't believe in any gods, and most don't believe in any other kind of deity. Practical atheists live as if there are no gods, but just don't believe that any gods there are have anything to do with what happens in the worlds. Agnostics are sometimes considered to be weak atheists - they don't really believe there's any way to know for sure if there is a God or not.
As far as the Bible is concerned; I'm probably one of the few people who believes that it should be taken literally in most cases. I don't believe that "unclean" means "unholy" I believe it means dirty (unsanitary). I've always seen it as more of a survival guide than a morality guide. The foods it says you shouldn't eat are those most likely to cause illnesses (parasites in pork, etc.). Gehenna (one of the words often translated as Hell) was a pit where garbage and dead bodies (especially those who died of contagious diseases) were burned. If you followed the guide lines, you'd continue to live; if you didn't, you'd get sick, die and could end up being sent to the pit. Sheol (another word usually translated as Hell) actually means grave or pit. Again, it's saying that if you don't follow the guide lines, you'll die and could end up in a grave. Avoiding people who didn't follow them wasn't necessarily because they were "bad" people, but more that they would be more likely to carry diseases that could be harmful to those around them.
The Commandments were rules that made living in a society more successful. For the society as a whole to do well, those rules would have to be followed by all, or most, of the members. Breaking any of the Commandments would be likely to cause animosity between members at best, and often worse.
Ok, I'm boring myself now. If anyone really wants to hear more, I can add another chapter later, but I'm going to quit for now. Feel free to disagree with me; I have a pretty strong ego and can handle it.
First, I think that too many Christians speak as though anyone who doesn't believe in Abraham's God is an atheist. That isn't even close to being true; there are more people in the world who follow other religions than there are who follow Christianity, but most of them still believe in one or more gods. I think it's wrong to throw all non-Christians into one group.
Next, in defense of Justin Michael, there are different "types" of atheists. True atheists don't believe in any gods, and most don't believe in any other kind of deity. Practical atheists live as if there are no gods, but just don't believe that any gods there are have anything to do with what happens in the worlds. Agnostics are sometimes considered to be weak atheists - they don't really believe there's any way to know for sure if there is a God or not.
As far as the Bible is concerned; I'm probably one of the few people who believes that it should be taken literally in most cases. I don't believe that "unclean" means "unholy" I believe it means dirty (unsanitary). I've always seen it as more of a survival guide than a morality guide. The foods it says you shouldn't eat are those most likely to cause illnesses (parasites in pork, etc.). Gehenna (one of the words often translated as Hell) was a pit where garbage and dead bodies (especially those who died of contagious diseases) were burned. If you followed the guide lines, you'd continue to live; if you didn't, you'd get sick, die and could end up being sent to the pit. Sheol (another word usually translated as Hell) actually means grave or pit. Again, it's saying that if you don't follow the guide lines, you'll die and could end up in a grave. Avoiding people who didn't follow them wasn't necessarily because they were "bad" people, but more that they would be more likely to carry diseases that could be harmful to those around them.
The Commandments were rules that made living in a society more successful. For the society as a whole to do well, those rules would have to be followed by all, or most, of the members. Breaking any of the Commandments would be likely to cause animosity between members at best, and often worse.
Ok, I'm boring myself now. If anyone really wants to hear more, I can add another chapter later, but I'm going to quit for now. Feel free to disagree with me; I have a pretty strong ego and can handle it.
