My Thoughts on Religion
Religion is a very powerful force in most people in all parts of the world.
Many people read the bible. No, many people follow the bible. Very few have ever opened the book to actually read it.
Of course, the majority of people who claim to be Christian seem only to follow certain rules. Those are the laws that they choose to follow. Apparently, the numerous other laws do not apply. I call these people “the hypocrites.”
There are also the blind followers: people who take the bible literally. They can recite the book word-for-word without really giving it a second thought. I call them “the crusaders.”
Regardless, these people are neither willing to reinterpret the bible for some unknown reason.
One prime example of biblical illiteracy is the tale of Noah’s Ark. Many people conitnually search for evidence of a great flood which encompassed the entire Earth. Let’s think differently about this matter.
First of all, many people believe that Noah managed to fit two of every single terrestrial animal on the face of the Earth on one boat AND still keep it afloat. These are also the same people who believe that the flood killed off the dinosaurs and every other terresrial being in the Earth’s history. Then, one must take into account that there were also seven of each animal that was preyed upon by any other animal. Include enough food for the animals to eat for only forty days (not including the year it took for the water to drain), and you would have to build a boat made with every piece of wood from the Amazon and Madagascar combined (sparing not even a twig) to hold all of those animals. Even then, the quarters would be severely cramped.’
Second of all, where would the water for the flood have come from? Better yet, where did it go? There’s not near enough water on Earth for it to flood, even if you melt the polar ice caps. Sure, that would cause massive flooding, but only near the sea and near rivers.
You see, during the time that Genesis was written, the idea of the world was much smaller than our modern view. Back then, Mesopotamia was the whole world.
one last thing worth mentioning is that around the time of Noah’s ark, scientist believe there was a massive global warming.
Allow me to explain my theory. Noah lived in a river valley (where the first cities were built). God (yes, I believe in Him) told Noah about the coming flooding of Mesopotamia. Instead of flooding the whole world, he flooded thge rivier valley in which Noah lived.
Noah gathered the creatures of his world, creatures which resided in the region, in their appropriate numbers, and put them on the ark. They all fit, and there was enough room for everyone.
Meanwhile, the rest of the world was surviving just as it normally would.
One question that nearly all people of the major western religions(Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) is: “Why is it that God spoke to people back then, but not now?”
The simple answer is that he didn’t do much talking back then. Note how God never spoke to more than a few people at a time during the entirety of the Bible. We often find ourselves wishing that God would speak to us as individuals, and he might. But he is more likely to speak to someone who he intends to use to change the world for the better.
One major situation which baffles me is The DaVinci Code. I have read the book just to see what it was about, and I discovered this much: Dan Brown is a terrible writer. Aside from that, the book brought up so many points that could be construed as either fact, fiction, or coincidence. However, Brown has brought all of these points together to create a picture of a Jesus who died a father (Brown also admits that the book is a work of fiction).
Whether or not this is true, is up to you. What I don’t understand though, is why this book has caused the controversy that it has. I thought that the point of Christianity was the belief that Jesus died on the cross as the ultimate sacrifice for all sins. I do not understand where Jesus’ marital status comes into the prospect.
Is the vision of Jesus so concrete that even the slightest change creates massive controversy? Why do people argue over whether Jesus was white or black when he was actually Jewish? Are we that closed-minded as a society?
The fourth issue I’d like to address is who killed Jesus. Certain people hold the death of Jesus against the Jews. He was actually killed by the Romans; the Pharisee Jews’ involvement was more indirect.
However, wasn’t Jesus SUPPOSED to die on the cross? I understand that he got killed, but that was part of God’s plan. Why is this an issue?
That kind of intolerance is simply infuriating. In fact, even though some parts of the bible speak of intolerance toward homosexuals, Jesus speaks of respecting your fellow man. He went no deeper than that, because he was speaking about all people. I understand that in the Old Testament, it states to stone homosexuals, but that came before the preachings of Jesus.
In fact, Paul speaks of homosexuality in one of his letters, claiming that a man should not lay with a man as if he were a woman. Nowhere does he say to hate them.
Paul converted to Christianity during a time in which the Christian church was under wrongful persecution by the Romans. As a result, they abhorred anything Roman. Bisexuality was a common practice in Rome, so the early Christians avoided it. They also abhorred Roman technology, so they rejected it and had to suffer through the practically uncivilized Middle Ages.
Of course, one cannot have a religious discussion without bringing evolution into the matter. I believe that evolution happened. In fact, I believe so strongly against creationism that I scoff at anyone who supports it(looking at you, Mike Huckabee). I still believe in the Genesis story, but in a different, more scientific way than you might expect. (Brace yourself)
“And the world was without form and void.” First, I must say that the Hebrew word for “was” is also the Hebrew word for “became.” So, if we change it to “And the world became without form and void,” we have a whole different story.
Scientists believe that long ago, during the early days of man, there was a massive volcanic eruption which reduced the human population dramatically. This eruption hit a 10 on the Richter scale, which means that it would affect the entire world by leaving a massive dust blanket across much of the planet.
This eruption left the human population at a mere 30 females worldwide. It would be hard for two people to survive, but one small tribe managed to crawl out of the dust. They were led by a man named “Adam” and his wife “Eve.”
I do not believe that the world was created in seven days, but was resurrected in seven stages.
1) The dust cloud cleared from the sky.(light)
2) Water clouds began forming again.(firmament)
3) The waters, caused by tidal waves which formed as a result of the eruption faded back into the oceans.(land) Plants began to grow again.(herbs)
4) Seasons began to happen in their regular pattern again.(seasons)
5) Small animals came out of the dust.(animals and birds) The dust-poisoned waters became clean enough for the fish and whales to return to the surface.(fish and whales)
6) Cattle came out of the dust, along with a small tribe of very blessed people.(cattle and man)
7) God took a break.
Note how I mentioned a small tribe. Nowhere in the Bible does is say that Adam and Eve were the only people on Earth. In fact, to me, it seems to say there were more than just those two. Adam and Eve were either the leaders of this tribe, or just the ones who screwed it up for everyone.
Finally, I would like to bring up my last issue: The Ten Commandments and courtrooms/schools.
Just because your religion believes in the Commandments does not mean that everyone else’s does. In actuality, you only want them up, because they remind you of your religion.
Personally, I do not care whether or not they stay up. All I want is for a final decision so that we can stop having to listen to each other complain about the Commandments.
Also, I believe more in the Beatitudes than I do in the Commandments. Respect God. Respect humanity. Hey, Jesus said it. I thought that was who we were supposed to follow.
Those are just my views. I can respect differing views. Just don’t come complaining to me that I’m obviously wrong about something. I’m looking at this book in a new way, and I hope that other people will try to solve problems in the future by trying to understand the past as it was understood when it was written.
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