Jennifer, as someone who became an Atheist thanks to extensive religions education in Catholic school I am curious how you manage to hold on to your beliefs having actualy read the bibile?
You talk of morals, of rights and wrongs - yet I felt that it would be immoral to follow the bible. Where do my morals come from? From clear thought and pure logic. I believe that all people should have equal rights regardless of race and geneder. The bible does not. Therefore I cannot believe in it.
To show what I mean here are quotes from the bible that have caused me many problems:
Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.
-- Exodus 20:17 (AV), The Tenth Commandment
The wife is listed amongst things that 'belong' to the neighbour. As a woman do you not feel offended being listed right next to an ox and ass?
Women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the Law says. If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church.
-- I Corinthians 14:34-35 (NIV)
Yet another case of the bible treating the women as a lesser being. Women must only speak in submission? Can only ask their husband at home? Why can the man speak in church yet not the woman? Is THAT moraly right?
If as a woman you'd like to know more about how the bible feels about your place in this world
http://members.aol.com/ckbloomfld/bepart12.html#ref1223 should help.
How about human sacrifices of children? Moral? No? Oh...crud it's in the bible though. The ever just is at it again..
God did tempt Abraham, ... And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest ... and offer him there for a burnt offering...
-- Genesis 22:1-2 (AV)
Jephthah made a vow to the Lord: "If you give the Ammonites into my hands, whatever comes out of the door of my house to meet me when I return ... will be the Lord's, and I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering." ... and the Lord gave them into his hands.... When Jephthah returned to his home..., who should come out to meet him but his daughter, dancing to the sound of tambourines! And he did to her as he had vowed. And she was a virgin.
-- Judges 11:30-32, 34, 39 (NIV)
Do you believe slavery as moraly right? NO?! Why not?! It's alright God says..
... all who are under the yoke of slavery ... who have believing masters ... must serve all the better since those who benefit by their service are believers and beloved. Teach and urge these duties. If any one teaches otherwise ... he is puffed up with conceit, he knows nothing; he has a morbid craving for controversy..., which produce envy, dissension, slander, base suspicions, and wrangling among men who are depraved in mind...
-- I Timothy 6:1-5 (RSV)
Did Jesus come to bring peace and love to the world? Yes? Oh...wait no he didn't!
Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother...
-- Matthew 10:34-35 (AV)
I could go ON and ON and ON about Jesus, about the old testament, the new testament etc. Fact is that God DOES change and he has shown himself to not be just. He has shown himself to make mistakes, get angry, take his anger out on people, be jealous etc.
So ok the bible is bad...fine no bible. But faith in God (christian) has only brought about the good in people right?
Wrong.
Fact is that Christianity has always been and continues to be an cruel, closeminded and bloody religion. Bush himself admited that his attack on Iraq was 'ordered' by god. Ashcroft is out busy taking away our rights. I often feel that the whole point behind christianity is to make everyone a slave of the bibile with no permission to think about the meaning of life or trying to understand the world. Instead catholics would have us believe that we most have faith in god and that is all we need for all our success shall come from god and our worship of him is the purpose of our life.
Also, the founding fathers of the United States were atheists or pagans.
Properly read, the Bible is the most potent force for atheism ever conceived.
-- Isaac Asimov