Quote:
Originally Posted by antikristuseke
If you read the bible, in parts it is. Christianity is no less brutal than islam is in its holy texts, the difference is only in interpretations by the majority. With the bible it is nigh on impossible to follow every rule it imposes since some of them are contradictory. Same as the Qur'an, torah and every other religious text I have read.
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Not in the New Testament, with the exception of Revelations. Certainly not in the Gospels, which is what most of my faith is based upon.
Unlike some of my Bible-thumping bretheren, my faith is not built upon the idea of the Good Book's infallibility. I know it was written by people and as such it reflects human imperfections. The bible gives the value of pi as "3" in Kings, so it obviously isn't infallible. However, we still have Jesus' example to follow, and He would never condone the burning of religious texts, or any persecution for that matter. Our Lord and Saviour was above such things. Why stoop to violence and hatred when your message is so obviously superior?
Sadly, many consider the Bible, in its entirety, to be a permanent rulebook of some kind without ever looking into any kind of historical context. In the worst-case scenarios, they somehow decide that it gives them licence to lord over non-believers. I don't see it that way. I can put the Old and New Testaments into two words: Survive, and Thrive, respectively. The Old Testament established basic rules needed for cooperative human survival (Don't eat parasite-ridden pork! Don't commit adultery or covet your neighbor's oxen; you'll start a fight, and that's bad!) It's also full of ancient rivalries translated into a religious medium.
The New Testament, on the other hand, is a religious guide for a developed society, with Jesus Christ as its shining exemplar. It preaches forgiveness and reason, as shown by His example. The Son of God is not concerned with the secular aspects of religion because His faith is so tremendously superior that it has no need to persecute or demean others. All He asks is that you ask for His salvation, and if you don't, there are millions who will ask for you . He demands little of you, and offers everything in return.
Call me an idiot or whatever you please, but I'll be praying for you from now until the day I die. I have no shame in admitting that my God is a Jewish caprenter. Even if there is no god, and the Bible is nothing but a lie, I take pride in trying to follow the example of a humble man who gave everything for the sake of the people who killed him. Even the mopst die-hard secularists have to admit that there is some divinity in that.