Well that’s the part where I have to ask, “Says who?” there’s nothing in the bible that suggests some parts should be taken figuratively and some literally, and since most Christians have decided to take the parts about God, Jesus’ death, etc. literally, and the parts about setting your daughter on fire for small infringements of social values figuratively (though what they could be a metaphor for I have no idea), but who says what to take seriously and what not? I hear all the time as the basis for the belief in God and Jesus is “Because the bible says so”, and obviously if they don’t even say that, they’re still alluding that they believe it, because they believe in God, Jesus, and the Crucifixions which is from the bible and nowhere else.

I’m not saying that we should institute capital punishment for swearing in front of your parents, but i’m asking: What reason do you have to say that the bible isn’t meant to be taken literally all the time, and that it’s a mistake to do so? For all we know, God could be up there in heaven FUMING MAD that you didn’t slaughter your entire hometown when you found out they were harboring a non-believer. Or that the Holocaust could have been a punishment for the Jewish people for eating too much shellfish.

All I’m saying is that it seems odd to pick and choose things in the bible to take literally with no real rhyme or reason, based on what the bible says, to choose one thing to take seriously and one thing to not. Really, you have to either treat the entire bible as a figurative work of metaphors and parables, which would mean God and Jesus are not real but a metaphor for some aspect of humanity (perhaps the prospect for greatness?), or you have to take the whole thing literally and get to murdering all the non-believers if you want to get on God’s good side.

You can quote from all over the bible that will show you it’s not all love and peace indeed,
even eating shrimp is a mortal sin if you take it all literally.

Which is the mistake religious as well as anti religious people make all the time.
The same mistake that led Hitler to believe it was God’s will to have 6.000.000.000 jews, God’s people from day one, gassed.

Priotip: it’s not meant to be all taken out of context and literally.

Whoever strikes his father or mother shall be put to death. (Exodus 21:15 NAB)

Anyone arrogant enough to reject the verdict of the judge or of the priest who represents the LORD your God must be put to death. Such evil must be purged from Israel. (Deuteronomy 17:12 NLT)

All who curse their father or mother must be put to death. They are guilty of a capital offense. (Leviticus 20:9 NLT)

A priest’s daughter who loses her honor by committing fornication and thereby dishonors her father also, shall be burned to death. (Leviticus 21:9 NAB)

They entered into a covenant to seek the Lord, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and soul; and everyone who would not seek the Lord, the God of Israel, was to be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman. (2 Chronicles 15:12-13 NAB)

“Then I heard the LORD say to the other men, “Follow him through the city and kill everyone whose forehead is not marked. Show no mercy; have no pity! Kill them all – old and young, girls and women and little children. But do not touch anyone with the mark. Begin your task right here at the Temple.” So they began by killing the seventy leaders. “Defile the Temple!” the LORD commanded. “Fill its courtyards with the bodies of those you kill! Go!” So they went throughout the city and did as they were told.” (Ezekiel 9:5-7 NLT)

Suppose you hear in one of the towns the LORD your God is giving you that some worthless rabble among you have led their fellow citizens astray by encouraging them to worship foreign gods. In such cases, you must examine the facts carefully. If you find it is true and can prove that such a detestable act has occurred among you, you must attack that town and completely destroy all its inhabitants, as well as all the livestock. Then you must pile all the plunder in the middle of the street and burn it. Put the entire town to the torch as a burnt offering to the LORD your God. That town must remain a ruin forever; it may never be rebuilt. Keep none of the plunder that has been set apart for destruction. Then the LORD will turn from his fierce anger and be merciful to you. He will have compassion on you and make you a great nation, just as he solemnly promised your ancestors. “The LORD your God will be merciful only if you obey him and keep all the commands I am giving you today, doing what is pleasing to him.” (Deuteronomy 13:13-19 NLT)

But if this charge is true [that she wasn't a virgin on her wedding night], and evidence of the girls virginity is not found, they shall bring the girl to the entrance of her fathers house and there her townsman shall stone her to death, because she committed a crime against Israel by her unchasteness in her father’s house. Thus shall you purge the evil from your midst. (Deuteronomy 22:20-21 NAB)

If your own full brother, or your son or daughter, or your beloved wife, or you intimate friend, entices you secretly to serve other gods, whom you and your fathers have not known, gods of any other nations, near at hand or far away, from one end of the earth to the other: do not yield to him or listen to him, nor look with pity upon him, to spare or shield him, but kill him. Your hand shall be the first raised to slay him; the rest of the people shall join in with you. You shall stone him to death, because he sought to lead you astray from the Lord, your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that place of slavery. And all Israel, hearing of this, shall fear and never do such evil as this in your midst. (Deuteronomy 13:7-12 NAB)

For the LORD had said to Moses, ‘Exempt the tribe of Levi from the census; do not include them when you count the rest of the Israelites. You must put the Levites in charge of the Tabernacle of the Covenant, along with its furnishings and equipment. They must carry the Tabernacle and its equipment as you travel, and they must care for it and camp around it. Whenever the Tabernacle is moved, the Levites will take it down and set it up again. Anyone else who goes too near the Tabernacle will be executed.’ (Numbers 1:48-51 NLT)

The LORD then gave these further instructions to Moses: ‘Tell the people of Israel to keep my Sabbath day, for the Sabbath is a sign of the covenant between me and you forever. It helps you to remember that I am the LORD, who makes you holy. Yes, keep the Sabbath day, for it is holy. Anyone who desecrates it must die; anyone who works on that day will be cut off from the community. Work six days only, but the seventh day must be a day of total rest. I repeat: Because the LORD considers it a holy day, anyone who works on the Sabbath must be put to death.’ (Exodus 31:12-15 NLT)

It goes on and on, I don’t think any stern and simple rule like “thou shalt not kill” has had so many “except……” clauses.

We all know Hitler thought he had God on his side.
We also all know, he was batshit insane.

The first, and most important law from God: Thou shalt NOT KILL.
And what did Adolf do? Millions upon million times over?
Not exactly grade-A Good Christian material, if you ask me…

A prime example of how horrible the results can be, if the bible is taken out of context and the message it conveys, completely missed.

You cannot blame any religion for what happened in WW2, nor can you blame it for whatever horrible things happened before, or afterwards, and still happens today.

Hate is it what brings people to destroy and kill.
Love is it what can stop people from doing this.

And my Bible, my God, preaches love, not hate. Something that is all too easily forgotten by both religious, as anti-religious people, sadly.

Judging someone on their religion, is just as horribly wrong as judging someone based on the colour of their skin.

Make love, not war.
Peace.

Actually it gets pretty bad when multiple people are using MY name and then one of them gets pissy about others using it while they are using it. Now THAT I find quite funny.

As I said, TypePad sucks. I’m not going to even say to stop using my name because at this point it’s pointless, but by now it should be evident who is the real “Why Bother” and who isn’t.

Carry on with your dribble…

“As a Christian I have no duty to allow myself to be cheated, but I have the duty to be a fighter for truth and justice” – Adolf Hitler

“Hence today I believe that I am acting in accordance with the will of the Almighty Creator: by defending myself against the Jew, I am fighting for the work of the Lord.” – Adolf Hitler

“My feelings as a Christian points me to my Lord and Savior as a fighter. It points me to the man who once in loneliness, surrounded by a few followers, recognized these Jews for what they were and summoned men to fight against them and who, God’s truth! was greatest not as a sufferer but as a fighter. In boundless love as a Christian and as a man I read through the passage which tells us how the Lord at last rose in His might and seized the scourge to drive out of the Temple the brood of vipers and adders. How terrific was His fight for the world against the Jewish poison. To-day, after two thousand years, with deepest emotion I recognize more profoundly than ever before the fact that it was for this that He had to shed His blood upon the Cross. As a Christian I have no duty to allow myself to be cheated, but I have the duty to be a fighter for truth and justice… And if there is anything which could demonstrate that we are acting rightly it is the distress that daily grows. For as a Christian I have also a duty to my own people.” – Adolf Hitler

“Instead of bickering “your religion is bad cause it is causing wars!”, let’s give the GOOD example. After all, an atheist that starts a war against religious people, is no better then a religious person starting a war against those of a different religion.”

NONE of the people fighting here in this comments is one hair better then the others, religious or not.

I see a lot of hate here. And I think even the non religious folk here can see that that is not a good thing, mkay?

The whole reason for this installation and article about it, was to give the good example. The bitching and bickering comments here, are giving the bad example.

One does not need religion, or does not need atheism, to see that. One just has to get the stick out of their asses and LOOK AT ONESELF, not what others have done.

Who gives a shiot what Adolf Hitler has done, or Mao, or whomever? The important part is how YOU live, that’s the only thing you have to really care about. If you do good, you make the world a better place.