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July 22, 2005 The level of animosity displayed by some of the columnists in Useless Knowledge Magazine is a good indication of how polarized the subject of religion is. No one can force anyone to believe anything. However, faith in any given set of beliefs doesn't necessarily have anything to do with fact. The probelm isn't that the truth is unavailable. The problem is that people don't like to admit they are wrong. They'll go to incredible lengths to "prove" their position much more often then they'll admit their errors. Let's consider some examples. If you sepnd any time in a Christian church you'll soon notice that there are certain subjects which are never talked about. One is the contradictions in the Bible. Another is why God needs a barbaric bloody sacrifice to "pay" for our "sins." And still another is whether or not Christianity is the one "true" religion. With regards to the contradictions in the Bible, it should not be surprising that Christians don't want to talk about it. Scholars, academics and other researchers have documented several hundred discrepancies, contradictions and other "textual" problems with the Bible that undermine its credibility as sacred, divine scripture. However, all Christian doctrine, belief, theology and meaning are taken directly from the Bible. If it has no credibility, it has no authority and therefore the entire Christian belief system has no basis. Obviously, this would require an actual rejection of their faith and Christians are unwilling to do that. So, they simply deny there's anything wrong with the Bible in the first place. Now let's look at this whole "blood sacrifice" idea. Prior to the modern age, many human cultures believed that blood sacrifices were the only way to appease the gods and guarantee health and prosperity. Some used animal sacrifices and specifically brought the best sheep, goats or cattle from their domestic flocks and herds. Some would go out and hunt for a special wild animal to use for the ceremony. Still others decided that the only sacrifices that mattered were the sacrifice of an actual human life. This could include a warrior, a virgen, a firstborn son, a slave, a prisoner of war or any of many other acceptable human sacrifices. Now, this is where it gets interesting because the Christians came along and changed the way acceptable sacrifices are determined. Notice, however, that they didn't condemn human sacrifices as barbaric, immoral and ungodly. They still believed that their god was an ancient barbarian who required bloodshed to appease his anger. In any other culture we would call a god like that a silly, dangerous superstition. Yet Christianity specifically asserts that Jesus was the only sacrifice whose blood was pure enough to pay for the sins of the entire world. This implies, of course, that God is not a god of love, acceptance and forgiveness but one of unimaginable wrath and anger. Otherwise he wouldn't need a blood sacrifice to appease his uncontrollable rage. And again, for Christians to believe otherwise would completely undermine the core belief of their theology and require them to change. They aren't ready to do that any time soon. Let's go on to the last part. Is Christianity the only true religion? Christians think so. The problem is that the universal definition of justice requires the merits of each case to be considered individually. In other words, you cannot hold someone liable for a crime they did not commit. You cannot say someone is guilty of violating the law just because they belong to a certain group either. Yet this is exactly what Christians want us to believe. They claim everyone is a "sinner" but they don't define sin. According to them, we all deserve death, the young, the old, men, women, rich or poor, guilty or innocent. Of course this is preposterous because our legal system makes it very clear that only certain crimes are capital offenses. Additionally, it wouldn't be just to condemn someone simply for not knowing about Jesus. This is the epitome of false justice. As can be seen from these three examples, Christianity has a lot of explaining to do if it wants to be taken seriously as a meaningful way of life. Not only that but Christians themselves will have to change if these discrepancies cannot be answered. In fact, I would go so far as to say that Christianity has outlived it's usefulness as a life-changing force in the world today. It is an outmoded, archaic, superstitious and mythical religion standing in the way of the evolutionary progress of all of humanity. I would say the same thing about all religions. They are myth-information and merely myth disguised as truth. So, I would appeal to religious people everywhere to throw off the chains of myth and superstitioin and boldly step into the future. Openly embrace change for the sake of all of humanity. It will take courage and hard work, but it is the only way we will ever conquer fear and build a global community based on truth, beauty and knowledge. ------------ About the author: Keith Cantrell is a musician, artist and writer who lives in a small town in Oregon. He has worked at many different professions and currently is writing a book on the origins of the Bible entitled "The World's Most Dangerous Book." He has been a professing fundamentalist and is now struggling with atheism. His life has been spent searching for truth, and nothing but the truth. He loves comments, feedback and even verbal abuse if it is intelligent. He has 4 children and 4 grandchildren and loves everything about living in Oregon. Email: kwcantrell@yahoo.com Tell a friend about this site! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com and are not allowed to be posted on other websites. ARTICLE THIEVES WILL BE PROSECUTED! |
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