Thursday, October 9, 2014

Christianity does not Teach Good Morality Part 3.1

Short and sweet again, because I'm still editing my post for Matthew (I've decided that each gospel gets its own part, because holy shit have you ever read the damn things from a modern morals point of view?), but this deserves special, separate mention.  Open up your bibles - should you have them - to Matthew, specifically chapter 5.  From there, find verse 39.  Read that for me.  Yes, you did read that right.  "Do not resist the one who is evil."  Now, I grant you that the surrounding verses make this seem benign, but notice the implications of all of it, especially when third parties are involved.

The surrounding verses all only talk about evil that is done to you.  Not one word about evil that is done to a third party.  What we have to do is extrapolate what Jesus wants you do to in those cases based on what is given here.  In all of the accompanying verses, Jesus tells you to give the evil one more of what he wants from you.  It is thus implied that he wants you to do the same for third parties.  If someone steals, give them even more money (thus further rewarding their deeds).  If someone murders, either kill another person for them or find them another victim, possibly yourself. Don't - as we would do today - try to, you know...stop them.

Like I said, good morality this ain't.

Sunday, October 5, 2014

Christianity does not Teach Good Morality Part 2.5

This one's gonna be short and sweet, since there's not really much to say.  It regards that one Qur'an passage I quoted in the last part.  You know, the one that says "no compulsion in religion"?  Well, some people have a problem with this passage, saying that it says nonbelievers will go to hell and burn and how is that not compulsion?  And you know what?  I'd take that claim more seriously if it weren't being put forth by people who don't say "So believe in Jesus or go burn in hell" in the next damn breath.

Yes, I've heard if from atheists, too, but I hear it the most from christians.  And in truth, one hell I don't believe in is just as persuading as another hell I don't believe in, so there's really no compulsion to me in that phrase.  For now, I stand by my conclusion from before:  the Qur'an is - to my knowledge - more tolerant of other faiths than the Bible:  the Qur'an doesn't have the muslims killing others just because of faith.