Monday School: Time to amend the bible??
For the last time in 2012, it’s time for your weekly dose of The Rational Corrective To All That Nonsense They Tried To Teach You Yesterday! That’s right it’s time for Monday School!
Todays lesson is an interesting one that seeks to find out if the Church or it’s followers are willing to change with the times: Should the bible be amended to change with evolving societies?
I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t agree with Peirs Morgan on everything, but lately I’ve begun to enjoy watching his interviews and recently I got a kick out of watching one he had of Rick Warren last week which has set the internet on fire.
It was an interesting challenge to Rev. Warren, whose answer I’ll get back to in a moment and pick apart later. I however liked how Morgan attacked the bible for its disproportionate punishment for people who commit adultery. Sure I’m not a huge fan of it myself, but the idea of killing people for doing something consensual is pretty lame and outdated. This law was put in place to keep children in line when they were given away in arranged marriages. As Peirs tried to say in that interview, these laws are old and need to be amended. Seems like a rather good idea, especially when it comes to gay rights.
Warren’s response and his whole bullshit about truth lasting longer than opinion was true, but not true about what he was talking about. Here’s a truth that will last for another thousand years: the earth orbits the sun. The bible says the sun orbits us so who really has a grip on the truth around here Mr. Warren? We used to think the planet was flat, but that was disproved as well. The real truth that will last another thousand years is not the bible, it’s science. A thousand years from now evolution will be still be the truth, not Adam & Eve. A thousand years from now, religion might be a forgotten myth. One can only hope…
The truth is the bible is seriously flawed. There are statements in the bible (like the sun orbiting the earth) that we all know is completely false and flawed, those parts do in fact need correcting. I also agree with Piers that the Church does need to stand up and recognize that gay rights is going to become a reality and stay out of the closet for good much to their disapproval. The section of the bible that outlaws homosexuality (Leviticus) also outlaws tattoos and the consumption of all shellfish. People are getting tattoos all the time and no one is avoiding Red Lobster to save their souls… so why are people looking to this same section where NONE of the rules are even adhered to let alone strictly followed?
Here’s another thing the bible outlaws: divorce. According to the alleged word of God, people are not allowed to dissolve their marriages. Yet people do it all the time and don’t give a rat’s ass what God things about it. Divorce has become a lot more common over the last fifty years and rather than fight it, the Church has basically adapted to the times and not fought the concept of divorce as strongly as the bible would suggest that we should.
Another point I want to bring up is people’s response to Piers wanting to amend the bible itself. What uneducated people are unaware of is the bible itself has been amended many times. During the roman era, Constantine amended the bible profoundly to make it the gospel as it reads today. Constantine and his committee basically voted on which parts of the bible were going to stay in and which parts were going to be tossed away and not used. This is myth, it actually happened. Parts of God’s alleged word were voted out for not being to their political liking. If the bible could be amended back then, then Piers is not incorrect to suggest that it could be amended again.
The Church has changed it’s views on things like divorce, slavery and countless other issues as the times have changed… it’s not wrong for Piers to ask them to change for gay rights as well. It’s in a part of the bible that no one bothers to strictly follow, so to use Leviticus to shame it holds no weight at all.
I’ll go one step further, it’s time to toss away the bible and walk away from religious prejudice all together. Their hatred for others like gay community and their blatant refusal is one of many reasons why I am an atheist. I’m willing to change with the times, to adapt as things progress.
Religion on the other hand is an anchor that stops people from evolving into the best they could possible be. It’s a cult that forbids free thought, outlaws things that are rarely if ever followed and stands in the way of progress for the human race. It’s a weight that holds them down and they’ll never be able to excel until that chain is broken.
The fact that all religions are unwilling to change or amend to keep up with the times at all is good cause to leave them behind. They are outdated relics that need to stop influencing hatred and violence in civilized societies. We’re better than this, which is why we all need to walk away from religion to make this world a better place.
Peter