The Bible, and reasons why not to allow kids to read it

[eMTee]

"God says to Abraham 'Kill me a son' and Abe says 'Man, you must be putting me on.'"

Bob Dylan

Lot's wife gets punished just for looking back? Demonization of the Jews?

 

You can read into it whatever you want. I can go on and on with examples....

 

Cheers,

Buffy

 

Examples exampels...I'm sure you can find a ton of "reasons why not to read" it when you look strickly at face value with no desire to understand it's moral. You try not to study it.

 

Why did she look back? didn't God worn them of the consequence if they did look back?

 

God tested Abraham when he sayed to him kill me a son..do you not know that the son was not killed..God stopped him before he did it.

[Smokinjoe9]

Examples exampels...I'm sure you can find a ton of "reasons why not to read" it when you look strickly at face value with no desire to understand it's moral. You try not to study it.

 

Why did she look back? didn't God worn them of the consequence if they did look back?

 

God tested Abraham when he sayed to him kill me a son..do you not know that the son was not killed..God stopped him before he did it.

 

I can see there are many different opinions about the text written. You can look at it with scepticism and analyse, you can look at it as fact and analyse, etc...

Maybe lot's wife was slow and got left behind covered in goo from what the heck ever erupted(you know what I mean), there are many ways to look at it...IMO I would not just disregard the Bible as all BS, that would be unscientific....

[eMTee]

Maybe lot's wife was slow and got left behind covered in goo from what the heck ever erupted(you know what I mean), there are many ways to look at it

 

I will stick with the Bible version of the story..because so far there hasn't been any evidence of it being wrong.

[BEAKER]

God tested Abraham when he sayed to him kill me a son..do you not know that the son was not killed..God stopped him before he did it.

MT, I see by your profile that you are 22 years old. I would guess that you probably don't have any kids - am I right? I have two. Believe me when I say that I understand your fervor and conviction about God and His Holiness, and the severity of testing that He often puts people through for reasons that only He knows (that we may hope to understand someday) Sometimes the reason seems rather obvious to someone who wishes to knw God better... But I can tell you as a christian that I pray for my own faith to be mature enough to weather the storm in the event of such an extreme "test"; which would in all likelihood come in some totally different and unexpected way.

 

But I can tell you as a father there could be no harder request that God could make.

 

Of course we know that Abraham did not kill his son because God provided an alterative sacrifice with the ram; and that Abraham's willingness to do whatever God asked, which he then acted upon was the proof God was looking for as an example to all the world of what it means to trust God completely. God knew he would do it; and God as ready for him.

 

Trusting God doesn't make all the pain of the process magically dissappear; but not trusting God has far greater and longer lasting ramifications.

[eMTee]

BEAKER. Are you a creationist or do you believe creation threw evolution?

 

I am thankfull for your reply, but what makes a christian a christian?

[BEAKER]

BEAKER. Are you a creationist or do you believe creation threw evolution?

 

I am thankfull for your reply, but what makes a christian a christian?

Do you want the textbook answer? or the personal experience one.:note:

[eMTee]

what in the world do you mean?

[Queso]

morals derived from religion prevent people of young ages to not further investigate their beliefs. their innocent questions come to a screaching halt when their parents answer "because of god" "god did it" "god is the reason"

let these kids find out for themselves that the bible is a legend, and not a book of facts. sure, metaphorically live by it. learn from it. burn it, whatever. it's just a book.

 

are the people that don't let their kids read the bible trying to make it seem "forbidden" like when someone tells you not to press the button, you have to press it.

is this a massive example of reverse psychological brainwashing?

 

by the way emtee, he's asking if you want to know what a christian is by definition, or his own opinion of a christian is.

 

blah blah blah

[BEAKER]

BEAKER, Are you a creationist or do you believe creation through evolution?

I am thankfull for your reply, but what makes a christian a christian?

Do you want the textbook answer? or the personal experience one.

what in the world do you mean?

by the way emtee, he's asking if you want to know what a christian is by definition, or his own opinion of a christian is.

Orb said it pretty well - minus the blah,blah,blah. the answer is yes I am a creationist; no I don't believe in creation through evolution; and a christian is a christian because he trusts in Jesus. that's the textbook answer. Of course there is a world of finer details we could go into about doctrine and theological debate between specific legitimate christian sects that have their own deffinition of "working out your own salvation". Where do you fall in this mix? I have found that the most important thing when it comes to trying to share Jesus with others - especially on a forum like this, (as well as simply having a proper relationship with the Lord) is not to be "plastic; shallow; unreal; or blinded by religion". The world is tired of cookie cutter christians comming out of the same mold; not to mention the fact that God never ment it to be that way. So what's God doing in your life?:note:

[paultrr]

The shear magnitute of literary philosophy is reason enough to read the Bible. There is some stuff in the Old Testament that might be hard for the younger audience to comprehend. I would be selective if the children are real young. Good stuff everyone should read it. I mean come on we study Shakespeare....

 

"You're breasts are like..." Song of Solomon. "And David cut of the head of Gollith...", the list can go on. However, given Teen Pop litarature, TV and such I'd find the Bible less trouble than say some of the rest.

[eMTee]

..a christian is a christian because he trusts in Jesus..

 

(as well as simply having a proper relationship with the Lord)

I agree with that BEAKER.

You're breasts are like..." Song of Solomon. "And David cut of the head of Gollith...", the list can go on.

There are portions such as the one you listed in "song of Solomon" in the Bible...look at it this way...a husband talking to his wife, in the moveis or real life you will find a boyfriend talking to his girlfriend...this may be not for young children, and I don't think it' talking to young kids

 

I believe this....if you search for evidence of David and Goliath, you will find it...this is historical documentation, you read in american history about this all the time, and the reasons why they did what they did...the Bible doen't teach us to go around killing people and cutting off their heads...it teach just the oposite. He cut off his head to be sure he was dead..what kind of a man was David? a sheepherd, Goliath was agiant and a leader of an army.

[IDMclean]

Personal Experience Alert:

 

My father is a Christian, and attempted to raise me likewise. I was taught from the "good" book, attended Sunday school and listened to the sermons of the local preacher. From the age of 3 on up to about 7 or 8.

 

Imho the reason that you should not let your children read the bible is not because of the horrible things that is has to say within it, in the guise of moral story, but because if you were to read it as I did as a young, impetuous, inquiring mind, you would lose faith.

 

That is what happen with me, I read the bible, I went to church, I played with the other children and then I realized that god cared not for the little children of the world unless they acquiesced to his will, totally and utterly.

 

People have talked repeatedly about the way women are treated through out the bible, and it is terrible. However even worse are the way children are treated and talked about, they are portrayed as objects quiet often within the Bible.

 

You don't let your kids read the bible because they will understand intuitively what is rationalized by devoted members of the faith, that god is both good and evil utterly. God does not care for your troubles as they only matter in the contexts of his great plan, to a child like me, I understood that what the bible had to say about me was that I was pawn, a sheep, a lamb to be led to the slaughter.

 

You don't let smart, creative, intuitive, inquiring, unfettered, questing little minds read that texts because in their truly innocent eyes they will see the evils that are written and they will recoil in horror of that which others would have them worship.

 

This is just my personal expeierince. I will let my children read whatever it is that they wish to read, I will encourage all the religious texts to be read and discussed. I want my children to know, and to think and feel. I don't want them to be "good" little children.

 

I want dissidents that question my every order, that seek to understand why I do what I do, and force me to recognize my own short comings so that I may help them become better people, ultimately.

 

In short the bible told me, that I was nothing until I was a man. In my eyes, and my mother's eyes, I had value from the first breath I took. That I was a person and worthy of all that others were worthy of. Children are people, not objects.

[HydrogenBond]

Some of the stuff in the old testament is little extreme. The New Testament is a lot more hopeful, beyond the passion play of Christ. If one watches TV or movies, the old testament stuff is tame.

 

I think the God of the Old Testament was a strong passionate father figure He was dealing with an evolving world of self centered idiot children with some good kids along the way. He had to get tough to get their attention. A simple time out was not going to work. Jesus is more like a good uncle, who has no children but is a good father figure that relates and understands the kids. It cuts them a lot of slack and punishes them with time outs so they can think. Even so the children love and respect him for his honesty. The ultra conservative parents of his day, remember their strong passionate father and resist liberal ideas out of fear. Even today there is still old and new school.

[eMTee]

How does the Bible picture God as horible, by what means?

 

God created Man, God made one rule.

 

Man disobayed, God punished man.

 

God gives rules yes. But he always gives a warning too

 

One thing you should consider is that Got can only expect perfection, nothing more nothing less. I sin, and thus I fail, and God would punish me (to show how he feals about sin).

GOD IS A GOD OF JUDGMENT

 

God is a God of justice, and the justice of sin is the judgment by death.

 

There can only be perfection in Heaven.

 

God is a God of grace

 

GOD GIVES A WAY

"For by grace are you saved threw faith, not of yourselves it is the Gift of God to salvation for everyone who believes."

 

God has grace for those who deny him, and gives grace to those accept him. And the way to salvation is threw Jesus Christ, who had no sin, and died for the sinner, so that I might live. God gives A way out, and only one...if there where more than one, then there would be more than one. But that one way is only Gods way; Threw his Son Jesus Christ..and no other.

 

Christ died while we where sinners.

(Christ died for his enimies)

 

God hates the sin, not the sinner, But if a sinner does not want to obey, and chooses to go his/her own, then s/he has to be punished.

 

(I am sorry for the mis-spelling)

[IDMclean]

Do not presume to lecture me on the stories of the text. I am no longer a Christian because I read the book, and I understood. There is good within the stories, and I encourage everyone to actually read the books. However compared to current moral standards the bible is, to say it nicely, lacking. It says it is a collection of books of morality, and then goes on to show how righteous men, and even some representations of god, do what is by it's own dogma deeply wrong.

 

I could present a number of stories, but I will choose not to, I leave that research and interpitation up to you.

 

I understand the logic, philosophical basis, emotional sentiment and ethical grounds. I disagree with a majority of them, the so called truths are paradoxical. As far as spreading the word of god, as written by man inspired by god, goes it is not for the average person.

 

The bible, once again IMHO, is antiquated. It was useful but it needs to be brought foward. Needs updating. I know that is blasphemious, then again by the bible, I am a Blasphemer. It lacks compassion and understanding, being a series of extreames and lacking in a true moral basis. I know that is heretical, then again by the bible, I am a Heretic.

 

From my view the Bible is a work of man, and as such is subject to flaw. I've read a little bit of alot more works of religion since then and I have to say rated next to a majority of them, the Bible is a 3/10.

 

Don't take my word for it though, Read it yourself, you'll learn somethings about the christian religion.

[Boerseun]

The Bible is an interesting document. Good literature, no. Historically important, hell yeah. Consistent? No ways.

 

What I do find interesting, though, is that Christians tend to see the Bible as the Final Word - as they should, seeing as that's what the Bible tells them the Bible is. But then you run into things like Exodus (only the second book in the Bible) saying things like "and that's why we read in the Book that..." What Book are they referring to? Old Moses couldn't have been referring to the Bible, because what he's referring to doesn't appear in the Bible before he said it, and whatever came after didn't exist yet. So - was there another source document serving as the foundation for Christianity?

 

Also, read the inconsistencies in Numbers - where God decides to destroy His "chosen" people because they're complaining about eating nothing but manna in the desert. They long to be back in Egypt. So they complain, and God decides to utterly destroy them, and leave Aaron and Moses to regenerate the line. That is, until Moses goes and talk to Him, and convinces God not to kill the Israelites. Does this sound like a loving, all-knowing, omnipotent God, who'se mind can be changed by a mere mortal?

 

The Bible's full of similar stuff. But the most interesting is the continuous referals to "The Book", which logically can't be the Bible. What texts are they referring to?

[IDMclean]

Just a thought, but the Bible is actually several books.

 

Does this sound like a loving, all-knowing, omnipotent God, who'se mind can be changed by a mere mortal?

 

No, it sounds like the Lord of Good and Evil. The Morningstar is only the Prince of Evil, as in secondary. There is no sparrow that falls that God is not aware of. When Adam and Eve ate of the Malice in the Garden of Eden, I believe that in doing so they could come to understand that God is not only good but evil as well. For it was the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.