[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by Flames Draft Watcher

You can't remove them from their times...

That is good advice, and yet you did precisely the same thing only a few posts back with your analysis of the Bible:

Originally Posted by Flames Draft Watcher

Some would argue that religions that put forward the concept of heaven are in fact devaluing this life in favour of an afterlife that may turn out to be a fantasy/myth. If I base my life on the belief that I am doing certain things to get into heaven there's a chance I may not make the most of THIS life and there's a chance that this life is the only life I have.

I am a Christian who has rejected the idea of a literal heaven/hell afterlife out of recognition that this life and the present are in actual fact the substance of "true religion" (Jas 1:21–27). However, the notion of an afterlife really needs to be situated within its cultural and historical context. When Jesus spoke of heaven and hell (which were not universally accepted ideas within Judaism at the time), his purpose was not to propagate new doctrine or to devalue human life. In almost every instance, his teachings were metaphoric or hyperbolic and had to do with right conduct and good behaviour in the present. If you have a Bible, I encourage you to embark on your own study of the four Gospels with the following questions in mind: When Jesus speaks about heaven or hell, what is the intent behind his teaching? To whom is his teaching addressed, and why?

Originally Posted by Flames Draft Watcher

There are many passages in the Bible that suggest striving for great things is not what you should be doing. The meek shall inherit the earth, the last will be first, etc. The Bible at times legitimizes servitude. I think several things about the Bible encourage mediocrity and hamper ambition to do anything great on this earth.

Again, one needs to be careful to consider the context of such teachings. By and large, the teachings of Jesus (both examples you provided were from his Sermon on the Mount in Matt 5) were not addressed to a global audience, and yet they have been interpreted as such and several hundreds of years after the fact. It needs to be noted that the people with whom Jesus lived and who he taught were mostly poor, destitute, persecuted and oppressed. They were frequently manipulated by the rich and abused by the government and the prevailing religious aristrocracy. In such a context, any sort of "ambition" was a virtual impossibility and a practically meaningless message to deliver. In such a context, Jesus words effectively served to provide comfort and meaning to groups of people who had little to no hope. Until one clearly understands this, then the message of the Gospel and most of the Bible will always appear artificial and counter-effective.

Originally Posted by Flames Draft Watcher

Some would also argue that the Biblical model of humans being granted dominion over the beasts/land has in part led to a destructive and exploitive relationship with nature.

Without a doubt. Francis Bacon's programme of progress and development was legitimated by his own reading of Gen 1:28. The text actually instructs that mankind ought to "dominate" (or rape?) nature, but again, without a clear historical context fro when this was written is bound to lead to the wrong conclusions. Life in the ancient world was brutal. The writers and collectors of Scripture were agrarian and were completely vulnerable to the cruel and seldom predictable whims of nature. The instruction to subdue and to work the earth was not part of some pre-Roman age of industrialization. With limited means, the people could only "subdue" nature inasmuch as they were able to grow enough food that they might not starve.

Originally Posted by Flames Draft Watcher

Some would also argue that the belief in the imminent return of Christ lessens any responsibility for leaving the Earth in good shape for future generations. If you believe Christ may return in your lifetime you aren't going to prioritize sustainability, leaving the Earth in good shape for your children, for their children, for 100 generations from now. Many Christians have thought they were living in the endtimes for the last thousand years. You can find a multitude of Christian literature on our current times being the "end times."

This too, is a misappropriation by Christians of ancient apocalyptic literature, whose purpose was not so much to pacify people into a naval-gazing stupor, but rather to ensure good behaviour and the production of well being as a guard against impending disaster. Apocalyptic literature was all produced amid periods of tremendous persecution and religious and cultural oppression; its message is usually otherworldly in large part because people had little hope in their present circumstances, and really did have nothing to look forward to. I agree, apocalypticism is one of the most dangerous ideological forces imaginable, and it is peculiar that in 20th century America it persists—perhaps for the first time ever amid a period of social progress and safety! But by the same token, these "messages" from the Bible should always first and foremost be understood within their given context.