Quote:
Originally Posted by TorqueDog
...My comments were made specifically regarding the video posted, that Christians get their "objective moral code" from the teachings in the Bible.
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Somewhat true. Most Christians pay lip service to this notion, but in actual fact morality is almost entirely social / cultural. The "moral code" that Christians cull from the Bible is most frequently the result of a very poor understanding of the texts that they are actually reading. As the video you posted seems to imply, most Christians are rightly repulsed by the atrocities committed in the name of God that are recorded in the Bible. Because of this many engage in a system of interpretive gymnastics that effectively serves to rehabilitate the texts, but in my opinion, that is a poor methodology.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TorqueDog
...Yet every time it can be demonstrated that the Bible is hardly moral, people pick and choose what to interpret literally, and what to interpret as a symbolic lesson (which as I said often doesn't make sense either) or even throw bits away entirely.
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Yeah, I get that. My problem is that the perception this creates among people tends to make them needlessly dismissive in the process. Your own response implies that because the so-called "biblical moral code" is barbaric and outdated, this effectively renders the entire collection worthless, meaningless, and of little more than antiquarian interest. This is what I take issue with, and my point is that
there is value in the text for those who are willing to pay attention.