Should the Bible be outlawed

[Humanistheart]

Perhaps the Old Testament. Lots of violence and gore.

The NT is not much better, worse in some ways. The rapture, stories of fallen angels and hell, a place of eternal suffring and torment. Not to mention jesus is harldy an apropriate character with his obvious anger issues, when he goes around demeaning his friends, family, followers, and enimies. He lies, kills, and verbally abuses people. What a great role model.

 

[Humanistheart]

Then children should be forbidden from reading Grimm's Fairy Tales, The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings, Silmarillion, Dinotopia...

Speaking of which, during my days in Middle and High school, when I was much more easily swayed by what I read, there was actually a time when I ALMOST believed the island of Dinotopia to be real. Should children be forbidden from reading those books, then?

Children have the right to read whatever they want. And considering the enthusiasm children have for reading these days, it's even more important that they're not limited in any way.

When dinotopia gathers a following and those followers rack up the largest body count in the whole of human history then yes, yes it should. The hobbit pails in comparision to the grusomness of the bible. Grim's fairy tails however, well, they're not appropriate for children either. They should at least come with a warning label on them.

 

[Humanistheart]

I turned out okay.

That's rather a matter of opinion now isn't it.

 

[cardero]

Should the Bible be outlawed
Outlawed? No. Retired? Yes.

 

[J Bryson]

When dinotopia gathers a following and those followers rack up the largest body count in the whole of human history then yes, yes it should. The hobbit pails in comparision to the grusomness of the bible. Grim's fairy tails however, well, they're not appropriate for children either. They should at least come with a warning label on them.

Funny, I usually hear the "What about the children?" wailing from Christians. Most of the atheists I've met have more sense, and more trust in the ability of human beings to make intelligent decisions on their own when it comes to choice of reading material.

 

[Humanistheart]

You have much to learn, about culture, and about the heights of the achievements of human civilization.
The Bible, that 'trash' you talk about, has inspired the best work of arts of the likes of Da Vinci, Michael Angelo, Salvador Dali, we would be denied some of the best and most mature music even in our times, like that of Leonard Cohen.

The need to 'back anything up' in the Bible, is the POV of a man who has not matured in his intellectual aspirations beyond a teen age mentality. much like the fundamentalist who looks for the infallible in every word and verse of the scriptures.

Christians destroyed countless pricless "pagan" works in their time of marriage to the roman empire. They bible has also inspired the most death and destruction the world has ever seen. Are you telling me the mona lisa is worth 3.5 billion lives? Wow.

 

[slave2six]

I agree that it will never be outlawed but it should be.

That is a very slippery slope. History shows that the more you try to suppress a religion, the more it grows. Christianity will die a natural death as more and more people start using their brains.

 

[Humanistheart]

Funny, I usually hear the "What about the children?" wailing from Christians. Most of the atheists I've met have more sense, and more trust in the ability of human beings to make intelligent decisions on their own when it comes to choice of reading material.

We don't allow children to buy porn, we don't allow them to watch rated R movies, the bible's worse than anything we ban children from currently, so why allow children to read or have it read to them?

 

[Humanistheart]

That is a very slippery slope. History shows that the more you try to suppress a religion, the more it grows. Christianity will die a natural death as more and more people start using their brains.

China did fine with it.

 

[Caladan]

Christians destroyed countless pricless "pagan" works in their time of marriage to the roman empire. They bible has also inspired the most death and destruction the world has ever seen. Are you telling me the mona lisa is worth 3.5 billion lives? Wow.

Completely irrelevant and single dimensional. I am not an advocate for Christians. I do not even interact with Christians 'IRL' on regular basis.
The Bible has not inspired any of this. Church leaders, and ignorant European mobs have. that you are willing to discard such an essential textual piece with such an intense effect on human history (for the good or for the bad) is an evidence for a lack of healthy desire to understand our own history, and cultural heritage. have I preached anyone to accept the Bible as a 'word of God'? absolutely not, however I will not shy away from pointing the blunt ignorance and misconceptions people have on 'world sacred texts' (the Bible and others), which at the end of the day are the testimonies of our human heritage, and ours to claim and study.

 

[Riverwolf]

That's rather a matter of opinion now isn't it.

I'm a pacifist who hates all forms of warfare and, like most everybody else, wishes that everybody would just get along. Guns, explosives, etc, belong in movies and video games, and should not exist in the real world.

I'm as disturbed by Revelations as you are. I do not care for that book, and agree with the early church leaders who said it should not be included in the canon.

 

[Riverwolf]

China did fine with it.

BS.

Their suppression of religious groups is no better than the Roman empire's suppression of early Christianity, and no better than the early Catholic church's suppression of pagan cultures.

 

[Riverwolf]

We don't allow children to buy porn, we don't allow them to watch rated R movies, the bible's worse than anything we ban children from currently, so why allow children to read or have it read to them?

Because much of the poetry is beautiful, and many of the stories are inspiring.

BTW, children will watch porn and R rated movies anyway, regardless of whether or not we allow it.

They find ways if they want to.

 

[Riverwolf]

Completely irrelevant and single dimensional. I am not an advocate for Christians. I do not even interact with Christians 'IRL' on regular basis.
The Bible has not inspired any of this. Church leaders, and ignorant European mobs have. that you are willing to discard such an essential textual piece with such an intense effect on human history (for the good or for the bad) is an evidence for a lack of healthy desire to understand our own history, and cultural heritage. have I preached anyone to accept the Bible as a 'word of God'? absolutely not, however I will not shy away from pointing the blunt ignorance and misconceptions people have on 'world sacred texts' (the Bible and others), which at the end of the day are the testimonies of our human heritage, and ours to claim and study.

AMEN!!! :clap

 

[cardero]

We don't allow children to buy porn, we don't allow them to watch rated R movies, the bible's worse than anything we ban children from currently, so why allow children to read or have it read to them?

It really depends on whoever can afford the interpreter that goes along with the book.

 

[Humanistheart]

Because much of the poetry is beautiful, and many of the stories are inspiring.

.

Really? You get inspired by rape, incest, genocide, slavery, brutal beatings, etc etc? Yet you say your a pacifist. Interesting.

 

[Humanistheart]

Completely irrelevant and single dimensional. I am not an advocate for Christians. I do not even interact with Christians 'IRL' on regular basis.
The Bible has not inspired any of this. Church leaders, and ignorant European mobs have. that you are willing to discard such an essential textual piece with such an intense effect on human history (for the good or for the bad) is an evidence for a lack of healthy desire to understand our own history, and cultural heritage. have I preached anyone to accept the Bible as a 'word of God'? absolutely not, however I will not shy away from pointing the blunt ignorance and misconceptions people have on 'world sacred texts' (the Bible and others), which at the end of the day are the testimonies of our human heritage, and ours to claim and study.

Oh, and what text provided them, these church leaders and mobs, the justifications of their actions? Oh that's right, the bible.

 

[Humanistheart]

BS.

Their suppression of religious groups is no better than the Roman empire's suppression of early Christianity, and no better than the early Catholic church's suppression of pagan cultures.

The responce was to someone who'd said represion caused christianity to spread. China is a good example where this did not really happen. Your responce is irrelivant to my previous posting.

 

[Riverwolf]

Really? You get inspired by rape, incest, genocide, slavery, brutal beatings, etc etc? Yet you say your a pacifist. Interesting.

Nope.

Because that's not what encompasses the entire Bible... unless you want it to.

EDIT: I'd like to point out that I'm not a big fan of the "history" section of the Bible, for the same reasons you've just stated.

But, then again, people still enjoy the story of Oedipus Rex. Should THAT be forbidden to children?

 

[Father Heathen]

While the bible obviously has no use beyond toilet paper, I do not believe in censorship.