The Problem With Faith: Religion Is Destroying Humanity: The illusion of love.

Taken from http://churchandstate.org.uk... "The Problem With Faith: 11 Ways Religion Is Destroying Humanity" The illusion of love. Is it? There may be some parts that describe love and encourage positive relationships amongst members of the human race; but, what about all the other parts? Are we to ignore some things and only identify with the good? Here is the problem: Many of our most revered religious texts have hundreds of verses where the deity of the story literally instructs people to abduct and rape young girls whose family members they have just murdered, kill disobedient children, kill disobedient women, commit genocide and infanticide, subdue and silence women, commit incest, oppress mass communities, force marriage on rape victims, torture people, enslave people and loot and pillage entire societies. All by the instruction of or in the name of their god. Here is the bigger problem: It"s one thing that these words are written, but it is a terrifying thought that many people in this world actually excuse this behavior simply because a god they worship did it or authorized it. They rationalize that this behavior is acceptable if an all knowing being approves it or that their god was punishing "sinful" people who did not agree with the same teachings they follow. This enables atrocious people to justify inhumane actions if they commit those actions in the name of their god. Many even go as far as to change the meaning of the (quite plainly written words) to mean something else than what is written outright in order to justify the action, rather than facing the reality of what their text is actually communicating. If a human being were to commit these same types of offenses as listed above, we would label them sadistically insane and sentence them to death; yet, many dismiss the corrupt nature of these horrifically unethical crimes when it applies to a deity. In their defense, many people are raised with their religious background and taught that it is completely about love. At the same time, the religious leaders that instruct them do not even attempt to discuss the negative characteristics of their text. Often, when they do, it is glossed over and never given full thought as to the magnitude of what is being described. If we really thought about it, we would be able to draw the same conclusions for the wrongdoings of our man-made deities as we do for those human beings who choose to commit similar hideous acts. Instead, the most horrific parts of our text are ignored " or sugar-coated " and then wrapped in an illusion and fed to the people in a mental package labeled "god is love". It is not love; and it skews our interpretation of love when we agree that sadistic and violent acts against people are justified because a god instructed those actions. A scenario to consider: Suppose you were to have a serious conversation with a parent who told you that, since their child did not obey, love and trust them " they were going to take the child to the basement and burn him until he learned his lesson. Would you turn that parent in to child protective services for potential child abuse? If you heard or read that some parent had tortured their child for not behaving, what would you think of that parent. How would you feel for the child who endured that punishment? Of course you would turn the parent in; of course you would feel awful to hear about such a tragic story! You would want to protect the child because you know that no loving human being would ever do that to their child, no matter how awful they"ve behaved. Yet, children across the world are forced to endure hideous mental intrusions on a consistent basis in one of our world"s largest belief structures. If they do not believe in their religious deity, he will take them down to hell and torture them forever and ever. They will live in a place of fear and anguish for eternity. If you would not threaten this to your own child as a punishment you personally would inflict upon them, why tell them someone else will? Is it acceptable because it is not you who will do it? Another scenario to consider: If your friend told you that she was raped and that her rapist paid her Father for the injustice and is now forcing her to marry the person who raped her, what would you tell your friend? Would you encourage her to follow through with the marriage or would you encourage her leave both the rapist and her Father behind and move on with her life? Would you help her find a safe place to go in order to flee the situation? Or, would you encourage her to follow through with the dreadful plans? Of course you would discourage your friend from following through with such a horrible situation for her life. You would likely even encourage her to file charges against the perpetrator. Yet, this is the exact instructions found in one of our world"s most popular holy text. One of many scriptures only recently coming to the forefront of religious debates as countless people are becoming more aware of the unethical ideas written in many of our ancient books. (See Deuteronomy 22:28-29 NLT) If you have to explain or justify why a horrible atrocity was committed by the deity you worship; what does love really mean to you? Love is" ------------------------ This is me backwardseden.... Let's look at that last question, but first * Deuteronomy 22: 28-29 as the article posed is "Suppose a man has intercourse with a young woman who is a virgin but is not engaged to be married. If they are discovered, 29 he must pay her father fifty pieces of silver.[a] Then he must marry the young woman because he violated her, and he may never divorce her as long as he lives." First of all you have a dominate male figure sneaking around with someone who is young, probably in her teens or of lesser age, which right there is against god's law, oh but wait if they are NOT discovered this male dominate figure has the right to continue to rape someone who is "young"? But if discovered, he must pay the daddy 50 pieces of silver. What if this scum doesn't have it? What then? Anyway... Oh I get it so the rapist is supposed to marry the young woman BECAUSE HE VIOLATED HER. Wow what a great law. So the scum of the earth, the male chauvinist pig has everything going for him, all the rights in the world, and the YOUNG VIRGIN has 0 which allows the MAN to continue to keep on raping her for the rest of their lives. What a great god. Yippee. Here's some more verses of god's underlying love. (I will be using the KJV) * Leviticus 20:13 "If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them." Now here's the NLT of the same verse "If a man practices homosexuality, having sex with another man as with a woman, both men have committed a detestable act. They must both be put to death, for they are guilty of a capital offense." The word "homosexuality" was not put into any bible until 1946. So don't tell me or anyone that people do not change the bible to suit their wants, needs and desires which is an A+ reason why god, in which nobody can even prove exists, would ---ever--- use text as a form of communication, the worst form of communication possible. * god wants you to die in his bible if you break the sabbath Exodus 31:14 "Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you: every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death: for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people." * god issues death warrants on those that curse at their parents (they are probably children) Exodus 21:17 "And he that curseth his father, or his mother, shall surely be put to death." Leviticus 20:9 "For every one that curseth his father or his mother shall be surely put to death: he hath cursed his father or his mother; his blood shall be upon him." Mark 7:10 "For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death:" Matthew 15:4 "For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death." Matthew 10:21 "And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death." * god wants to put you to death in his bible if you commit adultery Leviticus 20:10 "And the man that committeth adultery with another man's wife, even he that committeth adultery with his neighbour's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death." * god hates anyone that blasphemes and wants to put you to death Leviticus 24:16 "And he that blasphemeth the name of the Lord, he shall surely be put to death, and all the congregation shall certainly stone him: as well the stranger, as he that is born in the land, when he blasphemeth the name of the Lord, shall be put to death." All of those verses, except for the first, taken from the article, are taken from the 10 commandments. Do you think you should be put---to---death for cursing at your parents, for working on the sabbath, for committing adultery, for blaspheme? Y____? N____? Why? Why Not? Your god thinks you should. After all cursing at your parents is repeated AT LEAST 5 fricken times in his bible. Oh but wait, what if its the reverse? What if your parents rape, beat, and torture you which is what happens most of this time. Oh nothing happens to them then. That"s according to YOUR bible. Indeed YOUR god truly hates children as there are many other verses that surely proves this. Ah yes, god's paltry book of "love". Right? Now if you can honestly justify god as a supreme deity of "love", then you have not read your bible. Nor do you know the meaning of the word "love". dsjpk5 will not be able to vote in the voting process