From: popec@fennec.sccsi.com (William C. Barwell)
Newsgroups: alt.pagan
Subject: Fundies
Date: Tue, 01 Sep 92 00:07:33 CST
Organization: Fennec Information Systems, The World View Magazine

Albert Funde, (Aug 31), gave another good book title for exploring Higher 
Bible Criticism. There are a number of good books available, many 
available from Prometheus Books.  I mentioned "The Age Of Reason" because 
it is usually the only such type of book available in many books shops, 
and it is short and to the point.
  You are right about conservative seminaries.  Also most Xian bookstores 
carry books purporting to explain away these contradictions.  The level 
of intellectual corrruption in these books is simply amazing.  
  One of the most "scholarly" and largest of these is the Encyclopedia Of 
Biblical Difficulties by Gleason L. Archer.  
Over the years I have kept a bible in my desk at work.  From time to time 
we will get in the occasional evangelical Xian who will try to 'Witness". 
Those who insist on being pests or arguing, get Higher Bible Criticsim 
from me personally.  It is amazing how a few well chosen bible verses and 
a few well chosen words can stop these pests totally.  I have actually 
seen grown men break down and cry.  I do not do this lightly or for every 
xian.  Just those who won't take no for an answer.  Those who are sure 
that non Xians are stupid and are not xians because we have never had it 
all explained to us.  
  The biggest gripe I have with conservative orthodox Xianity is that by 
ignoring common sense and building Xianity on the untrustworthy sand of 
Genesis, is that to maintain their faith they must resort to logic 
chopping, bad logic, Orwellian Doublethink, and every bad debater's trick 
you can think of.  It is totally absolutly intellectually corrupt in 
every way.  And even more discouraging is that this type of thinking is 
accepted as a sound basis on which to found our core values. That is why 
this species of Xianity is so damned dangerous.  There is no logic in 
Xianity.  And so you can have a religion that can produce such people as 
Albert Schweitzer, or a whole nation of Xians such as Germany may 
alternatively decide to practice wholesale genicide.  When Judeo-Xianity 
is at it's inner most core, intellectually corrupt, anything can happen.
Even Moral Corruption of entire civilizations that try to base themselves
on the Judeo-Xian foundation. 2000 years of western history prove that.
Hitler can happen again.  Look at David Duke taking 60% of the white vote 
in the last election, or the growth of Identity Xianity, or the 
persistence of rascism in America.  
  Personally i think every person in the U.S. should be aware of this.
Every thinking person should know something about the bible and it's 
problems.  Every intellectually and morally honest person should consider 
the problems inherent in believing the bible as the Pat Robertsons and 
Pat Buchanans do and would have us all believe, and the intellectual 
corruption it engenders as we try to paper over the bibles errors and 
inconsistancies.
 2000 years of mistreatment of women, gays, 'heretics', and nonxians
has been enough.  Time to fight it?
Flame me, I'm fireproof!

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William C. Barwell [popec@fennec.sccsi.com]  //  Pope Charles
Pope Of the Church Of The SubGenius for the Golden Triangle Area
Laughing at everything in the Universe...including the concept of 
laughing at everything in the Universe!
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