#a pious vulture of the law ; verse

[cagesings]

b.enjamin barker/swee.ney todd.

needless to say, johanna’s view of her biological father is a very, very poor one. as you can guess, turpin wouldn’t tell her the truth. can’t have her knowing that he ripped her family apart. in canon, what she was told about her father is that he was a brute and a thief. she does not know what he stole or anything else. since she was raised by turpin ( “pious vulture of the law” ), she doesn’t look at it in a very positive light and she doesn’t want to. she doesn’t want to consider the fact that maybe he stole to feed her family. yes she is well aware of the fact that turpin is a corrupt judge, however to think that maybe her father was innocent and he had him arrested is simply too much for her to consider. that means he took so much more from her than she initially thought. 

after canon, she ever figures it out. she doesn’t know what she looked like as a baby so she can’t go off the photograph. the victorian government at the time didn’t issue birth certificates. johanna has no idea who her father is. he died in botany bay in australia. he was a bad man. the end. 

however feelings get much more complicated in modern verses ( hawkins verse and modern verse ). she knows who her father is and she hates it. johanna already knows about how bad of a man turpin is. to find out that her biological father was worse than the criminal she always took him for? he’s a serial killer. he almost killed her. johanna had to watch as her own father murdered her abusive guardian. feelings about turpin’s murder is it’s own meta in itself, but she didn’t want to witness that. when the police figure out who exactly s.weeney t.odd was, she has to live with the fact that they’re both barkers. this man killed several people of varying innocence. what stands out to her is the fact that he could’ve made more of their family. more fathers going missing and their wives having to deal with the consequences. even bamford has a young daughter. what’s going to happen to her? the rest of their families?

he killed her mother. yes, he didn’t know it was her and yes, the detectives and police have ruled that. but he still did it. he still almost killed her. the only time johanna interacts with her father, he is too blinded by rage and a thirst for revenge that he doesn’t take a moment and consider that anthony was bringing her here. she didn’t know lucy at all, but she has idolized her despite thinking she was dead for her entire life. and he killed her. even if she was only told the worst about her mother and prayed every night that turpin was wrong about her, she can’t forgive her mother’s killer. 

once the media picked up on such a romantically tragic tale, they began to harass her about it the moment any information leaked about johanna. she is trying to move on. she’s married. her name isn’t even the same anymore. she wants to get a job and travel and leave the past behind. her father only becomes more of a burden when people ask her about it. when people ask her about trauma she barely even discusses with anthony. sweeney is a weight she has to just lug around. 

above all though, she feels betrayed and abandoned. johanna feels horribly guilty about it when she tells herself she should feel more guilty on her father’s and guardian’s behalves. she knows that her own father chose to seek his revenge, chose to kill people, over reuniting with her. perhaps, it would be impossible, yet she snuck around with anthony for all that time. she wouldn’t be against sneaking behind her guardian’s back and meeting with her biological father, even if it would take some time for her to accept that. johanna is already incredibly emotionally vulnerable. knowing her own father chose something as horrible as he chose over her, crushes her. did he ever love her? 

if benjamin/sweeney had lived, i can’t say she would make any attempt to form a relationship with him. johanna never wanted a father. turpin was supposed to fill that role in her life and look at where it got her. she wanted a mother, yes. there wasn’t really anyone who could be that figure in her life. yet the universe gave her a father and she’s nothing but ashamed of him.  

#writing about this while listening to johanna quartet really does a number on you #i am now sad #*❈ ‣ how can you remain staring at the rain? — ( headcanon. ) #*❈ ‣ if only angels could prevail we’d be the way we were — ( rel. sweeney ) #ask to tag / #do keep in mind that this is only some of the daddy issues so. #this is part of the reason she is the way she is

[dfroza]

truth is vital.

and this world is a war of truth vs. falsehood.

A set of lines from Today’s reading:

This battle I am facing is huge. And I want you to know I do it for you, for all those at Laodicea, and for everyone else (even those who have never seen my face). I’m working hard to comfort and encourage them so that they will be knit together—that many hearts would become one through His love. I do it so they will be rich in understanding and have full knowledge of God’s mystery, which is the Anointed One Himself— in Him all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are concealed. I only tell you this to warn you about those who would try and deceive you with their arguments. They seem plausible enough; but in the end, they are false.

The Letter of Colossians, Chapter 2:1-4 (The Voice)

along with this line:

For our spiritual wealth is in him, like hidden treasure waiting to be discovered—heaven’s wisdom and endless riches of revelation knowledge.

(verse 3 in The Passion Translation)

with the whole chapter in The Message:

I want you to realize that I continue to work as hard as I know how for you, and also for the Christians over at Laodicea. Not many of you have met me face-to-face, but that doesn’t make any difference. Know that I’m on your side, right alongside you. You’re not in this alone.

I want you woven into a tapestry of love, in touch with everything there is to know of God. Then you will have minds confident and at rest, focused on Christ, God’s great mystery. All the richest treasures of wisdom and knowledge are embedded in that mystery and nowhere else. And we’ve been shown the mystery! I’m telling you this because I don’t want anyone leading you off on some wild-goose chase, after other so-called mysteries, or “the Secret.”

I’m a long way off, true, and you may never lay eyes on me, but believe me, I’m on your side, right beside you. I am delighted to hear of the careful and orderly ways you conduct your affairs, and impressed with the solid substance of your faith in Christ.

My counsel for you is simple and straightforward: Just go ahead with what you’ve been given. You received Christ Jesus, the Master; now live him. You’re deeply rooted in him. You’re well constructed upon him. You know your way around the faith. Now do what you’ve been taught. School’s out; quit studying the subject and start living it! And let your living spill over into thanksgiving.

Watch out for people who try to dazzle you with big words and intellectual double-talk. They want to drag you off into endless arguments that never amount to anything. They spread their ideas through the empty traditions of human beings and the empty superstitions of spirit beings. But that’s not the way of Christ. Everything of God gets expressed in him, so you can see and hear him clearly. You don’t need a telescope, a microscope, or a horoscope to realize the fullness of Christ, and the emptiness of the universe without him. When you come to him, that fullness comes together for you, too. His power extends over everything.

Entering into this fullness is not something you figure out or achieve. It’s not a matter of being circumcised or keeping a long list of laws. No, you’re already in—insiders—not through some secretive initiation rite but rather through what Christ has already gone through for you, destroying the power of sin. If it’s an initiation ritual you’re after, you’ve already been through it by submitting to baptism. Going under the water was a burial of your old life; coming up out of it was a resurrection, God raising you from the dead as he did Christ. When you were stuck in your old sin-dead life, you were incapable of responding to God. God brought you alive—right along with Christ! Think of it! All sins forgiven, the slate wiped clean, that old arrest warrant canceled and nailed to Christ’s cross. He stripped all the spiritual tyrants in the universe of their sham authority at the Cross and marched them naked through the streets.

So don’t put up with anyone pressuring you in details of diet, worship services, or holy days. All those things are mere shadows cast before what was to come; the substance is Christ.

Don’t tolerate people who try to run your life, ordering you to bow and scrape, insisting that you join their obsession with angels and that you seek out visions. They’re a lot of hot air, that’s all they are. They’re completely out of touch with the source of life, Christ, who puts us together in one piece, whose very breath and blood flow through us. He is the Head and we are the body. We can grow up healthy in God only as he nourishes us.

So, then, if with Christ you’ve put all that puffed-up and childish religion behind you, why do you let yourselves be bullied by it? “Don’t touch this! Don’t taste that! Don’t go near this!” Do you think things that are here today and gone tomorrow are worth that kind of attention? Such things sound impressive if said in a deep enough voice. They even give the illusion of being pious and humble and austere. But they’re just another way of showing off, making yourselves look important.

The Letter of Colossians, Chapter 2 (The Message)

Today’s paired chapter of the Testaments is the 16th chapter of the book of Jeremiah that declares Judgment and exile due to sin and the following after lies, but also a promised restoration:

The word of the Eternal came to me.

Eternal One: Jeremiah, you must not get married and have children in this place, because this is what I, the Eternal One, say about the sons and daughters of this land and about their mothers and fathers: They will die of deadly diseases. There will be so many dead that no one will bury them or grieve for them; they will be like dung scattered on the ground. Others will perish from war and famine, and their corpses will feed the vultures and wild beasts of the earth.

This is what I declare to you, My prophet: Do not go inside a house that is mourning. Do not grieve with these friends and families. Do not comfort them because I, the Eternal One, have taken My peace, even My loyal love and mercy, from them. Death will come to the great and small of this land, but they will not be buried or mourned. There will be no one left to cut themselves or shave their heads in ritual displays of mourning. No one will bring food to comfort those in mourning or offer a drink to console even one who has lost a parent. You are not to enter a house where they are feasting and celebrating. Refuse to eat and drink with them. For this is what the Eternal, Commander of heavenly armies and God of Israel, now declares: Before your eyes and during your lifetime, I will silence the sounds of laughter and joy in this place; the joy of a wedding will no longer be heard.

When you tell these people all of this, they will ask you, “Why has the Eternal decided to bring this horrendous evil on us? What have we done wrong? What sin have we committed against the Eternal our God?” I want you to answer them with My words: All this is because your ancestors deserted Me and followed after other gods. They served and worshiped them, but Me they have deserted. My instruction they have ignored. As for you, you are even worse than your ancestors because every one of your hearts is evil and stubborn, and you continue to ignore Me as you follow your own wicked ways. For this reason, I will throw you out of this land into a land you and your ancestors have never known. There you will be able to serve these other gods all you want—day and night—for I will show you no compassion.

(to the people) Look, days are coming when people will remember how I restored you. They will no longer say, “As the Eternal lives who brought the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt.” Instead, they will say, “As the Eternal lives, who brought the people of Israel out of the lands of the north and the countries where He had exiled them.” For I will bring them back to their promised land, the land I gave to your ancestors.

But first, I will send for many fishermen who will catch them. After this, I will summon many hunters, and they will hunt them down on every mountain and every hill, in every crack and crevice of this land. My eyes are fixed on all they are doing. Nothing is hidden from Me; their sins are exposed before My eyes. For their wickedness and sin—polluting My land with the lifeless husks of their disgusting idols, taking what is Mine and filling it with these abominable things—I will repay them doubly.

Jeremiah: O Eternal One, You are my strength,

my fortress, my sanctuary in times of trouble.

The day will come when the nations will come from all over the world and admit,

“Our ancestors were fools! They inherited and clung to empty lies,

Worthless gods that gained them nothing good.

Can people make their own gods?

No, because a man-made idol is not a god.”

Eternal One: Behold, I will teach these people.

This time, they will learn of My power and strength.

I will teach them, and they will know and fully understand that I am the Eternal.

The Book of Jeremiah, Chapter 16 (The Voice)

A link to my personal reading of the Scriptures for Sunday, August 29 of 2021 with a paired chapter from each Testament of the Bible along with Today’s Proverbs and Psalms

A post by John Parsons about the need for repentance:

Some of us minimize the idea of sin because we fail to recognize it as life-threatening, lethal, and spiritually disastrous. Sin (and its justification in our lives) cuts us off from God, however, and that invariably leads to a sense of existential dread (Isa. 59:2; Ezek. 18:4). “The wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23), and that means those who practice sin are considered "dead" even while alive (Berachot 18a-b). Tragically, sin can lead to the dreadful punishment of karet (כָּרֵת), being "cut off" from any awareness of the Truth. Regarding this the sages note that the Hebrew word for sin, chet (חַטְא), is written with a silent Aleph (א) because when we sin, the Master and LORD (אַלּוּף) is present, because without his power no one could lift his hand to do anything great or small. Here we note the terrible reality that our sin is witnessed by God himself, a pain that pierces his very heart.

Rabbi Bunam told the parable of how a father made a loan to his son to help him start a business. When the time for repayment came, he learned his son had used the money wisely, and therefore he made him a gift of the amount loaned. Later the father did the same for another son, but when time for repayment came, he learned that the son had used the investment unwisely, so to prevent further losses, he compelled his son to give up the business. It is the same with us. God loans us the impulse to judge ourselves and repent of our unworthy deeds. If we use this impulse wisely, he gives us further resolve to walk in righteousness. But if we disregard the impulse and do nothing, God takes it back, and we remain stuck in our present condition (Rom. 1:28). May God help us turn to Him... [Hebrew for Christians]

8.27.21 • Facebook

Today’s message (Days of Praise) from the Institute for Creation Research

August 29, 2021

The Weight of the Wind

“For he looketh to the ends of the earth, and seeth under the whole heaven; To make the weight for the winds; and he weigheth the waters by measure.” (Job 28:24-25)

It was only discovered by scientists in modern times that the air actually has weight. This passage in Job, however, written 35 or more centuries ago, indicated that the two great terrestrial fluids of air and water forming Earth’s atmosphere and hydrosphere are both “weighed” by God’s careful “measure” to provide the right worldwide balance of forces for life on Earth.

Another remarkable “weighing” act of God is noted in Job 37:16: “Dost thou know the balancings of the clouds, the wondrous works of him which is perfect in knowledge?” Clouds are composed of liquid drops of water, not water vapor, and water is heavier than air, so how are they “balanced” in the sky? “For he maketh small the drops of water: they pour down rain according to the vapour thereof: Which the clouds do drop and distill upon man abundantly” (Job 36:27-28).

Meteorologists know that the weight of the small water droplets in the clouds is “balanced” by the “weight of the winds”—air rushing upward in response to temperature changes. Eventually, however, the droplets coalesce to form larger drops that overcome these updrafts and fall as rain. “By watering he wearieth the thick cloud” (Job 37:11). The coalescence is probably triggered electrically in the clouds themselves, “when he made a decree for the rain, and a way for the lightning of the thunder” (Job 28:26).

Although these verses are not couched in the jargon of modern science, they are thoroughly scientific and up to date. “Lo, these are parts of his ways: but how little a portion is heard of him? but the thunder of his power who can understand?” (Job 26:14). HMM

[glittergummicandypeach]

The Tyranny of Politesse: Why Decency Does Not Require us to Wish Trump a Full and Speedy Recovery | Religion Dispatches

Let me state for the record. There is no moral obligation to wish Trump a full recovery from Covid-19. I certainly do not. Even the Bidens, Kamala Harris, and Rachel Maddow seem to feel that hoping for Trump’s recovery is a mandatory decency.

I strongly disagree.

But, I’ve been asked: how can this reaction be compatible with basic human compassion for all? How can a Christian like myself, coming out of a “love your enemies,” “turn the other cheek” tradition not hope and pray for Trump’s full recovery? How can I, an Emeritus Professor of Moral Theology at Marquette University say that I do not hope for his full recovery or that of newly Covid-19 positive Republican Senators, the sycophantic base for Trump’s lethality?

The definition of a tyrant by oppression (tyrannus in regimine) is a ruler “who uses his power arbitrarily and oppressively.” Trump is a tyrant and a moral criminal. His murderous negligence and mendacity has so far abetted the painful deaths of over 215,000 women, men, and children; caused millions more people to be infected, perhaps permanently impaired; and caused millions of adults along with their children to fall into lethal poverty. All this while leading the attack on a sick planet already in critical condition. That is tyranny on steroids.

I do not endorse the right to tyrannicide, defended historically even by Catholic theologians who wrote before there were democratic alternatives. Thus, I would not approve of deliberately infecting him. But when he flouts all precautions and gets himself infected (thus making his tyranny less feasible and his defeat more likely) I have no sympathy for him or for his Republican enablers who are complicit in his bloody criminal guilt.

What do the Gospels say?

The most quoted lines in the gospel, Matthew 38-48, are also the most misunderstood lines in the Christian Scriptures. These are the verses about turning the other cheek and loving your enemy. Biblical scholarship shows that this passage is actually the basis for a Christian philosophy of non-violent resistance. However, it’s been crudely and cruelly interpreted as cowardly passivism in the face of injustice. Wives have been told to turn the other cheek when abused by a spouse. Slaves were told to obey their brutal slave-masters. This abused text was widely taken as a call for a slavish submission to evil.

Don’t put that on Jesus!

If he’d been preaching a message of passive compliance and submission to unjust leaders, he could have died in his bed at a ripe old age. He was killed because he resisted unjust aggression nonviolently with searingly harsh invective and with civil disobedience. In John 18:23, when he was struck on the cheek in his trial he did not turn the other cheek, he protested.

No cowering victim was he: he blasted evildoers in a way that makes our toughest pundits today seem timid, calling them “hypocrites,” “vultures,” and “blind fools” who are like beautifully whitewashed tombs, looking respectable on the outside, but inside full of the fetid stench of “robbery,” “hypocrisy,” and “crime.”

Jesus was not one to shrink before the tyranny of specious politesse. It’s been said that it’s no surprise that Jesus was killed; it’s only surprising he wasn’t killed sooner.

In Jesus terms, our criticism of Trump has been too timid. We really are a pack of wimps. His robust and courageous resistance to evil wrought by the religious and political powers of his day got him killed. In a story told in all four Gospels, he created a ruckus in the temple where civil and religious leaders conspired like thieves. He loudly labeled this tainted sanctuary “a den of thieves.” The Temple was a definite no-go zone for resisters. Some scholars think his death followed within just a few days.

Rome and the religious leaders had a vested interest in keeping this place a stabilizing paragon of “law and order.” And Jesus took on their “law and order” and paid the price. (It’s interesting to note that Jesus’ brother James was also executed as a rebel. It tells you a lot about their mother who raised two such firebrands. She certainly doesn’t fit the stereotype of the pious unthreatening woman who “knew her place,” as the sugary “lovely lady dressed in blue” would have it.)

Responses to Trump’s diagnosis

The news that Trump had tested positive for Covid 19 led to the cliche du jour “I hope and pray for his full recovery.” Along with this came a storm surge of that hackneyed vacuity: “I will keep him in my thoughts and prayers.” (It’s a safe—and not at all cynical—assumption that many who intone that banality don’t mean it and will never deliver on those prayers. Indeed, let’s declare a national moratorium on that syrupy “thoughts and prayers” bromide.)

Step back for a moment and remember that human decency does not preclude honesty. Indeed it requires it. In an act of collective candor, let us admit: there is a joy, and not necessarily an ignoble joy, in seeing someone hoisted on his own blood-soaked petard. There is good as well as bad schadenfreude.

I know many who have honestly and openly expressed joyful satisfaction upon hearing the news of Trump’s diagnosis. I certainly did. One nonagenarian who has specialized in social justice work all her life said that if her legs would permit it she would have danced when she heard of the diagnosis.

A corrupt Republican-controlled Senate will stand by as Trump’s malfeasance in office spreads havoc from caged children torn from their parents’ arms to the most mismanaged response to coronavirus in the world. Those Republican senators now contracting covid get no sympathy from me. Nature has stepped in and given them a taste of the horror they endorsed and encouraged. Many religious persons would call it providential.

Praying or just hoping this tyrant, this unjust aggressor, will get well enough to continue his crime spree is strange, not benevolent or pious. And Trump’s crime spree does continue as he malignantly insists from the pulpit of the White House that the virus is just another little old flu, failing to account for the over 200,000 people who have died of it. I weep not for him, but for his victims.

This content was originally published here.

[stevejehovahbible]

Genesis 15

1 After these things the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward. God gives Abram mad props for his pious display in front of the magic priest king man Melchizedek, and tells him not to worry about giving up all the plunder, because He totally has Abram’s back. It doesn’t explain why he would be worried in the first place, because he was a rich man at the BEGINNING of the story. Let’s just shrug off that obvious logical blunder and plod on. I sense the rest of this story is going to be a cornucopia of nonsense, so we’ll have a lot to get through.

2  And Abram said, Lord God, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus? 3  And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir. He can't believe he’s going to have to leave all his vast wealth to a man from Damascus, instead of his own children. Because people that aren’t from this special bloodline are less than people. But that’s not disturbing at all because God God Jesus God Reasons Magic God ShutUpWithYourLogicYouHeretic!!! Notice that Abram isn’t happy with God’s repeated assertions that have no backing evidence. He is an old man, and God has promised to make him the father of a master race (which totally is different from that Hitler idea that is exactly the same in every way because God said it was ok), but he has no children. Abram wants more than empty words, which we’ll soon find out is a BAD thing? Asking for proof leads to trouble. Bible lessons 101. 4  And, behold, the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir. 100% literal translation: “You won’t have to leave your money to that commoner, who is obviously beneath you and doesn’t deserve any of your wealth! You’re going to crap out a butt baby from your intestines.” It’s actually saying that it will be his own son that he loves, as the seat of emotions in those days was the bowels. It’s like saying “your ACTUAL son, that you love with all your heart, will be your heir.” But for strict biblical literalists... well... I guess they think God is going to bring one of Abram’s turds to life.  5  And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. This song and dance again? Look at the stars Simba! The great master race of the future looks down on us from those stars. So whenever you feel alone, just remember that those kings will always be there to guide you, and so will I. Now go kill that guy for picking up a stick on Saturday. I have spoken. 6  And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness. Belief is not a moral action. This is yet ANOTHER example of the bible attempting to validate itself in an illogical way, to instill fear into those reading it. If belief is righteousness, than disbelief is wickedness. It attempts to make the simple act of doubting a “sin.” When this nonsense is taught to children, it subtly programs their brains to accept that trust in God is automatically good, and questioning God is automatically bad. Now where have I heard that before? *cough* mind pattern programing *cough* cult psycology *cough* it’s exactly the was dictators and despots keep their subjects in line *cough cough* never question the great leader *cough*... Sorry... scratchy throat. Now where HAVE I heard that before? Nevermind. So, there’s another issue I’d like to bring up here that is a MAJOR problem in religion. The recycling of bad arguments. The apostle Paul cites this verse multiple times (Romans 4, verses 3, 9, and 22, Galatians 3:6, James 2:23) as EVIDENCE of justification by faith. The assertion is made, unchallenged, and therefore accepted as viable evidence of reality. Simply because Moses wrote that God said “Faith = Awesome” does not make that a reality. Citing that as hard evidence to a further claim you’re attempting to make is automatically fallacious reasoning.

“Say, Bob, did you know that cats can fly?” “Really Jim? How? I’ve never seen a flying cat Jim.” “That’s really not important Bob. Just trust me. Cats can fly.” “Well, I guess I’ll just chose to believe you Jim.” “Excellent choice Bob. Because belief is clearly a choice.” *Months later, Jim throws a cat over a roof with a cat-apult (*snicker*) and tells Bob that his beliefs have been vindicated! Just look at the evidence! Decades later, a scientist uses Jim’s belief in flighted cats, and Bob’s support of that belief to write a law saying all cat owners must get their cat’s wings clipped, or they’ll be shot for international super-treason or something. Cats don’t have wings, so all cat owners are killed. Dogs everywhere high five and sip their tennis ball flavored martinis. In a surprise MNightShamalablahmanon twist ending, Jim was really a dog in an elaborate disguise all along!

7  And he said unto him, I am the Lord that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it. In case you forgot, let me remind you again. Apparently people in bible times all had severe short term memory loss and needed to be told the same things over and over. “Hey, remember this land I gave you twice already...? Guess what? I brought you here to give it to you. Neat, huh?” Ownership of THIS land is super-duper important for some reason. You’d think God would tell Abram that owning land isn’t really something he should strive for, as it is ultimately materialistic and not a very high minded obsession to have. But He never does.  Instead, He continues to tell Abram that he’s God’s favorite, and that Abram’s kids will totally OWN this patch of earth just because God said so. Abram is the father of the Prosperity Gospel here, and God encourages him EVERY step of the way. Not a very godlike thing to do, but we should expect no less from this character. It fits with everything else He’s done so far.

8  And he said, Lord God, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it? Again, Abram is a BAD believer, because he’s asking for confirmation. This is actually something believers should do a little more. Ask for confirmation. Make sure the things you believe are grounded in reality. It’s a radical idea, I know. Thousands of years later, it’s still kind of seen as a fringe idea within the religious community at large. I’m hoping it becomes more mainstream in the future. 9  And he said unto him, Take me an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon. “You want proof? Kill some animals for me. I don’t just give proof for free! I need to see something suffer and die first. Get with the program Abram!” 10  And he took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another: but the birds divided he not. Abram kills a cow, a goat, and a sheep and splits them into pieces. Why? Well, because this is an ancient ritualistic custom. Here’s how it works: Two people make an agreement. They slice animals in half, and then walk between the separated halves to symbolically affirm that the same should happen to them if they break their end of the bargain. This ritual is also mentioned in Jeremiah 34. Sounds like the perfect thing for a timeless, eternal, all powerful being to endorse and participate in, right?  11  And when the fowls came down upon the carcases, Abram drove them away. 12  And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him. In essence, Abram is unsure if he can trust the voices in his head about getting this land for his posterity, so he sets up a primitive version of a contract and waits - fully expecting God to physically appear and “sign” it by walking through the dead animals with him. But God doesn’t show, and he spends the day shooing away vultures from the rotting carcasses until he FALLS ASLEEP. That’s right. As with ALL proof offered by believers, the justification for it is 100% in his mind. Nothing happened to the dead animals. God didn’t physically appear. Abram asked for evidence and got NONE, so he made some up in his own head while he slept. For some reason, believers don’t balk at this. I’ll never understand why. There’s another minor thing to address here. I’ve seen it postulated by more than a few apologists that God put Abram to sleep BECAUSE there was no promise on Abram’s part, and he didn’t need to walk through the dead animals. As if that makes a lick of sense. The argument that real proof wasn't offered, just something in his sleeping mind, because of a technicality in the contract. God couldn’t show up physically and offer real proof, because Abram didn’t owe him anything. How does that make any sense at all?       13  And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; 14  And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance. 15  And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age. 16  But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full. All written down after the fact, by someone who wasn’t there. The words of God in a dream are recorded IN QUOTES by someone writing in generations later, after the supposed promises and prophesy made by God have already come to pass. How very convenient. 17  And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces. Ok, so there’s two options here. Verse 12 says, “And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram,” so he is asleep here. Did the smoking furnace and burning lamp pass through the dead animals in his dream? Because that’s REALLY stupid. Or, did this even happen physically with no one present to witness it except a sleeping old man - but it’s recorded as an actual event that happened anyway. Because thats somehow even MORE stupid than the first option. Much like the snake in the Garden of Eden, we’re supposed to extrapolate from the story that the furnace and the lamp are symbols of God, just like the Snake was a representation of the Devil. The text doesn’t actually explicitly say this, and there’s no reason to automatically jump to that conclusion, but the apologists are going to jump anyway. It’s their nature. 18  In the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates: 19  The Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites, 20  And the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims, 21  And the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites. God promises again, without any actual evidence - that he’s going to give the land to Abram’s descendants, AND further promises that they’ll overthrow all the various “Ites” that dwell there. Because Moses wants the people to believe that God said all this. And they do. Without any evidence. And in thousands of years, nothing there has changed. People still believe things, just because someone tells them God said it.  

#Steve Jehovah #newer testament #Bible #bible study #logic #God #Religion #atheism

[humanoid-lovers]

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally, what it must be like to be in the mind of God.

4.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant comic take on the Bible and its central character Not for the pious, the orthodox, or the easily offended. For the rest of us, however, this is one of the most delightful satires I've read in a while. The perspective is creative and well executed, and Matheson's pacing makes for a real page-turner. Well-researched, deftly incisive, and wickedly funny. Go to Amazon

3.0 out of 5 stars OMG Spoiler Alert: If the reader is Christian, this book will not get more than a star. This is clearly a blasphemous book mocking God himself. If the reader is not a believer, the book may receive 5 stars. Hence, a midway, 3-star rating is probably a Solomon’s way of judgment.The book traces God’s activities from Genesis to revelation, but the wit and humour (only a non-believer will appreciate) is biting. For example, when describing the laws God imposes on his people in Leviticus, Matheson writes: ‘God moved on to birds. “You may eat any bird you want!” He told Moses, then quickly added, “other than eagles, vultures, hawks, ravens, and bats.” (Lev.11:19) There was an awkward pause. 'Had he just called bats birds? He had, yes. That was embarrassing’. And then, ‘He moved on to insects, most of which he regarded as abominations. He made a lot of them (especially beetles for some unknown reason), but he mainly thought they were repulsive. None of them were good to eat, God proclaimed – before remembering a few exceptions. “You may eat locusts, crickets, and grasshoppers”’.Jokes aside, Matheson seems to understand Revelations better than most. His synopsis of revelations is not only lucid but made sense of this immensely dense and convoluted part of the Bible. This book is best appreciated by non-believers who are familiar with the Biblical tales – the Creation, Abraham and his wife, Moses, the Ten Commandments, Lot, and Job, but if not, having a copy of the Bible by your side is advised because many of the stories seem too incredible – but they are all there. In the Bible.This is the 2015 edition. There is a 2016 paperback with a lengthy and interesting postscript added. Go to Amazon

5.0 out of 5 stars Very funny book. Nice light quick read Very funny book. Nice, light, quick read. After having just finished "A Universe from Nothing", "Brief Candle in the Dark", and "God is Not Great ", it was a nice change of pace and funny from beginning to end. Go to Amazon

5.0 out of 5 stars It was all just a test Great re-interpretation. I especially like the chapters on Job (this seemed to really be the climax of the book). I won't spoil it here, so if you are interested in a dubious interpretation of the Bible that is more plausible than the ones Christians, Jews, and Muslims have traditionally put forward, read it for yourself. Go to Amazon

5.0 out of 5 stars Clever and hilarious Clever and hilarious. The Bible is interesting but it's a super boring read. This book puts you on the shoulder of the same insane god of Abraham in an exciting way. Once I started I had to binge on this book cover to (digital) cover. Go to Amazon

4.0 out of 5 stars Great read, with a little flaw Still not finished, so I will post an update later. Just wanted to mention something. The book is great so far, but there have been two times in the book where the scripture referenced was actually one chapter off and the mentioned scripture does not actually exist. This isn't a huge deal, but to Christians reading the book, this will give them something to jump on, since they probably won't search to find the actual scripture that should be referenced. Overall, I really like the book. That's just something that I would think an editor would catch. Go to Amazon

4.0 out of 5 stars Worth the cost. I enjoyed the book. I read it in 3 sittings. I laughed out loud at many of the stories and it helped me to see several other biblical tales in a new more humorous light. (as the mythical murder of innocents can be made humorous.) It will offend those who haven't actually read the bible from cover to cover and yet still hold it up to be "Sacred Word of God". For those people I recommend actually reading their holy book. They can even read along with the provided book chapter and verse which the author has so readily provided. For the remaining people who know the bible to be no more sacred than any other "holy" book, I say buy "The Story of God: A Biblical Comedy about Love". You will not regret it. Go to Amazon