Chapter Seven
The Not-So-Good Book
Fatal Flaw #6: Seven Ways the Bible is Morally Bankrupt by Modern Standards
In spite of the Bible’s logical absurdities, there are still many wavering Christians and, astonishingly, even some atheists who will defend Christianity (or any other theistic religion) as essential to society’s health for the moral guidance it provides. The theory is that an organized religion like Christianity is essential to keeping our bestial nature in check, without which society would collapse into violent anarchy. The level of piety in a nation that allegedly helps it to socially function is sometimes called “spiritual capital”.
This theory (or, more accurately, propaganda) is quickly debunked with observations of secular societies that somehow manage to function and maintain order. Social scientist Gregory Paul organized a study of different nations comparing them on social indicators such as murder rates, abortion, suicide and teenage pregnancy. What he found was that relatively secular nations like Great Britain, Sweden, or Japan were much socially healthier than the devoutly religious United States of America. As Paul states in his report:
"Many Americans agree that their churchgoing nation is an exceptional, God-blessed, shining city on the hill that stands as an impressive example for an increasingly skeptical world… In general, higher rates of belief in and worship of a creator correlate with higher rates of homicide, juvenile and early adult mortality, STD infection rates, teen pregnancy and abortion in the prosperous democracies. The United States is almost always the most dysfunctional of the developing democracies, sometimes spectacularly so."[3]
Critics of this report will suggest that there are other factors that contribute to America’s social ills. Perhaps this is so. Nevertheless, this report does underscore that there are secular nations in the world and these societies do not collapse into a fireball of murder and mayhem simply because of the lack of piety. The assertion that religious guidance to life is a necessary component to morality or a healthy civilization is thereby disproved.
While the absence of piety does not necessarily bring immorality, it is also true that the presence of piety doesn’t necessarily bring morality. One need only observe the sectarian atrocities conducted through history to see this. Christianity and Islam, as evidenced by their violent pasts, can be expected to at least bring social and scientific stagnation and, at worst, horrifying torture, terror and bloodshed.
Defenders of the faith are quick to try to make excuses every time one of these crimes against humanity is committed in the name of faith but when was the last time you heard of an atheist flying a plane into a building to murder thousands in the name of no god?
Liberal Theists: Enablers of the Fanatics?
Most Christians will object to the reference to the horrors of the Inquisition, the Crusades and the burning of witches. Understandably so, as they would never do these things themselves. Many are good people who want to believe their god is also good. They’re blissfully unaware of what their scripture really teaches. Unfortunately, in proclaiming the Bible as the Word of God, they are unwitting enablers of the hardcore fanatics.
Like it or not, Yahweh does “hate fags” and wants you to kill them.[4] Like it or not, Yahweh does call for the killing of witches.[5] Like it or not, Yahweh does want you to smite blasphemers, unbelievers and followers of different faiths.[6]
If you claim that the book that supports these crimes is “The Word of God”, you are at least indirectly condoning these actions. If you call for religious tolerance and non-violence but still say the Bible has divine authority, you are sending out a mixed message. You say this is the “Word of God” but you don’t always agree with it?
The Seven Horrors of the Bible
This chapter has organized the horrors of the Bible into seven categories. Reflect on each carefully before you invest in the Bible any credibility as the ultimate moral authority in life:
- The evil acts of Yahweh
- Rape and genocide by Yahweh’s orders
- The Bible’s endorsement of slavery
- Hell for all who doubt Yahweh’s love
- Cruel and unusual laws
- Punishing one person for the sins of another
- Bigotry in the Bible (sexism, gay-bashing, anti-Semitism, and racism)
1. The Evil Acts of Yahweh
Imagine if you will a most brutal dictator. He floods an entire region, slaughtering everyone within. He firebombs two cities because the lifestyles of the people who lived within displeased him. He has the firstborn of an entire nation’s population killed just to show how powerful he is. Confronted with his crimes, his supporters shrug and say, “He is our Lord. He may do as he wishes.”
What would you say about this horrifying dictator? Would you say he has any moral authority? Would you feel good about serving him? Would you class him with Stalin, Hitler, Pol Pot and other evil tyrants through history?
This dictator is none other than Yahweh.
His alleged crimes against humanity are legion. “Alleged” because the source of these allegations, the Bible, is at best a questionable historical resource and many of the stories, such as the flood of Noah’s Ark, are so fanciful that they couldn’t possibly have happened. Nevertheless, the fact that the Christian holy book attributes crimes to Yahweh speaks volumes of his morality and whether or not he is a god worthy of worship. Some of the most notable or famous examples include:
A. The flood in Genesis
B. The firebombing of Sodom and Gomorra
C. The curses in Exodus
D. The bears and the taunting children
E. The future crimes of Yahweh in the “end times”
Christian apologists will often try to justify their biblical god’s behavior saying that their god can do whatever he likes with his creations. This is a “might makes right” philosophy. It’s amorality in its purest form. If Christians can't hold their own god to the same moral standards under which all of us are to be supposedly judged, then Christianity is morally bankrupt.
Question: If you can’t (or won’t) judge the morality of the god you serve, how do you know you aren’t unwittingly serving the devil?
In Genesis, chapter 6, Yahweh floods the earth, thereby murdering everyone but Noah the righteous drunkard[7] and his family. Bold emphasis added:
Genesis 6:5-8 And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them. But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.
Genesis 6:17 And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die.
So Yahweh “repents”? Does this mean that the Christian god has admitted making a mistake? Does this mean that their god isn't perfect and “without sin” as they so claim?
In any event, Yahweh is horrified by all the violence. So his solution is to slaughter every living being on the planet except for a “righteous” few. It’s frightening to think of the minds that wrote this story.
B. The Firebombing of Sodom and Gomorra
Far from being ashamed of this alleged atrocity, conservative Christians who cite the story of Sodom and Gomorra are often proud of Yahweh’s decisive action against homosexuality.
Genesis 19:24-25 Then the Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven; And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground.
Not much more need be said here. Yahweh is a self-confessed mass-murderer. Some Christians, particularly the more radical evangelicals, delight in this act as a holy hate-crime. Their beliefs are supported by a passage in Jude:
Jude 1:7 Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.
Yahweh hardens the heart of the Pharaoh and then murders every Egyptian firstborn child as a demonstration of his power. Yahweh furthermore makes a point to explain that he hardened the heart of the Pharaoh in order to have the opportunity to demonstrate his power. Yahweh explains his motivations in Exodus 7 (bold emphasis added):
Exodus 7:1-5 And the Lord said unto Moses, See, I have made thee a god to Pharaoh: and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet. Thou shalt speak all that I command thee: and Aaron thy brother shall speak unto Pharaoh, that he send the children of Israel out of his land. And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt. But Pharaoh shall not hearken unto you, that I may lay my hand upon Egypt, and bring forth mine armies, and my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments. And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I stretch forth mine hand upon Egypt, and bring out the children of Israel from among them.
What are these “signs and wonders” that will prove Yahweh’s might to both Egyptian and Israelite alike? The slaughter of countless infants and children, all of which is done with malice of forethought, in cold blood as a needless display of power.
Exodus 12:29-30 And it came to pass, that at midnight the Lord smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle. And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt; for there was not a house where there was not one dead.
Apparently, killing babies makes Yahweh feel strong. Or perhaps it was a grim warning, “Bow before me or I’ll kill your children”? What does this say about the so-called “moral authority” of the Christian god?
D. The Bears and the Taunting Children
Here is a story not as well known as the previous examples of Yahweh’s cruelty. This one involves two bears and some obnoxious children:
Second Kings 2:23-24 And he [Elisha] went up from thence unto Bethel: and as he was going up by the way, there came forth little children out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head. And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the Lord. And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them.
Certainly children should be taught to be more polite but isn’t killing them for their insults just a little severe? A better story might have involved Yahweh making the children temporarily go bald so they might know how it felt. However, this kind of moral teaching does not fit the style of the Old Testament.
E. Future Crimes of Yahweh in the “End Times”
Yahweh is clearly an evil bloodthirsty sadist in the Old Testament but this character outdoes himself in the Book of Revelation. The Book of Revelation relates all the pointless havoc and misery that he will inflict upon the earth as he pours out his wrath. This deluge of suffering serves no point that is ever explained but it’s useful as a fear-mongering tool.
First come the four horsemen of the apocalypse: The Conqueror, War, Famine and Death. They would bring havoc to the earth, apparently, judging by the first verse of this passage, at the behest of Jesus and Yahweh.
Revelation 6:1-8 And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see. And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer. And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see. And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword. And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine. And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see. And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.
Yahweh pours his wrath onto the earth:
Revelation 8:7-12 The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up. And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood; And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed. And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters; And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter. And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise.
All this sounds bad but it gets worse. The angels send scorpion-insects to torment people for five months. They will want to die but Yahweh won't let them.
Revelation 9:1-6 And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads. And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man. And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.
Then Yahweh’s angels slay a third of the earth’s population:
Revelation 9:15 And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.
Yahweh kills 7,000 in an earthquake:
Revelation 11:13-14 And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven. The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly.
Yahweh’s rage isn’t sated yet. Seven bowls filled with his wrath are to be poured upon the earth. Surprisingly, the people don’t seem to like it much and refuse to praise the god that torments them. Perhaps someone should tell Yahweh that he’ll attract more flies with honey than with vinegar?
Revelation 16:1-21 And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth. And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image. And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea. And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood. And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus. For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy. And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments. And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire. And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory. And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain, And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds. And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared. And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon. And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done. And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great. And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath. And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.
It’s clear Yahweh has anger management problems.
2. Rape and Genocide by Yahweh’s Orders
Imagine a dictator who orders his soldiers to rape and murder the civilians of the countries they overrun. Wouldn’t you feel morally aghast at this dictator’s orders? Wouldn’t you hold that dictator morally accountable for their crimes? Would you feel good about serving that dictator? Would you make excuses for that dictator?
Once again, that dictator is Yahweh.
According to the Bible, Moses and his successor Joshua were war criminals. They cut a swath of destruction in their path to the “Promised Land”, raping, enslaving and murdering along the whole way. One can barely turn a page from Numbers to Judges without reading some horrifying account of their crimes against humanity (unless bloody animal sacrifices, Yahweh’s curses or some backward laws are being discussed). All of these crimes were done under the direct orders of Yahweh.
Here is one prime example of the cruelty of the Old Testament (bold emphasis added):
Numbers 31:7 And they warred against the Midianites, as the Lord commanded Moses; and they slew all the males.
Numbers 31:14-18 And Moses was wroth with the officers of the host, with the captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, which came from the battle. And Moses said unto them, Have ye saved all the women alive? Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against the Lord in the matter of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the Lord. Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him. But all the women children, that have not known a man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves.
There you have an excellent example of the massacres that litter the so-called “historical books” (as the New Oxford Bible calls them) of the Bible. It claims they killed all the men, all the boys and all the non-virgin females in the name of their god. The remaining women were kept “for themselves”.
It’s left to the imagination as to what that means but most likely they were raped as sex-slaves after witnessing their loved ones and family put to the sword.
This passage is hardly unusual, as Yahweh offers this advice on how to wage war:
Deuteronomy 7:2 And when the Lord thy God shall deliver them before thee; thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor shew mercy unto them:
Obviously, Yahweh is not a fan of the Geneva Conventions.
Moses offers advice as to when it’s time to kill the men, rape the women and enslave the children versus when it’s time to just kill everyone:
Deuteronomy 20:13-16 And when the Lord thy God hath delivered it into thine hands, thou shalt smite every male thereof with the edge of the sword: But the women, and the little ones, and the cattle, and all that is in the city, even all the spoil thereof, shalt thou take unto thyself; and thou shalt eat the spoil of thine enemies, which the Lord thy God hath given thee. Thus shalt thou do unto all the cities which are very far off from thee, which are not of the cities of these nations. But of the cities of these people, which the Lord thy God doth give thee for an inheritance, thou shalt save alive nothing that breatheth:
Trees breathe too. You’re going to have to kill all the plant life as well.
A Long Trail of Blood
To quote each scriptural passage that provides examples of rape, genocide and other atrocities ordered by Yahweh would almost require its own book. For the sake of brevity, here is a list of the “divinely ordered or sanctioned” crimes against humanity as they are found in the biblical books from Exodus through Second Chronicles (chapter and verse provided):
- The genocide of the Amalekites (Ex 17:13)
- The genocide of the Canaanites (Num 21:3)
- The genocide of the Bashanites (Num 21:35)
- Yahweh personally slaughters the Zamzummims and the Horims (Deut 2:21-22)
- The genocide of the Heshbonites (Deut 2:34)
- The genocide of the Bashanites (Deut 3:6) (Again? How many times can a kingdom be utterly destroyed?)
- Yahweh orders the genocide of the Amalekites (Deut 25:19) (again?)
- The merciless bloodbath upon taking the city of Jericho (Josh 6:21)
- The slaughter of the entire city of Ai (Josh 8:22-26)
- Clever thinking by the Gibeonites allows them to be spared but they will live as slaves (Josh 9:23)
- The slaughter of the Amorites (Josh 10:10-13)
- The genocide of seven different kingdoms (Josh 10:28-40)
- The genocide of the Hazorites (Josh 11:11)
- The genocide of the Anakims (Josh 11:21)
- Genocide of the Caananites (again?) and Perizzites (Judges 1:5)
- Massacre at Jerusalem (Judges 1:8)
- More massacres at Zephath (Judges 1:17)
- Massacre at Bathel (Judges 1:25)
- The men of the city of Succoth are put to the sword (Judges 8:17)
- Yahweh personally smote the people of Sihon (Judges 11:21)
- Genocide against the Ammonites (Judges 11:33)
- Samson kills himself to destroy a Philistine city (Judges 16:30)
- The “quiet and unsuspecting” people of Laish are massacred (Judges 18)
- The capture, rape and sex slavery of the young female virgins of Jabesh-Gilead (all other citizens are slaughtered). When there aren’t enough young virgins to go around, more women are captured from Shiloh (Judges 21).
- Saul slaughters more Ammonites (1st Sam 11:11)
- Saul mercilessly slaughters Philistines (1st Sam 14:36)
- Genocide against the Amalekites except the king and the sheep (1st Sam 15:7-8)
- Yahweh is angry that Saul showed mercy on the king and the sheep (1st Sam 15:18-19)
- David beats Saul in a killing contest (1st Sam 18:6-7)
- David slaughters more Amalekites (1st Sam 30:17). This is the third time in the Bible they’ve been massacred. Apparently, there are more of them every summer.
- David kills two thirds of the Moabites and enslaves the survivors. (2nd Sam 8:2)
- David gruesomely hacks to death the inhabitants of the cities of the children of Ammon. (2nd Sam 12:31)
- Amaziah slaughters 10,000 Edomites (2nd Kings 14:7)
- Slaughter in Tirzah, including pregnant women being graphically “ripped up” (2nd Kings 15:16)
- The Ethiopian cities around Gerar are massacred after Yahweh destroys their armies. (2nd Chron 14:14)
- When Yahweh gets angry at his own people, he sends the Chaldeans to mercilessly slaughter even the young and those stooped with age. (2nd Chron 36:17).
More then likely, these accounts are fictional. The reader should note in this long list how many times the Amalekites were massacred down to the last man, woman and child. One should expect this can only happen once, if it were a real account of an atrocity. That it happened again and again suggests the Bible is a questionable historical resource. Nevertheless, these stories do speak well of the bloody-mindedness of the Old Testament authors and to the amorality of the god they invented. Yahweh clearly didn’t love all his children.
Christians will still try to rationalize these horrible atrocities. They want to believe their god is good and the Bible is still their god’s word. There must have been a “good reason” for the order of such atrocities.
Rhetorical Question: Is rape or genocide ever justifiable?
Thomas Paine, in reviewing the cruelties cataloged in the Bible, had an interesting thought for the reader. If such orders had been attributed to a dear friend of yours, wouldn’t you defend the honor of him or her? Will you defend the honor of God?
“Had the cruel and murderous orders with which the Bible is filled, and the numberless torturing executions of men, women and children, in consequence of those orders, been ascribed to some friend whose memory you revered, you would have glowed with satisfaction at detecting the falsehood of the charge, and gloried in defending his injured fame.”[8]
-Thomas Paine, “The Age of Reason”
Perhaps Paine was on to something. The Bible, in attributing these orders of mass rape, enslavement and genocide to God, has committed liable against our Creator. The Bible and its publishers have accused God, without evidence, of being a war criminal akin to the worst that humanity has ever witnessed. Perhaps deists everywhere should bring a class-action defamation of character lawsuit on behalf of God against every publisher of the Bible. In court, the Bible publishers would have to provide evidence that God did indeed write the book and, having none, will be forced to admit their complicity in their unwarranted and libelous attack upon the honor of our Creator.
3. The Bible’s Endorsement of Slavery
“Another preacher whining spoke,
of One who’s heart for sinners broke,
He tied old Nanny to an oak,
and drew the blood at every stroke,
and prayed for heavenly union.” [9]
- Frederick Douglass, [10] Autobiography
Imagine a dictator that endorses an institution of slavery and admonishes the slaves in his kingdom to obey their masters. Would you feel good about serving such a dictator?
According to the Bible, the survivors of the tribes that were overrun by the Israelites were enslaved. Does the Bible endorse slavery? Absolutely! There was a reason that Southern plantation owners felt quite comfortable with owning slaves and being Christian at the same time. No wonder it took a deist president[11] to finally set the slaves free.
The very “Tenth Commandment” established that slaves are the property of their master, much like their master’s house, ox or donkey. New Oxford translations of the Bible will be cited in this section because it uses a modern and familiar term “slave”, instead of more ancient terms as “manservant” or “maidservant”. Bold emphasis added:
(NRSV) Exodus 20:17 (“The Tenth Commandment”) You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything else that belongs to your neighbor.[12]
Fundamentalist Christians want the Ten Commandments posted in court buildings and on government property to send out a message that American laws and justice are based on these commandments. Are they aware of the slavery clause?
There are many examples of slavery in the Bible. Yahweh blessed Abraham by giving him such abundance, including many slaves (bold emphasis added):
(NRSV) Genesis 24:35 The Lord has greatly blessed my master, and he has become wealthy. He has given him flocks and herds, silver and gold, male and female slaves, camels and donkeys.[13]
Biblical Rules for Slavery
The Bible allows for slaves to be taken in war:
(NRSV) Deuteronomy 20:10-11 When you draw near to a town to fight against it, offer it terms of peace. If it accepts your terms of peace and surrenders to you, then all of the people in it shall serve you at forced labor.[14]
Yahweh’s delight in slavery is underscored in Leviticus where the Israelites are admonished to makes slaves of citizens of neighboring kingdoms:
(NRSV) Leviticus 25:44-46 …it is from the nations around you that you may acquire male and female slaves. You may also acquire them from among the aliens residing with you and from their families that are with you, who have been born in your land; and they may be your property. You may keep them as a possession for your children after you, for them to inherit as property.[15]
If you buy Hebrew slaves, there are rules for how long you can keep them. Their children belong to you, the master. If your slave doesn’t want to leave his wife and children, he misses his opportunity for freedom and will serve you forever.
(NRSV) Exodus 21:2-6 When you buy a male Hebrew slave, he shall serve six years, but in the seventh he shall go out a free person, without debt. If he comes in single, he shall go out single; if he comes married, then his wife shall go out with him. If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall be the master’s and he shall go out alone. But if the slave declares, “I love my master, my wife and my children; I will not go out a free person,” then his master shall bring him before God. He shall be brought to the door of the doorpost; and his master shall pierce his ear with an awl; and he shall serve him for life.[16]
According to the Bible, it’s OK to beat your slaves to death as long as they don’t die right away. After all, it’s your property. Bold emphasis added:
(NRSV) Exodus 21:20-21 When a slave owner strikes a male or female slave with a rod and the slave dies immediately, the owner shall be punished. But if the slave survives a day or two, there is no punishment; for the slave is the owner’s property.[17]
According to the Bible, thieves can be sold into slavery if they can’t pay their victims back for what they stole:
(NRSV) Exodus 22:2 …The thief shall make restitution, but if unable to do so, shall be sold for the theft.[18]
Anyone can own slaves, including priests:
(NRSV) Leviticus 22:11 But if the priest acquires anyone by purchase…[19]
There are even rules from the Bible on how to rape your sex-slaves:
(NRSV) Deuteronomy 21:11-14 Suppose you see among the captives a beautiful woman whom you desire and want to marry, and so you bring her home to your house; she shall shave her head, pare her nails, discard her captive’s garb, and shall remain in your house for a full month, mourning for her father and mother; after that you may go into her and be her husband, and she shall be your wife. But if you are not satisfied with her, you shall let her go free and not sell her for money. You must not treat her as a slave, since you have dishonored her.[20]
Translation: If you take sex slaves, you have to offer them a month to mourn their families, which you, following Yahweh’s rules of war, mercilessly slaughtered. You can only rape them after that period of time. If you didn't enjoy raping them, you can’t sell them. You have to just let them go.
One wonders if these rules were considered “progressive” to these people that wrote the Bible. Those with any sense of compassion are not likely to be impressed.
The New Testament: “Slaves, Obey! Yahweh Wills It!”
There are also passages in the New Testament that admonish slaves to obey their masters (bold emphasis added):
(NRSV) First Corinthians 7:20-21 Let each of you remain in the condition in which you were called. Were you a slave when called? Do not be concerned about it.[21]
(NRSV) Ephesians 6:5 Slaves, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, in singleness of heart, as you obey Christ; not only while being watched, and in order to please them, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart. Render service with enthusiasm, as to the Lord and not to men and women, knowing that whatever good we do, we will receive the same again from the Lord, whether we are slaves or free.[22]
(NRSV) Colossians 3:22 Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything, not only while being watched and in order to please them, but wholeheartedly, fearing the Lord.[23]
(NRSV) Titus 2:9-10 Tell slaves to be submissive to their masters and to give satisfaction in every respect; they are not to talk back, not to pilfer, but to show complete and perfect fidelity, so that in everything they may be an ornament to the doctrine of God our savior.[24]
(NRSV) First Peter 2:18-19 Slaves, accept the authority of your masters with all deference, not only those who are kind and gentle but also those who are harsh. For it is a credit to you if, being aware of God, you endure pain while suffering unjustly.[25]
Paul seems to think there’s nothing wrong with slavery as long as the masters are Christian. He admonishes the slaves to serve their Christian masters. (Bold emphasis added)
(NRSV) First Timothy 6:1-6 Let all who are under the yoke of slavery regard their masters as worthy of all honor, so that the name of God and the teaching may not be blasphemed. Those who have believing masters must not be disrespectful to them on the ground that they are members of the church; rather they must serve them all the more, since those who benefit by their service are believers and beloved. Teach and urge these duties. Whoever teaches otherwise and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that is in accordance with godliness, is conceited, understanding nothing, and has a morbid craving for controversy, and for disputes about words. From these come envy, dissension, slander, base suspicions, and wrangling among those who are depraved in mind and bereft of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain. Of course, there is great gain in godliness combined with contentment;[26]
One can gather from these verses that Paul wouldn’t have liked Lincoln very much. Lincoln was “conceited, understanding nothing”? Of course, Lincoln, as a deist, had similar (sarcastic) words for the Christian slave-holders of his time:
“It may seem strange that any man should dare to ask a just God’s assistance in wringing their bread from the sweat of other men’s faces; but let us judge not that we be not judged.”[27]
-Abraham Lincoln, Second Inaugural Address
So we can assume the feelings would have been mutual.
Jesus and Slavery
The teachings of Jesus did nothing to discourage slavery. He often used slaves and slave-masters in his parables, indicating his approval of the institution. Perhaps the most brutal example of Jesus’ nod to slavery is found in the Gospel of Luke:
Luke 12:47 And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.
What Does Nature’s God Have to Say About Slavery and Tyranny?
The case can easily be made that slavery, tyranny and other forms of social injustice are artificial systems that work against nature and Nature’s God. They can only be sustained through fear and the wasted industry of those who guard against their inevitable overthrow. The proof is not only seen in how humans will struggle to gain their freedom but also in the inefficiency of slave-based and tyrannical societies.
American history provides an example. By the time of the civil war, the free-labor capitalistic North outstripped the South and its slave-based economy in Gross National Product by 3 to 1. Even more revealing is that once slavery was abolished (February 3, 1870 with the passage of the 15th Amendment), the entire American economy enjoyed explosive growth. Its GNP increased at a rate of 1.6% per year, becoming the fastest growing economy in the world at that time.[28]
The Times Atlas of World History reports of that era, “The greatest growth occurred from 1877 to 1892, when American factories tripled their output. By 1890, the United States was the world’s leading industrial power.”[29]
It’s amazing what can happen when the indomitable human spirit is liberated instead of being fought against or repressed.
It doesn’t take a doctorate in sociology to understand why slave economies are so inefficient. Slaves only have negative reinforcement to work, being unable to enjoy the fruits of their own labor, and can thereby be expected to do only what is necessary to avoid the wrath of their overseers. The overseers don’t produce any wealth. An entire group of people is required by such a system just to make the workers work. The slave owners aren’t productive either, since they don’t need to be. The fear and strife are expensive to society as well, destroying a share of what it manages to produce.
Slavery, tyranny and systems of social injustice do not just offend our innate sense of compassion, a guide provided by our Creator, but they are also clearly unnatural, inefficient systems that destroy our potential. The tyrant can use fear for periods of time to cow the downtrodden but the human spirit always overcomes in the end. Freedom and social justice are like water seeking its own level. The process is as natural as it is inevitable.
Speaking of fear used by tyrants…
4. Hell for the Unbelievers
Christians are often fond of the parent-child analogy to describe their god’s relationship to us. Sometimes children need to be punished when they misbehave. This much is true but would you ever burn your children alive no matter how naughty they were?
If Yahweh is our father, then he’s an abusive father. How else can we describe the Christian image of a god that will cast us into Hell for all eternity for refusing to love him? However, many Christians will defend their god’s right to cast people into Hell claiming that it is our sinful nature that makes it impossible for Yahweh to do otherwise.
Dr. Nancy Rue describes a similar behavior pattern in “Coping with Dating Violence”:
“A relationship to her (the victim) means going through everything together, and she’ll put up with the bruises and the insults and the fear, all the while trying to figure out how she’s ‘making him lose control.’ Never once does she consider that he’s the one with the problem, not she.”[30]
Bryan Hayward, in his essay, “The Abuse of Christianity”, draws a parallel in the way Christians defend their god and the battered wife syndrome described by Dr. Rue. We are worthless and unworthy of Yahweh’s love. If he sends us to Hell, it’s because we deserve it. This kind of “love” is clearly defined in terms of control.[31]
Punishment should serve a purpose, to correct wrong behavior. Since there is no end to Hell, it can’t rehabilitate. The purpose of its hypothetical existence is only to torture over the course of eternity.
According to many parts of the Bible, all non-Christians will be damned to Hell. They’ll be tossed into a lake of fire:
Revelation 21:8 But the fearful, and unbelieving… shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
Were you raised with the wrong religion? Go to Hell.
Did you pick the wrong denomination? Go to Hell.
You were a good person but had some doubts about all this outlandish stuff? Go to Hell.
Mahatma Gandhi is in Hell. Charles Manson will go to Heaven.
No further elaboration on this injustice is needed. Further elaboration on the absurdity of Hell is provided in Chapter 13, “Hell”.
Lee Strobel Tries to Explain
Christian apologists sometimes try to grapple with the paradox of a loving god who tortures non-believers in Hell. One notable apologist, Lee Strobel, addresses this topic in his book, “The Case for Christ”. He interviews one Donald Carson who has this to say:
“Hell is not a place where people are consigned because they were pretty good blokes but just didn’t believe the right stuff. They’re consigned there, first and foremost, because they defy their maker and want to be the center of the universe. Hell is not filled with people who have already repented, only God isn’t gentle enough or good enough to let them out. It’s filled with people who, for all eternity, still want to be at the center of the universe and who persist in their God-defying rebellion.”
-Dr. Donald Carson[32]
This rationalization uses some of the most appalling logic. One can only assume that Dr. Carson wasn’t thinking of Muslims, Jews and others caught up in the “wrong religion”. Many of them will be surprised to find out they’re in engaged in a “God-defying rebellion.” Most likely he was thinking of atheists. Has he ever spoken to an atheist? Has he ever asked them why they don’t believe? Is this sweeping generalization based on any research or is it simply a shallow strawman attack?
5. Cruel and Unusual Laws
When Fundamentalist Christians talk about bringing America closer to their god and creating a more “Bible-based society”, here are some examples of the biblical laws that may inspire what they might like to bring about:
The Bible says to stone to death any disrespectful or disobedient children:
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.
Deuteronomy 21:18-21 If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son, which will not obey the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother, and that, when they have chastened him, will not hearken unto them: Then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him, and bring him out unto the elders of his city, and unto the gate of his place; …And all the men of his city shall stone him with stones, that he die: so shalt thou put evil away from among you; and all Israel shall hear, and fear.
Yahweh’s not a fan of “time out”.
The Bible says to stone to death false prophets and anyone who asks you to serve another god:
Deuteronomy 13:1-5 If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them; Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the Lord your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Ye shall walk after the Lord your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him. And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death; because he hath spoken to turn you away from the Lord your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, to thrust thee out of the way which the Lord thy God commanded thee to walk in. So shalt thou put the evil away from the midst of thee.
The Bible says to stone to death your family if they ask you to worship another god:
Deuteronomy 13:6-10 If thy brother, the son of thy mother, or thy son, or thy daughter, or the wife of thy bosom, or thy friend, which is as thine own soul, entice thee secretly, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which thou hast not known, thou, nor thy fathers; …thou shalt surely kill him; thine hand shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people. And thou shalt stone him with stones, that he die; because he hath sought to thrust thee away from the Lord thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.
The Bible says to kill male homosexuals and bisexuals: [33]
Leviticus 18:22 Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.
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.
The Bible says to kill adulterers:
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.
The Bible says to kill those who violate a variety of sexual laws (we may not approve of these activities but isn’t putting them to death a little extreme?):
Leviticus 20:11 And the man that lieth with his father's wife hath uncovered his father's nakedness: both of them shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.
Leviticus 20:12 And if a man lie with his daughter in law, both of them shall surely be put to death: they have wrought confusion; their blood shall be upon them.
Leviticus 20:14 And if a man take a wife and her mother, it is wickedness: they shall be burnt with fire, both he and they; that there be no wickedness among you.
Leviticus 20:15 And if a man lie with a beast, he shall surely be put to death: and ye shall slay the beast.
Leviticus 20:16 And if a woman approach unto any beast, and lie down thereto, thou shalt kill the woman, and the beast: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.
With all these rules in the Bible regarding sex, surely at some point the Bible condemns pedophilia. When the prophets began laying down the laws about sex, they surely must have thought to include a verse to help protect children from sexual predators or dissuade these predators from committing their crimes.
Biblical Endorsement of Pedophilia?
In fact, here’s a complete list of all the Bible verses that condemn pedophilia:
(…)
The Bible has a twisted way of dealing with rape if the woman isn’t married or betrothed. She has to marry her attacker:
Deuteronomy 22:28 If a man find a damsel that is a virgin, which is not betrothed, and lay hold on her, and lie with her, and they be found; Then the man that lay with her shall give unto the damsel's father fifty shekels of silver, and she shall be his wife; because he hath humbled her, he may not put her away all his days.
The Bible says to kill wizards (the authors thought they were real):
Leviticus 20:27 A man also or woman that hath a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones: their blood shall be upon them.
The Bible says to kill blasphemers:
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.
The Bible says to kill any woman who’s not a virgin on her wedding night:
Deuteronomy 22:13-21 If any man take a wife, and go in unto her, and hate her, And give occasions of speech against her, and bring up an evil name upon her, and say, I took this woman, and when I came to her, I found her not a maid: Then shall the father of the damsel, and her mother, take and bring forth the tokens of the damsel's virginity unto the elders of the city in the gate: And the damsel's father shall say unto the elders, I gave my daughter unto this man to wife, and he hateth her; And, lo, he hath given occasions of speech against her, saying, I found not thy daughter a maid; and yet these are the tokens of my daughter's virginity. And they shall spread the cloth before the elders of the city. And the elders of that city shall take that man and chastise him; And they shall amerce him in an hundred shekels of silver, and give them unto the father of the damsel, because he hath brought up an evil name upon a virgin of Israel: and she shall be his wife; he may not put her away all his days. But if this thing be true, and the tokens of virginity be not found for the damsel: Then they shall bring out the damsel to the door of her father's house, and the men of her city shall stone her with stones that she die: because she hath wrought folly in Israel, to play the whore in her father's house: so shalt thou put evil away from among you.
The burden of proof is naturally upon the woman and her family to show that she was a virgin on her wedding night.
If the reader is noticing a trend, yes, the death penalty was often prescribed in the Old Testament, frivolously so by modern standards. It was apparently the preferred method of dealing with sin and blasphemy.
Burn the Heretic!
Don’t think that Jesus softened these harsh laws. In some respects, he made them worse by suggesting the practice of burning heretics at the stake:
John 15:6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
The Christian Evangelicals say they would like to recreate America as a Bible-based society. Are these the laws they would implement if they could?
6. Punishing One Person For the Sins of Another
A very basic concept of justice is that each person must answer for their own crimes and only their own crimes. You can’t hold their children responsible for the crimes their parents committed. Very few people in modern society would dispute this principle. Yet, the authors of the Bible clearly didn’t agree. Should we suggest that our own sense of justice is more advanced than God’s?
As early as chapter 3 in Genesis, we have examples of Yahweh punishing children for the sins of their mothers and fathers. All of humanity falls from grace and enters a “state of sin” because of what Adam and Eve did. All women will suffer pain during childbirth because of what Eve did. This is the first example of many where Yahweh punishes the children for the sins of the parents.
Genesis 3:16-19 Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;
Noah, the righteous drunkard, after a night of drinking, getting naked and then passing out in his own tent[34], continues the tradition of cursing the descendants for the sins of the father:
Genesis 9:24-25 And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son (Ham) had done unto him. And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren.
According to the New Revised Standard Version, the lands of Ham were allegedly in Africa. It shows a map of the biblical lands that can be “identified with probability”.[35] Noah gave the descendants of Ham (the Africans?) to the rest of the world as slaves. No wonder the antebellum southern plantation owners felt comfortable being Christians and slave-owners at the same time. The topic of racism in the Bible will be discussed later in this chapter (see section 7, “Bigotry in the Bible”).
Later in Genesis, Yahweh punishes the Pharaoh’s family with a plague because the Pharaoh believed Abram’s “she’s my sister” story about his wife and took her as his own wife. The family must suffer for the Pharaoh’s “sin”.
Genesis 12:17 And the Lord plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai Abram's wife.
A similar event happens later in Genesis with king Abimelech. The women of his house were stricken with infertility because of Abimelech’s “sin”.
Genesis 20:18 For the Lord had fast closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah Abraham's wife.
In the very Ten Commandments, Yahweh establishes his cruel, unjust and megalomaniacal ways (bold emphasis added):
Exodus 20:5 ("The Second Commandment”) Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
Conservative Christians would like to see the Ten Commandments posted in courthouses and claim that American law and justice are based upon them. If this is so, we should not only punish people for their own crimes but also punish their children, grand-children and great-grand-children (“unto the third and fourth generation”).
This injustice is echoed throughout the Old Testament:
Exodus 34:7 (The Lord visits) …the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.[36]
If you’re born out of wedlock, you can’t be admitted to the congregation of the Lord. You’ll be excluded for what your parents did. Your children and their descendants will also be excluded too, unto the tenth generation.
Deuteronomy 23:2 A bastard shall not enter into the congregation of the Lord; even to his tenth generation shall he not enter into the congregation of the Lord.
If you don’t keep the laws of Yahweh, he’ll curse your children and they will have to pay for your transgressions:
Deuteronomy 28:18 Cursed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy land, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep… (verse 32) Thy sons and thy daughters shall be given unto another people… (verse 41) Thou shalt beget sons and daughters, but thou shalt not enjoy them; for they shall go into captivity.
Following this tradition, Achan’s entire family must pay for his disobedience to “the Lord.”
Joshua 7:24-25 And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, …and his sons, and his daughters… and they brought them unto the valley of Achor. And Joshua said, Why hast thou troubled us? the Lord shall trouble thee this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones, and burned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones.
Yahweh kills David’s son and will have David’s wives raped in order to punish David for his sin with Bathsheba and having Bathsheba’s husband killed.
Second Samuel 12:11-14 Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbour, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun… Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die.
Yahweh also sends a famine to David’s kingdom for something the former king, Saul, had done. People are starving because of the actions of a king who’s not even ruling over them anymore!
Second Samuel 21:1 Then there was a famine in the days of David three years, year after year; and David inquired of the Lord. And the Lord answered, It is for Saul, and for his bloody house, because he slew the Gibeonites.
To appease Yahweh’s unjust wrath, Saul’s sons are impaled for the sins of the father:
Second Samuel 21:6 Let seven men of his sons be delivered unto us, and we will hang them up unto the Lord in Gibeah of Saul, whom the Lord did choose. And the king said, I will give them.
Elisha knew how to wield the power of Yahweh to create some fearsome curses. Not only did he have the bears rip the young children to death for their insults but he also cursed a slave and all his descendants with leprosy:
Second Kings 5:27 The leprosy therefore of Naaman shall cleave unto thee, and unto thy seed for ever…
The prophet Isaiah apparently had no problem with punishing the sons for the sins of the father:
Isaiah 14:21 Prepare slaughter for his children for the iniquity of their fathers…
The same is true for the prophet Jeremiah:
Jeremiah 29:32 Therefore thus saith the Lord; Behold, I will punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite, and his seed: he shall not have a man to dwell among this people; neither shall he behold the good that I will do for my people, saith the Lord; because he hath taught rebellion against the Lord.
Jeremiah 32:18 (The Lord) …recompensest the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them…
The New Testament also contains such injustice (bold emphasis added):
Acts 16:30-31 And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
The household is saved or condemned by the beliefs of one person in it?
This style of “justice”, punishing children for the actions or beliefs of the parents, is more consistent with mafia dons who want to inspire fear by threatening your family. It’s not consistent with a wise and perfectly just god. These passages indicate that Christianity is more about fear and control than spirituality.
7. Bigotry in the Bible
The Bible is a questionable resource for historical accuracy. We can’t be sure that the incidents of genocide really happened. We can be sure that the global flood never really happened. Most of the stories of the Bible are likely fictional, the flights of fancy of some disturbed imaginations.
Yahweh, thank God, isn’t real except in the minds and hearts of Christians.
Unfortunately, the one consequence of the Bible that is definitely real is the impact it has had on our society. The incidents of misery, social injustice and bloodshed its malevolent teachings have inspired throughout history are too numerous to document. Even putting history behind us, the Bible still promotes social injustice today with various forms of bigotry. Listed in order of prominence (number of verses), these forms of bigotry include sexism, gay-bashing, anti-Semitism and racism.
The Bible immediately establishes its position on women as subservient to men as early as the third chapter of Genesis:
Genesis 3:16 …and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.
This punishment was for the woman when she enticed the man to commit sin, in this case eating the forbidden fruit. This example is not uncommon in the Bible as women are always to blame for luring men into temptation. Women don’t seem to have any purpose in the Bible at all except as temptresses, witches, whores and love interests.
The Old Testament clearly establishes women as property. The Book of Exodus in particular seems to use the terms “wife” and “slave” interchangeably (bold emphasis added):
Exodus 21:7-10 And if a man sell his daughter to be a maidservant (female slave), she shall not go out as the menservants (male slaves) do. If she please not her master, who hath betrothed her to himself, then shall he let her be redeemed: to sell her unto a strange nation he shall have no power, seeing he hath dealt deceitfully with her. And if he have betrothed her unto his son, he shall deal with her after the manner of daughters. If he take him another wife; her food, her raiment, and her duty of marriage, shall he not diminish.
At one point, Yahweh threatens Jerusalem: the men shall have all their property taken away, including their wives (bold emphasis added):
Jeremiah 6:12 And their houses shall be turned unto others, with their fields and wives together: for I will stretch out my hand upon the inhabitants of the land, saith the Lord.
Jeremiah 8:10 Therefore will I give their wives unto others…
The biblical god seems to only be interested in men and boys. Females are of no value:
Exodus 23:17 Three times in the year all thy males shall appear before the Lord God.[37]
Numbers 3:15 Number the children of Levi after the house of their fathers, by their families: every male from a month old and upward shalt thou number them.
The Bible says that having children makes a woman dirty. Girls are twice as “dirty” as boys (bold emphasis added):
Leviticus 12:2-5 … If a woman have conceived seed, and born a man child: then she shall be unclean seven days; according to the days of the separation for her infirmity shall she be unclean. …But if she bear a maid child, then she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her separation: and she shall continue in the blood of her purifying threescore and six days.
You Can’t Put a Price on Human Life… or Can You?
A census is done where human lives are oddly given a money value. Girls are worth less than boys and children less than a month old are apparently worth nothing.
Leviticus 27:3-7 conducts a census and puts a price on each human life, based on gender and age. To arrange this passage into a price list:
- Male, 60+ years: 15 shekels
- Female, 60+ years: 10 shekels
- Male, 20-60 years: 50 shekels
- Female, 20-60 years: 30 shekels
- Male, 5-20 years: 20 shekels
- Female, 5-20 years: 10 shekels
- Male, 1 month-5 years: 5 shekels
- Female, 1 month-5 years: 3 shekels
Bottom line: Women are worth somewhere between one-half and two-thirds the value of men of the same age. Children are worth less than adults.
Another passage which indicates Yahweh’s distain for girls:
Luke 2:23 …Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord…
What about firstborn females?
New Testament Sexism
The New Testament is no better than the Old. Paul contributes to the sexism of Christian teaching (bold emphasis added):
First Corinthians 11:3 But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man…
First Corinthians 11:9 Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man.
First Corinthians 14:34-35 Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law. And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.
Ephesians 5:22-24 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.
Colossians 3:18 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord.
First Timothy 2:11-14 Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.
Peter supports Paul’s teachings:
First Peter 3:1 Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives;
Finally, in Revelation, there is one final insult to women which indicates that Paul’s obsessions with celibacy and misogyny were passed on to the other authors of the New Testament:
Revelation 14:3-4 …no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth. These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins…
It’s clear what implications a “Bible-based society” would have for women. Women are treated in the Bible as the property of their husbands. So they will be if the Fundamentalist Christians have their way.
“I know this is painful for the ladies to hear, but if you get married, you have accepted the headship of a man, your husband. Christ is the head of the household and the husband is the head of the wife, and that's the way it is, period.” [38]
-Pat Robertson, “The 700 Club”, Jan 8, 1992
Earlier in this chapter, under the subsection, “Cruel and Unusual Laws”, the Leviticus verses that called for the outlaw of homosexuality and the murder of homosexuals were cited (Lev 18:22 and Lev 20:13). These verses are not the only ones that call for bigotry against gays. Paul carries these Leviticus laws into the New Testament. How unfortunate for gays, lesbians and bisexuals. Otherwise, the laws against them might have gone the way of the “Yahweh hates shrimp” passage in Leviticus (bold emphasis added):
Leviticus 11:10-12 And all that have not fins and scales in the seas, and in the rivers, of all that move in the waters, and of any living thing which is in the waters, they shall be an abomination unto you: They shall be even an abomination unto you; ye shall not eat of their flesh, but ye shall have their carcases in abomination. Whatsoever hath no fins nor scales in the waters, that shall be an abomination unto you.
The New Oxford Version translates “shall be even an abomination” as “detestable they shall remain”[39]. The words seem pretty clear here that this was intended as a law for all time. Yet, obviously, Christians don’t follow this law anymore.
Christians say that the Leviticus laws against eating crab, shrimp and other shellfish were “fulfilled” (whatever that means) by Jesus’ sacrifice. Apparently, the avatar of God bleeding on a cross transforms a diet from being an abomination to being kosher (even though the Bible makes it clear that this law “shall remain”). The Bible never explains how exactly this works but many Christians believe it. Unfortunately, the taboo against same-gender love is maintained because Paul brought it into the New Testament and expanded it to include lesbians. Bold emphasis added:
Romans 1:26-32 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. (Verse 32) Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.
First Corinthians 6:9-10 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: …(the) effeminate …shall inherit the kingdom of God.
First Timothy 1:9-11 Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine; According to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust.
Paul’s dual hatreds (women and gay men) might have explained his obsession with celibacy. One of the passages in the Bible attributed to him says:
First Corinthians 7:1 …It is good for a man not to touch a woman.
Sexual repression is not known to be psychologically healthy, which in his case, likely stacked upon the issues that led to his maladjusted hatreds in the first place. What a shame so many of his emotional and sexual problems have been codified into the Christian faith. The topic of how Christianity demonizes both straight and gay sex is covered more extensively in Chapter 12.
These passages in the Bible have resulted in the vilification and mistreatment of homosexuals in our society. Homosexuality (and political issues that deal with gay rights) is one of the favorite obsessions among Christian leaders. So pervasive is the taboo in our society that even those who are not especially religious are influenced by it.
Some, Not All, Anti-Gay Passages Are Corrected by the NRSV
The New Oxford Version has corrected some but not all of the anti-gay bigotry of the Bible. The anti-gay verses of the Bible cited so far (Leviticus 18:22, 20:13, Romans 1:26-32, First Corinthians 6:9-10 and First Timothy 1:9-11) still carry the same basic message in the new translation. For example:
(NRSV) Leviticus 20:13 If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall be put to death; their blood is upon them.[40]
However, other anti-gay passages that appear in older biblical translations have been softened in the new edition with the use of such terms as “male prostitute” instead of “sodomite”. For example (bold emphasis added):
(KJV) First Kings 22:43-46 And he (Jehoshaphat) walked in all the ways of Asa his father; he turned not aside from it, doing that which was right in the eyes of the LORD:… (Verse 46) And the remnant of the sodomites, which remained in the days of his father Asa, he (Jehoshaphat) took out of the land.
“Took out of the land” is often interpreted to mean, “exterminated”. In fact, the RSV uses this word in its translation. One can deduce from this KJV passage that Jehoshaphat “righteously” exterminated a lot of men because they were gay. However, in the new translation:
(NRSV) First Kings 22:43-46 He (Jehoshaphat) walked in the way of his father Asa; he did not turn aside from it, doing what was right in the sight of the Lord… (Verse 46) The remnant of the male temple prostitutes who were still in the land in the days of his father Asa, he (Jehoshaphat) exterminated.[41]
Both versions proclaim that Jehoshaphat did what was right according to the biblical god and, a few verses later, this “righteous” figure kills a large number of sodomites/male prostitutes. So both versions of the slaughter were apparently done with Yahweh’s approval. The question is was he murdering gays or prostitutes?
Many passages like this example above can now, with the New Oxford translation, be interpreted as being anti-prostitution instead of being anti-gay. As a side note, it’s worth mentioning that even those staunchly against the legalization of the world’s oldest profession might agree that the death penalty is a tad harsh a punishment for being a prostitute. However, such actions are consistent with biblical law where execution seemed to be the preferred method of dealing with “sexual immorality”.
Needless to say, many radical right wing Christians, such as the Concerned Women for America, are upset by the new translation:
“The drastic changes in the Third Edition commentaries may have been influenced by new editors. The Second Edition was edited by Bruce Metzger and Roland Murphy. The Third Edition replaced Mr. Murphy with editors Michael D. Coogan, Marc Z. Brettler, and Carol A. Newsom. Dr. Newsom, in particular, is a feminist theologian who partnered with Dr. Sharon H. Ringe to produce The Womens’ Bible Commentary—a feminist perspective of scripture. Dr. Ringe serves as a biblical consultant to the Reconciling Congregation Program of the United Methodist Church — an outreach to gay, lesbian, bi-sexual [sic], and transgender Methodists.” [42]
Trying to soften the sexist and anti-gay sections of the Bible would be a fruitless task were that truly the motivation behind the New Oxford version. Creating a gay-friendly version of the Bible would be like trying to publish a Jewish-friendly translation of Mein Kampf.[43] It’s just not possible. The Bible clearly calls for gays to be put to death (whereupon the biblical god will send them to Hell). This is why the NRSV fails to eliminate all the hate-mongering passages.
Anti-Semitism in the New Testament
Don’t blame Mel Gibson for the anti-Semitism in his movie, "The Passion of the Christ". He was just being faithful to the source material. Do you think it’s an accident that the Jewish people were persecuted throughout European history? Do you really think that generation after generation over the course of nearly two thousand years would come to believe the “Christ-killer” myth if it were not established by their holy scriptures? Bold emphasis added:
Acts 10:39 And we are witnesses of all things which he (Jesus) did both in the land of the Jews, and in Jerusalem; whom they slew and hanged on a tree
First Thessalonians 2:14-15 For ye, brethren, became followers of the churches of God which in Judaea are in Christ Jesus: for ye also have suffered like things of your own countrymen, even as they have of the Jews: Who both killed the Lord Jesus, and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they please not God, and are contrary to all men: Forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they might be saved, to fill up their sins alway: for the wrath is come upon then to the uttermost.
Titus 1:10-16 For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision (Jews): Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's sake. One of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said, The Cretians are alway liars, evil beasts, slow bellies. This witness is true. Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith; Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth. Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled. They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.
Thus anti-Semitism was promoted in Europe for nearly two millennia, eventually culminating in the horrors of the holocaust during World War II.[44] Fortunately, that’s all in the past and Christian leaders today don’t advocate anti-Semitism, right?
“God almighty does not hear the prayer of a Jew, for how can God hear the prayer of a man who says, ‘Jesus Christ is not the true Messiah.’”[45]
-Rev. Bailey Smith, Religious Roundtable, Dallas Rally, 1980
Indeed, how can we expect anything else from Christianity? Yahweh will send anyone who doesn’t accept Jesus as lord and savior to Hell, or at least this is what many Christians believe. How can such a belief foster tolerance for a given people who, by definition, don’t recognize Jesus as their lord and savior? If your god will send them to burn in hellfire and writhe in agony for all eternity, why should you care for them?
Those who believe that “all are equal in the Lord’s eyes” should read what Jesus has to say to a woman who’s not one of the chosen people (bold emphasis added):
Matthew 15:21-28 Then Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon. And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us. But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs. And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table. Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.
Apologists will note that Jesus did help her but he only did so after making it clear that she was inferior to the Israelites. Clearly, Jesus feels that there are some people in this world that are made of finer clay than others. The lesser races must be as “dogs” that know their place and “eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.”
We’ve reviewed the morally bankrupt parts of the Bible. What are the practical results? Most people are aware of the atrocities and violence committed throughout history and today in the name of faith-based religions. Is there a connection? Does Christianity and other forms of Abrahamic theism like Islam breed violence and set the stage for atrocities?
When you see the world as a struggle between a good god (whom your religion serves) and a devil (who wants to destroy your religion), you already have created an inherently dangerous and paranoid philosophy. Simple process of elimination says that whoever is not allied with the good god (i.e. a dutiful follower of your religion) is either directly serving the devil or at the very least is being duped by that being. This is why you often hear Fundamentalist Christians crying “Satanism” or attributing “Satan’s influence” when confronted with anything that doesn’t fit neatly into their values. It’s perfectly logical given their worldview.
If you really do believe in this epic struggle between your good god and the devil and feel certain that your religion and denomination are serving that good god, it’s a short step logically to develop a paranoid siege mentality and see the world in an “us vs. them” paradigm. Such a worldview doesn’t encourage tolerance. How can you tolerate the devil and his designs?
The stakes go even higher when you consider the salvation message. Your eternal soul as well as the souls of all those you love and care about are at stake. How can you compromise or live and let live when your children might be tempted into Hell? You may think that killing is wrong but wouldn’t you kill to protect your children? What about killing to protect your children from temptation into Hell? Isn’t their eternal salvation even more important than their lives?
Finally, the entire concept of “sin” is defined in a way that is dangerous. Christians will often explain that “sin” is “missing the mark” or not obeying God’s will. Essentially, it’s disobedience, not cruelty, which defines an act as sinful. What if you could be convinced that God wills you to fly a plane into a building or torture a heretic into repenting or burn a witch at a stake? Could any act done in the service of God be evil? Remember how “sin” is defined before you answer.
"With or without religion you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion. …Religion demonizes. Religion simplifies. Religion sanitizes inhumanity."[46]
-Kenneth Humphreys, “Jesus Never Existed”
Religious fanatics are often seen as crazy in mainstream society but when we understand the assumptions of their beliefs, they are clearly acting in rational, predictable ways. The combination of their certainty about the righteousness of their cause, their ideas about salvation and their concepts of sin is what creates the potential for sectarian violence. The worldview promoted by the Bible is an atrocity waiting to happen, time and time again. All that’s needed is the right leader to come along to set off the deadly chain reaction.
Sam Harris in his book, “The End of Faith”, discusses how the existence of what’s now known as “weapons of mass destruction” have made religious faith all the more dangerous:
“We can no longer ignore the fact that billions of our neighbors believe in the metaphysics of martyrdom… because our neighbors are now armed with chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons.”[47]
In between atrocities, these religious leaders can be expected to fight against every inch of sociological and scientific progress because their respective ancient tomes tell them to do so.
Conclusion:
Be Careful What You Call “The Word of God”; People Might Believe It
The Bible, as we’ve already seen in previous chapters, is logically absurd. It should come as no surprise that it’s also morally bankrupt. It’s difficult to imagine any belief system that can offer sound moral guidance if the logic it uses is twisted. As a religion fails in one category, problems can be expected to arise in the other.
We have reviewed the darker side of the Bible, with all of its backward laws as well as its hate mongering, fear mongering and alleged atrocities. These are the passages that are not typically reviewed in a Sunday morning sermon and many Christians are blissfully unaware of them. Nevertheless, they are a part of the Bible. In fact, a cover-to-cover review of this book indicates that these horrifying passages are the rule, not the exception.
The sad reality is that the Inquisition, the Crusades, the burning of witches, the torture of heretics and other atrocities committed in the name of Jesus are not at all a perversion of Christian doctrine. Reading the Bible reveals that they were, in fact, an inevitable consequence of Christian doctrine. The more idealistic and progressive Christians can speak of “True Christianity” if they wish, but such an interpretation doesn’t enjoy much biblical support.
It’s fair to say most atheists, deists and other free thinkers wish it were otherwise. We would be happy to see the sick and bloodthirsty radicals discredited by their own scripture. Most of us would be content to live and let live. Contrary to what Christians may believe of us, we do not delight in shattering the faiths of others if their beliefs make them happy at a cost to no one else. Neither do we take any sadistic glee in spreading disillusionment nor is our motivation the preservation of some self-indulgent debauched lifestyle. Most of us are tired and frustrated at how seemingly every step of humanity’s sociological and technological progress meets with the most stubborn and irrational faith-based resistance. We recognize that scripture does not support the progressive Christian and that’s what makes Christianity so dangerous. It is the radicals among Christianity who are correct as far as the Bible is concerned. Their ideologies, abhorrent as they are to modern sensibilities, are scripturally sound.
Let the liberal Christian beware. As you invest in the Bible any credibility as the “Word of God”, that same credibility goes directly to these fanatics and helps their cause.
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