_iam_that_iam_

_iam_that_iam_ t1_j2tla7u wrote

Yes, my handle is definitely a biblical reference. For me I think reading the Bible cover-to-cover made me realize that it just doesn't add up. If God is unchanging, he wouldn't ever command people to commit genocide. He wouldn't command to kill non-Israelite children and then later condemn the killing of Israelite children.

When I allowed myself to take a step back from the Bible and analyze it the same way I would the discussion of Greek Gods in the Iliad, or Native American traditions, or whatever, it became obvious to me that they are all fables. Why try to bend the reality of world history, archaeology, evolution, etc. to try to match a fable? Noah's Ark? Come on.

FWIW, I don't think you're a jerk OP. ;)

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_iam_that_iam_ t1_j2s57k4 wrote

The Bible has some lovely parts. Just some nice poetic and philosophical stuff. My favorites are Genesis, Isaiah, some of the Psalms, Ecclesiastes, the Gospels, and some of the non-Pauline epistles (Peter & John). Scattered throughout the rest of the Old Testament are many interesting and fun little stories (The Exodus, David & Goliath, Samson, Joseph, Daniel, Esther, etc.) but it is mixed in with a lot of boring and/or WTF stuff. For beginners I would recommend Genesis and the Gospels as the most accessible books. The Poets and Prophets are hard to grok without a study guide.

My last read-through of the Bible convinced me that there is no God. I know that's not the way it is supposed to go, but what can I do? Jesus does have some great teachings and we would all do well to consider both his personal example of rejecting the prevailing religious dogmas of the day, and his teachings to be merciful and generous even to our political enemies.

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_iam_that_iam_ t1_is2hg10 wrote

Is the Democracy score really data? It's just a presentation of scores made up by an advocacy group.

The "economic equality" measure is presented as something where a higher score is better, but I don't think that is true. A country where everyone had the exact same income no matter how they behave, how useful their skills are to society, or how hard they work would be a terrible place, in my opinion. Nobody would do a damn thing and so the "equal" income would be zero.

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