The Bible: All or Some

The Bible: All or Some

Has anyone ever said to you, "I believe in some of the Bible." or "Most of the Bible makes sense."?

Isn't the major tenet of religion that the belief in ALL of the holy book is mandatory?

We all know "religious" people who cherry pick their holy book for the good stuff and ignore the uncomfortable just to allow themselves to feel good about it.  It's denial at its worst.

I worked with a true believer some years ago. He didn't believe in science and medicine.  Instead, he prayed.  He got a small infection on the side of his neck that would have been easily treated and I begged him to get help.  His answer was, "God will take care of me."  He died for his convictions and I begrudgingly have to respect him for that.

Respecting him for how he handled his adult life is one thing, but I draw the line at people who don't allow medical treatment for their children. How many innocents die when medicine could have easily saved them.  Yes, the parents are, in their own mind, true believers and it seems inconsistent of me to berate them.  I see a parent as a guardian of their children but the unchanging and unaware nature of religion reduces their kids to property.  And worse, property of a god, no less.

Now back to the cherry pickers.  Many religious people will tell you of the good acts that they do.  Many will say that their god works in mysterious ways.  But when asked about why their god allows so much suffering, they retreat to platitudes and mumbo jumbo.

They ignore the unpleasant parts of the holy book like slavery, incest, rape, infanticide and more.  None of these things have been prohibited by any newer text that they profess belief in.  So, when you ask them why they don't do those things, they will tell you it's immoral.  And yet, they will tell you in the next sentence that morality comes from their god.

It leaves me with scars from scratching my head.

Walk the Path in Grace