LosingMyReligion Posted March 19, 2007 Report Share Posted March 19, 2007 I posted this before but it vanished into thin air(I think it was a website glitch). Anyway, I have this assignment that I am going to do for my speech communications course. It is a "speech of Conviction." We have to give a speech about something we feel strongly about. Right now I feel very strongly about my deconversion from Christianity. Well, my question is can anyone here give me any good contradictory Bible quotes like... 1.) Quotes that show how good god ISN'T... 2.) Quotes that show how evil he is... 3.) and scriptures that just show how bogus x-tianity is... Right now I have checked out books by Sam Harris, Carl Sagan, and Richard Dawkins to gather famous quotations, but can you give me anymore famous atheists/agnostics/freethinker quotes and beliefs that I can use? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted March 19, 2007 Report Share Posted March 19, 2007 "Letter to A Christian Nation" by Harris is short and has all the arguments in it. Another fantastic book is "Atheism: The Case Against God" by George H. Smith. In my opinion, the latter is the best book on the subject. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shotsy Posted March 19, 2007 Report Share Posted March 19, 2007 In On the Genealogy of Morals Friedrich Nietzche talks a lot about how Christianity is a religion of hate, not love. And Bertrand Russell has some good things to say in Why I Am Not a Christian. You may also want to look into the British philosopher Iris Murdoch, who believed that we don't need some supreme being to find goodness and morality. You might also talk about the ideas that were stolen from greek philosophy and culture. For instance, the gospel of John took Plato's ideas (in Republic) about light and darkness and applied them to Jesus. Here's a link to the Allegory of the Cave. Of course, I was reading this for a philosophy class during my deconversion and realized that the cave applied much better to Christianity while the light was reason and truth. I think you'll know what I mean when you read it. I'm not sure when you deconverted, but if you were in an evangelical church in the last 5 years you've probably heard The Matrix used as an allegory for Christianity; well, it's totally based on Plato's ideas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shotsy Posted March 19, 2007 Report Share Posted March 19, 2007 By the way, here's an example of a Christian hijacking Plato's Cave Allegory. Makes me sick: Whitworth President's Message Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LosingMyReligion Posted March 19, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 19, 2007 Thanks Shotsy and Dave! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanInPA Posted March 20, 2007 Report Share Posted March 20, 2007 You may be interested in: Are the Gospels True by Louis Cable and How To Be Saved by Robert Ingersoll. Also Pagan Origins of the Christ Myth and Jesus Never Existed. Good luck, Dan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Llwellyn Posted March 20, 2007 Report Share Posted March 20, 2007 I really think that the best critique of Christianity comes from the Socratic/Platonic religious opinions. Unfortunately, neither Celsus, Porphyry (ex-Christian), or Emperor Julian (ex-Christian) could bring people back to their senses. Christianity as a social movement is just too powerful among people with poor morals and low intelligence. The best place to understand the Socratic/Platonic religious conscience is the book "Socrates: Ironist and Moral Philosopher" by Gregory Vlastos, and "The Religion of Socrates" by Mark Mcpherran. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jella Posted March 20, 2007 Report Share Posted March 20, 2007 This may sound crazy but another good person to read, would be...NO KIDDING, Gene Simmons of the Rock Group KISS. He is a lawyer and has written some books. He has had some interesting things to say about Religion and Christianity in general. You know, he does offer a very cool vibe. I've watched The Family Jewels quite a few times, and I can't believe how impressed I was by Gene Simmons. It's nice to know he's written some books. Oh, and his family is just beautiful. Oh my..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R. S. Martin Posted March 20, 2007 Report Share Posted March 20, 2007 LMR, I understand one of the things you're asking for is Bible verses that show God as being other than good. The first that comes to mind is the story about Sodom and Gomorrah. Another horror story is where Elija or Elisha (I forget which one) sent she-bears to kill the kids who called him baldy. I can see why he would have felt like doing that but most of us can only wish. Because of his inside connection with god he could make it happen. So I guess it was god who did it rather than the prophet. There's also the verse frequently quoted on here where God says "I create good and I create evil." I don't know where to find it. Then there's the verses that say people will go to hell for their sexual orientation--I think that's about as evil as you can get. First god makes the person this way, then he condemns them to burn for eternity for being this way. If the creator of the universe needed more fuel he should have made more trees instead of so many deserts (whether hot or cold) that sustain little or no plant life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LosingMyReligion Posted March 21, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 21, 2007 Thanks everyone! I have another question... What is the precise verse that states, "Only the fool says there is no god..." or something to that effect. I am going to use it as the opening line to my presentation. Anyway, I have checked out several atheist books and started my rough draft. I'll be taking all suggestions listed here. Thanks again guys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted March 21, 2007 Report Share Posted March 21, 2007 What is the precise verse that states, "Only the fool says there is no god..." or something to that effect. I am going to use it as the opening line to my presentation. Add this link to your list: http://www.biblegateway.com/ Psalm 14:1 & Psalm 53:1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
godlessgrrl Posted March 23, 2007 Report Share Posted March 23, 2007 Yeah. The verse in my .sig. Accompanied by the only appropriate response, from an even better mythology-maker than the Hebrews ever were. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evan Posted March 23, 2007 Report Share Posted March 23, 2007 You could quote parts of the bible itself (assuming I am understanding what you are asking). I never read the bible, but I am under the impression that god asked Abraham to sacrifice his first born son? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vixentrox Posted March 23, 2007 Report Share Posted March 23, 2007 That he did to "test" Abraham. Why god needed a test to find out if this man was loyal is a mystery since god supposedly knows all things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dhampir Posted March 23, 2007 Report Share Posted March 23, 2007 What about Jephthah? He didn't get any cosmic 'psyche!' when he had to sacrifice his daughter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vixentrox Posted March 23, 2007 Report Share Posted March 23, 2007 What about Jephthah? He didn't get any cosmic 'psyche!' when he had to sacrifice his daughter. Yeah, few Chrisitans know about that story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
godlessgrrl Posted March 23, 2007 Report Share Posted March 23, 2007 Or what's the one about the guy who turned over his slave girl to be gang-raped until she was dead, then when he found her body on the porch the next day, he cut her into pieces and sent bits of her to all the various leaders of Israel at the time? What the hell was THAT story all about? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted March 24, 2007 Report Share Posted March 24, 2007 That he did to "test" Abraham. Why god needed a test to find out if this man was loyal is a mystery since god supposedly knows all things. Uh.... I was told their god chooses not to know some things. I asked how the god knew what it didn't want to know. The reply; "You just don't understand." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Artur Posted March 24, 2007 Report Share Posted March 24, 2007 * Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LosingMyReligion Posted March 24, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 24, 2007 Or what's the one about the guy who turned over his slave girl to be gang-raped until she was dead, then when he found her body on the porch the next day, he cut her into pieces and sent bits of her to all the various leaders of Israel at the time? What the hell was THAT story all about? Oh I thought that was about LOT and his daughters...Or am I getting one story confused? Anyway a gang of thugs wanted to rape the two guys(angels)he invited in his house. So lot, being the god fearing man he is, offers his daughters to the gang to be raped all night long. So finding out they had been raped he murders and dismembers her... Now that is really a fucked up and sadistic story. So I'll definitely be using that one! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted March 24, 2007 Report Share Posted March 24, 2007 You need some New Testament stuff too. Make a chart of the miracles in the NT. On the lift side list several miracles, example the insanity he sent into a flock of pigs. Then across list the details according to each of the authors, the numbers of pigs etc. The stories do not match up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Callyn Posted March 24, 2007 Report Share Posted March 24, 2007 Or what's the one about the guy who turned over his slave girl to be gang-raped until she was dead, then when he found her body on the porch the next day, he cut her into pieces and sent bits of her to all the various leaders of Israel at the time? What the hell was THAT story all about? Oh I thought that was about LOT and his daughters...Or am I getting one story confused? Anyway a gang of thugs wanted to rape the two guys(angels)he invited in his house. So lot, being the god fearing man he is, offers his daughters to the gang to be raped all night long. So finding out they had been raped he murders and dismembers her... Now that is really a fucked up and sadistic story. So I'll definitely be using that one! Lot's daughters were not raped, he simply offered them. The crowd refused. There's another story (at least) with the very similar premise of a priest visiting a man, though I don't remember the mans name. In this one, the mans daughter and the priests concubine are raped, so that's probably it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanInPA Posted March 25, 2007 Report Share Posted March 25, 2007 God (who is also Jesus) didn't answer this prayer from Jesus (who is also god): John 14:20 "My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: 23I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted March 25, 2007 Report Share Posted March 25, 2007 Lot's daughters were not raped, he simply offered them. The crowd refused. There's another story (at least) with the very similar premise of a priest visiting a man, though I don't remember the mans name. In this one, the mans daughter and the priests concubine are raped, so that's probably it. That's right. The rape in this story came later when Lot and his daughters were living in a cave. The daughters got him drunk and had sex with him while he was asleep. Today, that's called rape. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LosingMyReligion Posted March 26, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 26, 2007 Yeah, I got the two mixed up. Well, it is still pretty fucked up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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