To: 2MAR$ who wrote (33415 ) 2/26/2013 5:59:04 PM From: Solon 1 Recommendation Respond to They only win if it all fails--if the country goes to Hell in a hand basket. There was a time when there were Statesmen. Now all we have are circus performers doing tricks to befuddle the crowd of confused sheeple... those poor lost souls who see no difference between reality tv and reality. People who think that Science texts are evil conspiracies--while the bible is a decent book of civilized morals! YIKES! Is the planet ever in trouble! :-( "The problem with the Old and New Testaments is that they are both dated pieces of literature that reflect the values and mores of those who wrote them between 1000 BCE and 135 CE. Many passages in the Old Testament reflect a tribal mentality that portrays God as hating everyone the people of Israel hated. It also portrays God as killing the firstborn male in every household in Egypt on the night of the Passover; justifies the institution of slavery (except for fellow Jews) and defines women as the property of men. the things that we are forbidden to covet are all male possessions. These Hebrew Scriptures, however, also define God as love, justice and as a universal being. In the portrait of the "Servant" in Isaiah 40-55 the Hebrew Scriptures portray human life as capable of giving itself away and even of acting in such a way as to draw the pain out of others, absorb it and return it as love. The New Testament portrays Paul as believing that slavery is good if it is kind. Paul also reveals attitudes toward women that are today deeply embarrassing: "I forbid a woman to have authority over a man." "Women should keep quiet in church." Bishop John Shelby Spong.
