From: theirony2013@gmail.com   
      
   On 2026-01-04 11:06, JTEM wrote:   
   > On 1/4/26 12:49 PM, Mike wrote:   
   >>   
   >>   
   >> 1. Is the Bible the literal word of God, or a collection of human   
   >>     writings shaped by culture, politics, and history?   
   >   
   > They are a collection of morality tales -- akin to aesop's fables ==   
   > as well as (even today) typical "Oriental" i.e. middle eastern   
   > revisionism, justifying/proving their claim to ownership of the land   
   > and special status as the "Chosen people."   
   >   
   > You see the exact same thing going on with the "Palestinian"   
   > mythology. You know, where a half dozen "Arab" states declare war   
   > on Israel and they recast that as a "numerically superior" Israel   
   > chasing all the Palestinians off the land.   
   >   
   >> 2. How historically reliable are the Bible's major events, such as   
   >>     the Exodus, the conquest of Canaan, or the Resurrection?   
   >   
   > Zero.   
   >   
   >> 3. Why does the Bible contain apparent contradictions, such as   
   >>     differing creation accounts, genealogies, or resurrection stories?   
   >   
   > Because the so called "Books" came from different authors, different   
   > time periods and even different cultures.   
   >   
   >> 4. If God is loving and just, why does the Bible describe divine   
   >>     violence, genocide, or commands to kill entire populations?   
   >   
   > Much of it, or nearly all of it, was written at a time when there   
   > were still "living gods" i.e. god kings. There were literal gods   
   > smiting people left & right.   
   >   
   >> 5. Does the Bible support slavery, tolerate it, or condemn it, and   
   >>     why is slavery never explicitly abolished?   
   >   
   > Slavery was a cultural norm throughout the world. The bible writers   
   > talking about slavery would be akin to fish talking about water.   
   >   
   >> 6. Why are women often portrayed as subordinate, and does the Bible   
   >>     endorse patriarchy or gender inequality?   
   >   
   > They were subordinate. A man could own as many wives as he could   
   > afford. Plus he could have concubines.   
   >   
   >> 7. Who decided which books belong in the Bible, and how was the   
   >>     biblical canon formed?   
   >   
   > The bible was finalized in the 5th century, when Justinian banned   
   > (criminalized) all but the official versions -- one in Greek, one   
   > in Latin.   
   >   
   >> 8. Are biblical moral laws meant to be timeless, or were they only   
   >>     intended for ancient societies and cultures?   
   >   
   > They lacked our concepts of change. Just in your lifetime you've   
   > seen... what? Cable TV and that's already given way to streaming.   
   > The internet, computers and then phones... socially you've seen   
   > a massive flood of illegal aliens changing your culture, gay   
   > marriage and then the whole "Trans" & non binary thing...   
   >   
   >> 9. Is salvation based on faith, works, divine election, or some   
   >>     combination, and why does the Bible seem to support all of these?   
   >   
   > If you have love of your fellow man in your heart, it's got to   
   > come out in some ways.   
   >   
   >> 10. Did Jesus explicitly claim to be God, or was that belief   
   >>      developed later by his followers?   
   >   
   > Son of God. He explicitly refers to God as his father.   
      
      
   I would disagree with your answer to 10.   
   Jesus never existed, so he made no claims.   
   That belief was developed later by his followers.   
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
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   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)