Merged (edited) General thoughts about Christianity and the bible

[Thermal]

Sorry if I wasn't clear I was referring to this "Agreed, there is much in Chrisianity that is moving and insightful and solid grounds for a good way of living your life." What's unique in Christianity in that regard?

I don't recall saying anything about Christianity being unique? It's only uniqueness is the foothold and community in Western countries, usually providing familiarity even in a strange town. My wife used to have a little statue of Mary in our very rural front yard, and we once had a young lady that knocked on our door whose car had broken down and she took it as a sign of welcome and willingness to help strangers.

And if it isn't unique to Christianity why should we look to a religion that thinks raping women is a punishment for something their husband did, that a woman who is deemed not to be a virgin on her wedding night should be stoned to death and genocide is fine, and slavery is fine and it goes on and on, you can't ignore all the crap that comes with some bit of good you may find in the teachings and just pick the bits you like - that's what a Christian does!

Yeah, that's in the Old Testament, but I'm not recalling Jesus' Sermon on the Mount saying "yea verily shalt thou bone a bitch proper if her husband disses thee". Salad bar and all that.

(And for those that say that is the OT so doesn't count - remember Jesus is quoted to say those laws still stand, he makes it crystal clear that the barbaric laws in the OT should be followed to the letter, for example killing a child that doesn't honor their parent Matthew 15:3-6 and Mark 7:9-13. It is Paul's teaching that you don't need to follow those laws, which is why Christianity should really be called Paulinanity.)

This gets argued a lot, and Jesus also said that he brings the New Covenant, that supercedes the Old. The Old was fulfilled, and hence continued its morphing, as the Law allowed.

Jesus didn't change a word, but his existence brought the changes on, in accordance with the old laws, which allowed for the messiah to change the game. Nothing changed in the law, because the law always allowed for this to happen

 

[Mojo]

You folks do it all the time. Ignoring all unfavorable evidence.

What evidence do you have?

"I just know" isn't evidence, in case you aren't yet clear on this.

 

[Mojo]

That's some impressive progress for 10,000 years. - LOL

It happened, it refutes your point.

Even if you LOL.

 

[P.J. Denyer]

You folks do it all the time. Ignoring all unfavorable evidence.

Issues for which there exist strong arguments for both sides, yet you claim no contest.

You're really bad at this.

 

[Darat]

The text doesn't tell us.
But I suppose eating dust is just as annoying as a sweaty brow.
I can't speak for childbirth, but I suspect that was the worst consequence.

Because it's a etiological myth, it is telling us how things got to be the way they are.

 

[P.J. Denyer]

It happened, it refutes your point.

Even if you LOL.

Not to mention that in evolutionary terms 10,000 years is nothing.

 

[Rusty Tyler]

talking snakes are most definitely just pretend.

What about legs they stood on?

 

[Mojo]

Because it's an etiological myth, it is telling us how things got to be the way they are.

It attempts to explain some of the ◊◊◊◊ that isn't compatible with a benevolent god.

 

[Pixel42]

That's some impressive progress for 10,000 years. - LOL

And now we have lactose intolerance. Is that the next evolutionary step?

You know a significant amount of evolution by natural selection typically takes hundreds of thousands to millions of years, right?

Small increments is the most that can be expected to occur in just 10,000 years.

 

[Mojo]

What about legs they stood on?

We have evidence of snakes, without legs, that way predates the Bible.

 

[Rusty Tyler]

It happened, it refutes your point.

Why do you claim that lactose digestion is caused by evolution?

Why do we have lactose intolerance now? A step backward?

 

[theprestige]

That's some impressive progress for 10,000 years. - LOL

Given how long evolutionary change usually takes, that's extremely impressive. It's also extremely concerning. As soon as humans started using tools against nature, the usual evolutionary process went out the window. It's possible we may never see natural evolutionary outcomes ever again. We're not going to wait a million years, to see where natural speciation takes us. We're going to waste no time altering ourselves and our environment, to get the results we want in decades rather than epochs.

And now we have lactose intolerance. Is that the next evolutionary step?

The interaction of negative traits with the environment is a fundamental and necessary part of the evolutionary process. So yes.

 

[Jack by the hedge]

That's some impressive progress for 10,000 years. - LOL

Have you ever read even a very basic description of how evolution happens?

It's what you get if random mutations sometimes occur. Mostly mutations are not good for an individual's survival and they die leaving no offspring. Sometimes they are neutral and neither help nor hinder. Once in a while it turns out to be advantageous in some particular circumstance and they survive where others do not, and if their offspring inherit the mutation, they gain the same advantage, and gradually replace more and more of their species who lack the mutation.

That's all it is.

 

[Darat]

It attempts to explain some of the ◊◊◊◊ that isn't compatible with a benevolent god.

That god is meant to be all powerful, all knowing, all present and all loving is a much later Christian doctrine which is not to be found in the bible itself. The authors of the bible knew very well their god was one of many and a very vindictive monster that had to to be placated. The bible should have a sub heading and that should be "..or else".

 

[JayUtah]

What changes can you report for the last 10,000 years?

Dental adaptations for softer foods.
The ability to digest milk in adulthood.
Adaptations to higher altitude living in the form of skin pigmentation and cardiovascular changes.

 

[JayUtah]

That's some impressive progress for 10,000 years. - LOL

How long do you think evolutionary time scales are?

 

[P.J. Denyer]

You know a significant amount of evolution by natural selection typically takes hundreds of thousands to millions of years, right?

Small increments is the most that can be expected to occur in just 10,000 years.

No. I think the answer to your question is 'No', sadly

 

[theprestige]

Why do you claim that lactose digestion is caused by evolution?

Why do we have lactose intolerance now? A step backward?

Organisms adapt to their environment. Humans additionally adapt their environment to their needs and wants.

Since humanity is now more populous than ever, and harnessing more energy than ever, lactose intolerance is clearly part of an overall leap forward.

 

[Darat]

Why? Surely your god meant them to do what they did? Wouldn't have been much of a story otherwise - some god created paradise, and all was well. The end.

But don't worry when the Throuple comes back they will make it a paradise so all that suffering was for what?

 

[Mojo]

That's some impressive progress for 10,000 years. - LOL

And now we have lactose intolerance. Is that the next evolutionary step?

No, it's something exhibited by humans who don't have the ability to digest lactose in adulthood. This makes them less able to metabolise dairy products.

That's how evolution works: not all members of a population are identical, and some of them have beneficial traits that others don't have. This enables them, on the whole, to survive better and produce more viable offspring than those without the trait, which is inherited by their offspring.

In areas which have developed dairy farming, this gives an advantage to those who can metabolise lactose.