LinuxFiend

I am going to end my sporadic attempts at reading the Bible. I can’t seem to make it through the first few chapters of Genesis before realizing I just don’t care about this particular piece of poorly written fiction. There are so many more interesting and relevant books on my reading list to spend time with. Bon voyage dear Bible, I hardly knew ye and I am probably better off.

I finally watched the final two episodes of “The Walking Dead“. I enjoyed season 1, but the final minutes of episode six seemed overly fatalistic. Sure, Dr. Jennings had plenty of reasons to be fatalistic. Offing your zombie wife and spending months underground without human contact in a futile attempt to save the entire human race doesn’t exactly paint a rosy picture. Almost anyone would welcome death under those conditions.

What I don’t understand is two other characters joining him (even if one eventually changed her mind). The human race has survived far worse conditions than a zombie apocalypse. Humanity will do what it has always done… adapt. It’s not as if humanity was suddenly thrust into the dark ages. While electrical power may be harder to come by, there is plenty equipment ripe for the taking to make life safer and even provide some modern conveniences. Civilization isn’t over, it’s just experiencing a shift to a new “normal.”

Besides, a bullet to brain later on, doesn’t sound any more painful than vaporization by a fuel-air explosive.

As someone who has never read the Bible, I thought it would be an interesting exercise to read through the highlights and give brief impressions of the passages I find most interesting. To make this more entertaining, I am using The Brick Testament as my primary source with the Skeptic’s Annotated Bible being used for context. I just want to get a high level overview of this tome, so my review will be nowhere near complete.

I started this as a series of micro-blog posts, but have decided to relocate the endeavor to my blog, so not to annoy my followers too much. I shall replicate my initial posts here and continue on.

Genesis

3:11
Why is god asking questions? Isn’t it all knowing?
3:16
Shouldn’t god punish itself for its own flawed creations?
3:22-23
What is wrong w/ knowing good and evil? Sounds better than being an ignorant stooge.
4:9
Again with the questions. It’s not very knowledgeable for an all-knowing being.
4:13-14
Who is going to find him? There seem to be only two other people in existence.
6:7
If god is all-powerful, why doesn’t it just fix us? Genocide seems a bit extreme. What did the animals do anyway?
8:18-19
How are giraffes and elephants supposed to climb down a frakking mountain?
8:20
What was point of saving the animals if they were going to sacrifice them? Yahweh’s not big on forethought I guess.
9:24-27
What did Ham do and why is Canaan being punished for it? Also, I guess slavery is A-OK.
11:7
This Yahweh dude sure is a party pooper.
12:17
Oh that Yahweh. Always punishing the wrong people.
19:31-32
Offering of daughters for gang rape and drunken incestuous cave rape. I’m sensing a theme.
20:17
Yahweh corrected the situation, but what is with punishing the wrong people? Sucks to be anybody other than Abraham.
22:12
It was only a test. I am so relieved. That makes it all better. Wait. No it doesn’t. Yahweh & Abraham are both horrible.
26:7
Are we really doing this again?
27:41
What is with all the familial strife. Can’t they all just get along and be equals.
29:25
Deception and incest. This book is full of good moral principles.
29:30
More incest. These people are freaks!
29:34
Leah is a seriously deluded individual.
30:3
Yeah, because this same plan worked out so well for Abraham.
30:9
This is getting ridiculous. Jacob must be exhausted.
32:28
Jacob wrestles god and emerges victorious? This god is seriously un-godlike. Why are we supposed to worship him again?
34:3
More rape. Why am I not surprised?
34:8-9
So women are basically slaves and they have slaves themselves. This seems like a fair and equitable society.
34:13-14
Let me get this straight. Selling your sister to someone who is uncircumcised is the disgraceful part. Riiight. This whole book is disgraceful.
34:25
Mass murder is an appropriate response to your sister being raped. Noted.
38:7 38:10
Old Yahweh is back to his murderous ways. Shocking!