Who made God? Look at the ethics of every religion, and you will see proof that we created religion and we created the Gods. The moral principles that guide religions are very human. The Gods have human personalities. Every religion claims to have the highest moral standards. Obviously, it is impossible for each religion to be the best. But they all have good, bad, great and absurd ideals. The bad ones and absurd ideas may have been normal many years ago, but right now morals based upon religious principles are in no way universally good ideas. Religions have good and bad moral standards. Look at the moral lessons in any religion, and see if you see divine perfection. All you will see is that someone very human created God. Who made God? We created God in our image.
When discussing morals, the faithful will express the moral code of the day as if they invented it. Sure all religions have good ideas, but look at the bad ones. They usually hide these in the closet. But they are there, and we’ never know when one will be taken out. If you think your religion has outstanding virtue, moral authority, or impeccable ethics — read on. Following are just some of the bad ideas your faith has. Google around and double-check the references below. They really are that bad, and are not taken out of context. You will see that every faith has many absolutely despicable ideas.
Leviticus 20:10 “If a man commits adultery with another man’s wife–with the wife of his neighbor–both the adulterer and the adulteress must be put to death.”
Death for making love. It is a common theme. Without defending adultery, it is impossible to defend capitol punishment for it. We should be glad none of our Christian politicians and judges actually believe the Bible.
Leviticus 24:16 “Whoever blasphemes the name of the LORD shall surely be put to death. All the congregation shall stone him. The sojourner as well as the native, when he blasphemes the Name, shall be put to death.”
Death for blaspheme. We see no sign of tolerance, religious freedom, or compassion.
Exodus 21:7 “If a man sells his daughter as a female slave, she is not to go free as the male slaves do.”
Slavery and sexism. The Christian who defends this as “The Word of God” needs help. I’m trying to.
Leviticus 24:16 “and when the LORD your God has delivered them over to you and you have defeated them, then you must destroy them totally. Make no treaty with them, and show them no mercy.”
We see no sign of tolerance, religious freedom, or compassion. Show no mercy?
Leviticus 25:44 “As for your male and female slaves whom you may have: you may buy male and female slaves from among the nations that are around you.”
We decided over a hundred years ago that slavery was a horrible institution. It took us that long because Christians around the globe knew God gave them permission to own others. And this is not just an Old-testament law.
Ephesians 6:5 “Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ.” Slavery is totally immoral. Christians were finally forced to stop owning slaves, but it took horrible battles and millions of deaths to make them free their captives.
Deuteronomy 21:10 “When you go to war against your enemies and the LORD your God delivers them into your hands and you take captives, if you notice among the captives a beautiful woman and are attracted to her, you may take her as your wife. Bring her into your home and have her shave her head, trim her nails. and put aside the clothes she was wearing when captured. After she has lived in your house and mourned her father and mother for a full month, then you may go to her and be her husband and she shall be your wife.”
The USA forbids its soldiers from taking even trinkets as spoils of war, but God told his people its OK to bring home pretty girls. The God who wrote this was certainly a man with sexuality issues.
1 Samuel 15:3 “Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy everything that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.”
God commanded his people to kill babies and innocent people. Even George Bush showed more compassion when instructing his invasion troops. Bush was smarter than God?
2 Kings 2:23 “From there Elisha went up to Bethel. As he was walking along the road, some youths came out of the town and jeered at him. “Go on up, you baldhead!” they said. “Go on up, you baldhead!”. He turned around, looked at them and called down a curse on them in the name of the LORD. Then two bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the youths.”
Come on, they were just kids!. If it is OK to kill children for jeering, what other punishments are Ok to inflict on children?
Proverbs 13:24 “He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him.”
Some will say this isn’t about beating children. It is. And many in the church follow this advise ferociously.
Proverbs 23:14 “Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you punish him with the rod, he will not die. Punish him with the rod and save his soul from death.”
As they beat their child, the parent warmly feels justified saving his soul. This clearly instructs parents to seriously beat children. To the drunk redneck dead-beat dad, this is a license to abuse.
Matthew 10:35 Jesus:“For I have come to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. A man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.”
Many of us cannot conceive of our family being the enemy. Our family is not our enemy. Ignorance is.
Matthew 19:29 “Jesus said to them… “And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life .”
We hope few men and women hold these family values. Nothing is worth abandoning family for.
2 Thessalonians:11 “For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.”
People who don’t believe in God are delusional and wicked. This message is not very tolerant. Not at all.
Mark 10:25 Jesus: “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
The moral message: Capitalism is evil. I have no desire to be a communist, although Jesus lived a communal life and distained capitolism.
Matthew 6:24 “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.”
Yes, Jesus is a communist. Some people embrace communism, but capitalism is the driving force in the world is not evil.
Proverbs 11:28 “Whoever trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf.”
This is plain lazy. You will thrive if you work hard, apply yourself, and do what is necessary to succeed.
Mark 7:25 “In fact, as soon as she heard about him, a woman whose little daughter was possessed by an evil spirit came and fell at his feet.”
Raising a child can be a challenge, but passing kids off a possessed is negligent parenting.
2 John 1:10 “If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take him into your house or welcome him.”
Instead, I’d recommend we meet and greet everyone with a friendly smile and open heart.
1 John 2:15 “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”
Don’t love anything in the world? This must have been written by a guy who never meet a great woman. Many of us happily think love makes the world go around…
Proverbs 22:27 “Do not be a man who strikes hands in pledge or puts up security for debts.”
We owe it to the men and women who sacrificed their life for our country, to say the national pledge with pride. Co-signing on a loan is just a nice thing to do. Its OK to be proud and nice.
In Exodus 20:2-17 Moses laid out the “10 commandments”. These are still revered, and even placed prominently in public places. Few people actually think about them. Take a look and you’ll see some are OK suggestions, and a few are bad ideas.
1. I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me.
This is the definition of religious intolerance. How can we all get along if God commands you not to tolerate other people’s faith? Ignore this one.
2. You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My Commandments.
Another shot at religious freedom. And I personally like fine carved art. Ignore this one also.
3. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.
Everyone breaks this one. God dang it. Jesus! OMG! It’s OK. Don’t worry about #3 either. It’s a pointless commandment.
4. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.
Saturday is a great day to get things done. Do laundry, mow the grass, go to a ball game, and play with your kids. I highly recommend trying your best to break this one every week.
5. Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you.
Honor people who deserve it, but don’t get carried away with it. It’s your life, and if you can do more than your parents will let you… go for it. Many children have bad parents and are way better off getting out on their own. When daddy rapes his daughter, or mom’s heroin addiction gets in the way of your home work, its time to dishonor. I hope you have parents worthy of honor it like I do, but not everyone does.
6. You shall not murder.
A great every-day rule to live by. But… there is a time for everything. Self defense. Battle. Executing a serial killer. This is one commandment to live and govern by, but still not hard and fast rule. If it were, Osama Bin Laden would still be here.
7. You shall not commit adultery.
No arguments here. Be good, be true, honor your vows. But, should we execute women for adultery as the Bible suggests?
8. You shall not steal.
Another great rule to live by. That makes 3. But, if you define taking something that is not yours “stealing”, we’ll have to grant an exception to the government so they can collect income taxes.
9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
Agreed.
10. You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.
Violating this one makes the world go around. We all covet and should not be ashamed of it. Cars replaced donkeys, and more work now gets done by people striving to buy a fast car or nicer house than the Joneses.
So out of the “10 Commandments”, I see 4 really good ones, a couple suggestions to think about, and the rest should be replaced with better ideas. There are much better commandments we could consider making. Back in Biblical days these ideas were normally embraced by god-fearing people, but right now, any of these ideas are better than most of the the 10 above.
I already quoted many Torah (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy) texts that have bad moral lesions, and the 10 Commandments are also revered by Jews, but Jewish traditions contain some poor ideas. In general, modern Judaism is more liberal, and has abandoned and changed many of the traditional Jewish ideas. This evolution has made it acceptable to many more segments of our society. Jewish oral traditions and a willingness to embrace reasoning and logic when interpreting their laws help make Judaism a relatively peaceful and honorable faith. More than most others. But, there are Jewish traditions that are just not right.
Leviticus 18:22 “A man shall not lie with another man as he would with a woman, it is a to’eva”
The term to’eva is usually translated as “abomination”. Viewing other’s sexual orientation as an abomination is not very friendly.
Deuteronomy 14:2 “For you are a holy people to YHWH your God, and God has chosen you to be his treasured people from all the nations that are on the face of the earth.”
History does not seem to substantiate this passage. When one race that thinks it is better than all others, history shows that bad things can happen.
War and Peace in the Jewish Tradition: Rabbi Broyde: “War is the collective battle of societies, R. Ariel posits, and thus there are no innocent civilians, even babes in their mothers’ arms are to be killed, as harsh as that sounds.”
This ancient Jewish tradition of collective punishment is certainly outdated now, and hopefully ignored.
Muslims carry much of the moral baggage that Christians bear in the Old Testaments, but Muhammad didn’t release Muslims from the ancient laws like Jesus and Paul did for the Christian. Instead, he loaded even more on. Unfortunately, many are harsh, cruel, and unjust and most versions of Islam refuse to evolve to more tolerant, peaceful, or honorable ways.
Sahih Bukhari V3, Book48, #826: The Prophet said, “Isn’t the witness of a woman equal to half of that of a man?” The women said, “Yes.” He said, “This is because of the deficiency of a woman’s mind.”
The Islamic view of women is simply despicable. Men raised to believe that women are only half the value of men are oppressing and abusing women around the globe, particularly in the middle east.
Sahih Bukhari V2, Book24, #541: “O women! Give alms, for I have seen that the majority of the dwellers of Hell-Fire were you (women).” The women asked, “O Allah’s Apostle! What is the reason for it?” He replied, “O women! You curse frequently, and are ungrateful to your husbands. I have not seen anyone more deficient in intelligence and religion than you. O women, some of you can lead a cautious wise man astray.” ”
Again, the Islamic view and treatment of women is simply despicable. And Muslim girls are raised up to believe this. If they know nothing else, they’ll believe it. Sad.
Sharia Law in Iran: a)Women are deficient in their natural and “innate” potentials and abilities b)Encourages male violence against women within the family and society c)Girls come of age for punishments 6 years before boys d)Women who appear without the sharia’ covering in public will be condemned to prison or a cash fine of 50,000 to 500,000 rials e) Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani was convicted in May 2006 of adultery, and sentenced to death by stoning.
Islamic Law in Iran exemplifies of the problem of using a religion as a moral or legal guide. Unfortunately for millions of women living there, they will endure it for life. Don’t believe this? Look at the Taliban in Afghanistan or England in the 1500s. They’re not any better theocracy.
Sahih Bukhari V9, Book84, #64: “O women! Give alms, for I have seen that the majority of the dwellers of Hell-Fire were you (women).” The women asked, “O Allah’s Apostle! What is the reason for it?” He replied, “O women! You curse frequently, and are ungrateful to your husbands. I have not seen anyone more deficient in intelligence and religion than you. O women, some of you can lead a cautious wise man astray.” ”
Again, the Islamic view and treatment of women is simply despicable. And Muslim girls are raised up to believe this. If they know nothing else, they’ll believe it. Sad.
Quran 9:5 “Then, when the sacred months have passed, slay the idolaters wherever ye find them, and take them (captive), and besiege them, and prepare for them each ambush. But if they repent and establish worship and pay the poor-due, then leave their way free. Lo! Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.”
Some who wish may read this as a sign of Allah’s mercy. A suicide bomber takes it as a command. Any intelligent person can see that this is hateful and inciting of violence.
In nearly all the world’s religions claim to follow “The golden Rule” :
“Treat others as you would like to be treated”
As such, the golden rule is perhaps the most basic of the personal virtues. But do believers follow it? Take a close look, and see. Most religions ignore this Ethic of Reciprocity. Yes, they want to be treated kindly, but do they practice it? Look at their histories, teachings, and their actions. They don’t follow the Golden rule unless it is convenient. Their religion is not made by a God, its made by some guys who can’t even agree on the most basic of human rights.
The First Commandment: Christians don’t say honor our God like you do your own. They say – No Other Gods. Period. No toleration and no reciprocation. And this is their first commandment.
Crimes Against Humanity: Many religions have a long history of torture and intolerance of other religions. The Catholic inquisition. Protestant witch burnings. The Crusades, Colonization of the Americas, Slaughter of Native American Indians, Massacre of Australian aborigines, Slavery in Africa and the Americas, the Spanish Inquisition, the burning alive of “heretics”, Terrorism in Ireland, faith-based Executions in Geneva,
All of these events were instigated or backed by various religions. Most people still belong to one form of the organizations that perpetrated these crimes.
Abuse of Women: “Others” are also women. Virtually every religion treats women different than men. Many abuse their women and tell them God wants it that way. Within many faiths “Do unto others” does not apply to women. Muslims give women only half the respect, power, education, and rights as men. Lutherans don’t allow women to preach to men or vote in church matters. Mormons allow men as many wives as they want. Catholics argued vehemently against women’s right to vote. Obviously men made up these religions.
Crime and Punishment: People who think demons causes people to do bad will look at criminals as demons. Can they really treat these possessed “others” with compassion or as they would be treated? Do they? America is a very religious country, and it imprisons the highest percentage of its citizens than any other country in the world.
Ruled by God: Look at countries where state religions were established. Islam in Iran and Saudi Arabia show little inclination to follow the golden rule. When Christians established the Church of England, they forced other faiths out of the country, burned women, and executed heretics. The poor were virtually slaves to land owners. The rulers didn’t treat the peasants like they wanted to be treated. The “Holy Roman Empire” was run by the Pope and his Christian armies terrorized much of the world. Is there any state religion that ever treated its citizens the way its leaders wanted to be treated? No, because they are run by men, and occasionally women, not God.
