3 of 3: The Bizarre Hilarious Disturbing Marvelous Things I Learned When I Read the Bible
Written by admin on August 16, 2009 – 6:18 pm -Tags: atheism, Berlinerblau, david, Deuteronomy, Dinah, Egyptian, Esther, Gates, Genesis, God, good, Haman, Israel, Jacob, Jacques, James, jewish, jews, judaism, Kugel, Leviticus, moses, old, pharaoh, Plotz, Purim, Shechem, skepticism, slate, talmud, testament, Todd, ToddAllenGates, ToddAllenGates2, ToddGates
Posted in Judaism and Atheism | 25 Comments »
By ToddGates on Aug 16, 2009 | Reply
> Oh, no argument …
> Oh, no argument there really. I was just trying to answer the question …
Understood!
By AutodidacticPhd on Aug 16, 2009 | Reply
“the belief that …
“the belief that God threw a lot of crap in the Bible so we could learn to disagree”
Oh, no argument there really. I was just trying to answer the question of how someone could read all of this and still find some kind of divinity and purpose in it.
By ToddGates on Aug 16, 2009 | Reply
> the best reading …
> the best reading of the bible is the one that teaches you how to argue with god. … I think this idea would have been invaluable in prescientific times . . .
I agree that learning to argue against the God of the Bible has merits . . . but especially in today’s age, the belief that God threw a lot of crap in the Bible so we could learn to disagree with Him isn’t the most plausible reason for biblical brutality!
By AutodidacticPhd on Aug 16, 2009 | Reply
cont…
So while I …
cont…
So while I haven’t read Plotz’s book, between your description and a talk he gave about the book (some excerpts of which are here on YouTube), it seems to me that the god he is arguing with in the end is more a matter of internal dialectic framing, than the literal doer of the deeds in his admittedly ad hoc biography.
By AutodidacticPhd on Aug 16, 2009 | Reply
Regarding Plotz’s …
Regarding Plotz’s closing sentiment… I have heard more than one Jewish individual say something to the effect that the best reading of the bible is the one that teaches you how to argue with god.
I think this idea would have been invaluable in prescientific times, when you basically had to worship something, yet you were constantly surrounded by an uncaring and arbitrary world in which you are desperately attempting to cling to some ideal of civil behavior.
By ToddAllenGates on Aug 16, 2009 | Reply
> It’s Kane!!
…
> It’s Kane!!
Hey I’m trying to keep that a secret!
> Good stuff btw, keep the videos coming…
Thanks—more on the way!
By supernova8370 on Aug 16, 2009 | Reply
It’s Kane!! long …
It’s Kane!! long live Kane!!! Release the Tiberium……
Good stuff btw, keep the videos coming…
By ndjarnag on Aug 16, 2009 | Reply
The bible as “junk …
The bible as “junk sculpture”. Nice analogy.
By ToddAllenGates on Aug 16, 2009 | Reply
> When he finally …
> When he finally causes us to be wiped out by nuclear holocaust, what a glorious day indeed!
Ha-ha. Hey, did you ever hear Nick Gisburne’s song on that subject, “Praying for the World to End?” (Sung to the melody of “Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend.”) Here’s me playing the piano part with the lyrics on the screen—watch?v=dXVP48Kdj_Y—and here’s the lyrics sung (accompanied by my playing) by YouTuber Traxx01: watch?v=z_11SBfqygw
By pfarabee on Aug 16, 2009 | Reply
When he finally …
When he finally causes us to be wiped out by nuclear holocaust, what a glorious day indeed! Spank us, Daddy, spank us!
By ToddAllenGates on Aug 16, 2009 | Reply
> It seems that the …
> It seems that the human sense of goodness supersedes God’s
Absolutely! (Although strictly speaking, all of “God’s goodness” is man’s too–some our best *and* worst.)
By ToddAllenGates on Aug 16, 2009 | Reply
> Great stuff.
…
> Great stuff.
Thanks!
By gonyea12 on Aug 16, 2009 | Reply
It seems that the …
It seems that the human sense of goodness supersedes Gods.
By ArtificialCleverenAI on Aug 16, 2009 | Reply
Great stuff.
Great stuff.
By ToddAllenGates on Aug 16, 2009 | Reply
> If any person …
> If any person today acted like the god of the old testament, they would be tried and convicted
I think the charge would be “hate crimes against humanity.”
By ToddAllenGates on Aug 16, 2009 | Reply
> I deeply …
> I deeply appreciate people like you
Thanks: appreciation appreciated!
> I hope that people still remember the historical prominence of the old religions when they are gone so that these judgmental errors can be avoided for future generations.
I hope so as well!
By ToddAllenGates on Aug 16, 2009 | Reply
> Skin diseases, …
> Skin diseases, food poisoning, plagues, earthquakes, and snakes! Surely God cherishes these people above all others!
Well, it’s through a father’s discipline that he shows his love!
By ToddAllenGates on Aug 16, 2009 | Reply
> I enjoyed your …
> I enjoyed your analysis of this book.
Thanks!
> I think I saw this guy in an interview on the Daily Show but I wasn’t sure what to make of it at that time.
I saw him interviewed by Colbert, but Colbert barely let him get a word in. The interview didn’t do the book justice at all.
> Were you able to find this book at a Barnes & Noble or other book store near you
Yes – I bought mine (and two copies that I bought for friends) at local bookstores.
By ToddAllenGates on Aug 16, 2009 | Reply
> I am definitely …
> I am definitely going to read this book
You won’t regret it!
> and soon I’m going to get your book.
Thank you!
By mattblackcat on Aug 16, 2009 | Reply
Yes
Pretty Fly for …
Yes
Pretty Fly for a Rabbi
By freethinker3161 on Aug 16, 2009 | Reply
i am defietly going …
i am defietly going to read this book and soon im going to get your book . great work Todd
By CorndogMaker on Aug 16, 2009 | Reply
Is that Weird Al I …
Is that Weird Al I hear?
By peaceplease83 on Aug 16, 2009 | Reply
If any person today …
If any person today talked or acted like the god of the old testamnet, they would be tried and convicted
By besvr on Aug 16, 2009 | Reply
I enjoyed your …
I enjoyed your analysis of this book. I think I saw this guy in an interview on the Daily Show but I wasn’t sure what to make of it at that time. After this review it seems to be a book I would like to read.
Were you able to find this book at a Barnes & Noble or other book store near you, or would I be best off getting this on Amazon?
By pfarabee on Aug 16, 2009 | Reply
Skin diseases, food …
Skin diseases, food poisoning, plagues, earthquakes, and snakes! Surely God cherishes these people above all others!