This year I have Nokia E71. It is better than god:
1. It has a well-written manual. I don't have to study commentaries to be able to use the phone. If I´m not sure I can ask the manufacturer. The manual yields well to translations and its meaning is easily maintained in different languages. Readers of the manual find very little ambiguity in it and they gain a common understanding of the text. (Compare with bible.)
2. It fulfills my wishes the way I mean them and does so immediately. (Compare to prayer.)
3. It doesn't threaten to kill me if I switch to Ericsson, for example. (Compare with god's threats, e.g. here)
Tuesday 15 December 2009
Wednesday 2 December 2009
How Bible (/Torah/Quran) guides our lives - a manual
Follow these steps:
1. Decide what you want to justify / what you want someone else to do / what you want to ascertain.
2. Pick such statements from the text which contain a word pertaining to your subject. (It's easy - there are around 27000 verses in Torah and Prophets, 138000 verses in the New Testament and 6300 verses in Quran)
3. Out of those statements cherry-pick the one which seems the most to agree with your opinion.
4. Discard the others.
5. Say "This is so because the Torah/Bible/Quran says [fill in the statement from step 3]".
Troubleshooting:
Can´t find a fitting statement? Don´t worry, holy books are full of hidden meanings. Pick a statement of which meaning can be said to ALLUDE to the one you need to prove. Alternatively, INTERPRET a statement so that it fits yours. Who are we anyway to claim understanding of a text written in a foreign language and an ancient context!?
Real-world example:
Is it right for Jews to fight in Gaza, given the high risk of harming civilians?
A) Yes, it is! Why? Take your pick:
- Sodom was to be destroyed even though not all of its inhabitants were spoiled. (Before Abraham intervened).
- "Go, depart, go down from among Amalek, lest I destroy you with them." (Shmuel 1 15:6) This gets interpreted as even though you are my friend, if you are there, you could get hurt or killed. (seen here)
- An entire city holds collective responsibility for the immoral behavior of individuals. (In Gaza, the entire populace is responsible because they do nothing to stop the firing of Kassam rockets.) - by Chief Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu
B) No, it isn´t. Why? Take your pick:
- Don't do to others what you wouldn't want them to do unto you... (Talmud)
- God took care of Egypt and Sodom (i.e., the bad guys). All Israel has to do is keep his commandments, and God will protect them as it is written ...
Fantastic.
1. Decide what you want to justify / what you want someone else to do / what you want to ascertain.
2. Pick such statements from the text which contain a word pertaining to your subject. (It's easy - there are around 27000 verses in Torah and Prophets, 138000 verses in the New Testament and 6300 verses in Quran)
3. Out of those statements cherry-pick the one which seems the most to agree with your opinion.
4. Discard the others.
5. Say "This is so because the Torah/Bible/Quran says [fill in the statement from step 3]
Troubleshooting:
Can´t find a fitting statement? Don´t worry, holy books are full of hidden meanings. Pick a statement of which meaning can be said to ALLUDE to the one you need to prove. Alternatively, INTERPRET a statement so that it fits yours. Who are we anyway to claim understanding of a text written in a foreign language and an ancient context!?
Real-world example:
Is it right for Jews to fight in Gaza, given the high risk of harming civilians?
A) Yes, it is! Why? Take your pick:
- Sodom was to be destroyed even though not all of its inhabitants were spoiled. (Before Abraham intervened).
- "Go, depart, go down from among Amalek, lest I destroy you with them." (Shmuel 1 15:6) This gets interpreted as even though you are my friend, if you are there, you could get hurt or killed. (seen here)
- An entire city holds collective responsibility for the immoral behavior of individuals. (In Gaza, the entire populace is responsible because they do nothing to stop the firing of Kassam rockets.) - by Chief Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu
B) No, it isn´t. Why? Take your pick:
- Don't do to others what you wouldn't want them to do unto you... (Talmud)
- God took care of Egypt and Sodom (i.e., the bad guys). All Israel has to do is keep his commandments, and God will protect them as it is written ...
Fantastic.
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