Would You Worship This God?

Who would want to follow a god who is demonstratably aborticidal, angry, bloodthirsty, a bully, cannibalistic, capriciously malevolent, a control freak, curse-hurling, an ethnic cleanser, evil, filicidal, genocidal, homicidal, homophobic, infanticidal, jealous, megalomaniacal, merciless, misogynistic, pestilential, petty, racist, sadomasochistic, a slavemonger, a terrorist, unforgiving, unjust, vaccicidal, and vindictive? 

Christian apologists say "But that's the Old Testament" as if it doesn't count any more. *Cough*. They should read their bible a little more thoroughly, as it states it's ALL legit and still applicable:

“For truly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass the law until all is accomplished. Whoever then relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but he who does them and teaches them shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:18-19)

“It is easier for Heaven and Earth to pass away than for the smallest part of the letter of the law to become invalid.” (Luke 16:17)

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest part or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place.” (Matthew 5:17)

“Did not Moses give you the law, and yet none of you keepeth the law” (John7:19)

Thanks to the Freedom From Religion Foundation for the following references: 

Aborticidal:

Hosea 13:16: Because she has rebelled against her God . . . their little ones shall be dashed in pieces, and their pregnant women ripped open.

Numbers 5:21–22: May the Lord cause you to become a curse among your people when he makes your womb miscarry and your abdomen swell. May this water that brings a curse enter your body so that your abdomen swells or your womb miscarries.

Hosea 9:11–16: Ephraim’s glory will fly away like a bird—no birth, no pregnancy, no conception. Even if they rear children, I will bereave them of every one. . . . But Ephraim will bring out their children to the slayer. Give them, Lord—what will you give them? Give them wombs that miscarry and breasts that are dry. . . . I will no longer love them . . . Even if they bear children, I will slay their cherished offspring.

Angry:

Zephaniah 3:8: The whole world will be consumed by the fire of my jealous anger.

Isaiah 63:3: I trampled them in my anger and trod them down in my wrath; their blood spattered my garments.

Deuteronomy 6:14–15: Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the people which are round about you; (For the Lord thy God is a jealous God among you) lest the anger of the Lord thy God be kindled against thee, and destroy thee from off the face of the earth..

Ezekiel 38:19: For in my jealousy and in my blazing wrath I declare, On that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel.

Leviticus 26:28: In my anger I will be hostile toward you, and I myself will punish you for your sins seven times over.

Bloodthirsty:

Ezekiel 39:17–18: Thus saith the Lord God . . . Assemble yourselves, and come; gather yourselves on every side to my sacrifice that I do sacrifice for you, even a great sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel, that ye may eat flesh, and drink blood. Ye shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and drink the blood of the princes of the earth.

Ezekiel 32:6: I will drench the land even to the mountains with your flowing blood; and the watercourses will be full of you.

Jeremiah 46:10: For this is the day of the Lord God of hosts, a day of vengeance, that he may avenge him of his adversaries: and the sword shall devour, and it shall be satiate and made drunk with their blood.

A Bully:

Job 9:22–23: He destroys the perfect and the wicked. . . . He will laugh at the trial of the innocent.

Ezekiel 20:25–26: I might horrify them . . . that they might know that I am the Lord.

Exodus 14:4: I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue them, so that I will gain glory for myself over Pharaoh and all his army; and the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord.

Deuteronomy 32:39: See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand.

Cannibalistic:

Leviticus 26:28–29: But if, despite this, you disobey me . . . you shall eat the flesh of your sons, and you shall eat the flesh of your daughters. 

Deuteronomy 28:53: And thou shalt eat the fruit of thine own body, the flesh of thy sons and of thy daughters, which the Lord thy God hath given thee.

Isaiah 9:19–20: By the wrath of the Lord Almighty the land will be scorched and the people will be fuel for the fire. . . . Each will feed on the flesh of their own offspring.

Jeremiah 19:7–9: And their carcasses will I give to be meat for the fowls of the heaven, and for the beasts of the earth. . . . And I will cause them to eat the flesh of their sons and the flesh of their daughters, and they shall eat every one the flesh of his friend in the siege.

Capriciously Malevolent:

Isaiah 45:7: I make peace, and create evil: I the Lord do all these things.

Isaiah 9:17: Therefore the Lord shall have no joy in their young men, neither shall have mercy on their fatherless and widows.

Deuteronomy 29:1: Also every sickness, and every plague, which is not written in the book of this law, them will the Lord bring upon thee, until thou be destroyed.

A Control Freak:

Exodus 20:25: If you make an altar of stones for me, do not build it with dressed stones, for you will defile it if you use a tool on it.

1 Samuel 2:6–7: The Lord brings death and makes alive; he brings down to the grave and raises up. The Lord sends poverty and wealth; he humbles and he exalts.

Exodus 25:8–31: And have them make me a sanctuary, so that I may dwell among them. In accordance with all that I show you concerning the pattern of the tabernacle and of all its furniture, so you shall make it . . . They shall do just as I have commanded you.

Curse-hurling:

Deuteronomy 29:20: All the curses written in this book will descend on them, and the Lord will blot out their names from under heaven.

Genesis 12:3: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

Jeremiah 11:3–4: Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Cursed be anyone who does not heed the words of this covenant.

Deuteronomy 29:26–27: And the anger of the Lord was kindled against this land, to bring upon it all the curses that are written in this book.

Psalm 37:22: For such as be blessed of him shall inherit the earth; and they that be cursed of him shall be cut off.

An Ethnic Cleanser:

Numbers 33:52–53: You shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land . . . for I have given you the land to possess.

1 Samuel 15:3: Go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have; do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.

Joshua 11:21–22: Joshua utterly destroyed them with their cities. There was none of the Anakim left in the land of the people of Israel.

Deuteronomy 13:12–16: You shall surely put the inhabitants of that city to the sword, destroying it utterly, all who are in it and its cattle, with the edge of the sword. You shall gather all its spoil into the midst of its open square, and burn the city and all its spoil with fire, as a whole burnt offering to the Lord your God; it shall be a heap for ever, it shall not be built again.

2 Chronicles 34:1–7: In the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem from the high places, . . . And he burnt the bones of the priests upon their altars, and cleansed Judah and Jerusalem.

Evil:

1 Kings 14:9-10: But you have done evil above all those who were before you and have gone and made for yourself other gods, therefore, I will bring evil upon the house of Jeroboam.

Isaiah 45:7: I am the Lord, and there is none else. I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the Lord do all these things.

Ezekiel 6:10: And they shall know that I am the Lord, and that I have not said in vain that I would do this evil unto them.

Jeremiah 11:11: Therefore, thus says the Lord, Behold, I am bringing evil upon them which they cannot escape; though they cry to me, I will not listen to them.

Zechariah 8:14: For thus says the Lord of hosts: “As I purposed to do evil to you, when your fathers provoked me to wrath, and I did not relent, says the Lord of hosts.”

Filicidal:

Leviticus 21:9: And the daughter of any priest, if she profane herself by playing the whore, she profaneth her father: she shall be burnt with fire.

Lamentations 4:10: The hands of compassionate women have boiled their own children; they became their food in the destruction of the daughter of my people.

Genesis 22:2: Take your son . . . and offer him there as a burnt offering.

Deuteronomy 21:18–21: If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son, which will not obey the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother . . . all the men of his city shall stone him with stones, that he die.

Genocidal & Homicidal:

Deuteronomy 20:16–17: You must not let anything that breathes remain alive. You shall annihilate them.

Deuteronomy 2:32–34: And the Lord our God delivered him before us; and . . . we took all his cities at that time, and utterly destroyed the men, and the women, and the little ones, of every city, we left none to remain.

Genesis 6:6–8: I will blot out from the earth the human beings I have created— people together with animals and creeping things and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.

Deuteronomy 20:10–19: In the cities of the nations the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, do not leave alive anything that breathes. Completely destroy them.

1 Samuel 15:7–8: And Saul smote the Amalekites . . . and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.

Jeremiah 50:21: Go up against the land of Merathaʹim, and against the inhabitants of Pekod. Slay, and utterly destroy after them, says the Lord, and do all that I have commanded you.

Exodus 21:15: Whoever strikes his father or his mother shall be put to death.

2 Chronicles 15:13: All who would not seek the Lord, the God of Israel, were to be put to death, whether small or great, man or woman.

Exodus 22:20: Whoever sacrifices to any god, save to the Lord only, shall be utterly destroyed.

Deuteronomy 22:20–21: Then they shall bring out the young woman to the door of her father’s house, and the men of her city shall stone her to death with stones.

Esther 9:5–6: The Jews struck down all their enemies with the sword, killing and destroying them, and they did what they pleased to those who hated them.

Homophobic:

Leviticus 18:22: You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination.

Leviticus 20:13: If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall be put to death; their blood is upon them.

Infanticidal:

Hosea 13:16: Samaria shall become desolate; for she hath rebelled against her God: they shall fall by the sword: their infants shall be dashed in pieces, and their women with child shall be ripped up.

1 Samuel 15:2–3: Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling.

Psalm 137:8–9: O daughter Babylon, you devastator! Happy shall they be who pay you back what you have done to us! Happy shall they be who take your little ones and dash them against the rock!

Numbers 31:17: Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him.

Ezekiel 9:4–6: And the Lord said unto him . . . Slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women.

Jealous:

Nahum 1:2: A jealous and avenging God is the Lord, the Lord is avenging and wrathful.

Exodus 20:4–6: You shall not make for yourself an idol . . . for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, punishing . . . those who reject me.

Deuteronomy 4:24: For the Lord thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God.

Psalm 78:58: For they provoked him to anger with their high places, and moved him to jealousy with their graven images.

Ezekiel 38:19: For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel.

Megalomaniacal:

Ezekiel 38:23: So I will display my greatness and my holiness and make myself known in the eyes of many nations. Then they shall know that I am the Lord.

Isaiah 33:10–12: Now will I be exalted; now will I lift up myself. . . . Acknowledge my might.

Deuteronomy 32:39: See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god beside me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand.

Psalm 95:3: For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.

Deuteronomy 7:21: Do not be terrified by them, for the Lord your God, who is among you, is a great and awesome God.

Deuteronomy 10:17, 20: For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome . . . Fear the Lord your God and serve him.

Merciless:

Jeremiah 13:14: I will not pity, nor spare, nor have mercy, but destroy them..

Deuteronomy 7:1–2: When the Lord your God brings you into the land which you are entering to take possession of it . . . show no mercy to them.

Lamentations 2:2: The Lord has destroyed without mercy all the habitations of Jacob.

Ezekiel 7:9: And my eye will not spare, nor will I have pity . . . Then you will know that I am the Lord, who smite.

Jeremiah 21:7: And afterward, saith the Lord . . . he shall smite them with the edge of the sword; he shall not spare them, neither have pity, nor have mercy.

Misogynistic:

Genesis 3:16: Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.

Exodus 21:7: When a man sells his daughter as a slave, she shall not go out as the male slaves do.

Numbers 5:15–31: This is the law in cases of jealousy. The man shall be free from iniquity, but the woman shall bear her iniquity.

Judges 5:30: Have they not divided the prey; to every man a damsel or two?

Numbers 31:17–18: Now therefore, kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known man by lying with him. But all the young girls who have not known man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves.

Petty:

Ezekiel 13:20: I am against your pillows!

Leviticus 19:27: You shall not round off the hair on your temples or mar the edges of your beard.

Leviticus 19:19: Nor shall you put on a garment made of two different materials

Deuteronomy 28:17: Cursed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl.

Racist:

Deuteronomy 7:1–6: When the Lord your God brings you into the land that you are about to enter and occupy . . . Do not intermarry with them.

Deuteronomy 7:6: The Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on earth to be his people, his treasured possession.

Nehemiah 13:3: When they had heard the law, that they separated from Israel all the mixed multitude.

Deuteronomy 23:3–6: An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter into the congregation of the Lord. . . . Thou shalt not seek their peace nor their prosperity all thy days for ever.

Nehemiah 13:23–30: Ye shall not give your daughters unto their sons, nor take their daughters unto your sons, or for yourselves. . . . Shall we then hearken unto you to do all this great evil, to transgress against our God in marrying strange wives? . . . Thus cleansed I them from all strangers.

Sadomasochistic:

Psalm 147:11: The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy.

Jeremiah 13:15–26: Rape: The Lord has spoken. . . . it is for the greatness of your iniquity that your skirts are lifted up, and you are violated [raped] . . . because you have forgotten me and trusted in lies. I myself will lift up your skirts over your face, and your shame will be seen.

Isaiah 53:10: Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer.

Psalm 33:8: Let all the earth fear the Lord: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.

Psalm 34:11: Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the Lord.

Slavemonger:

Leviticus 25:44–46: Your male and female slaves are to come from the nations around you; from them you may buy slaves . . . and they will become your property. You can . . . make them slaves for life.

Exodus 21:20–21: Anyone who beats their slave with a rod must be punished if the slave dies . . . but not if the slave recovers after a day or two, since the slave is their property.

Judges 1:28,30,35: When Israel became strong, they pressed the Canaanites into forced labor but never drove them out completely. . . . Zebulun did subject them to forced labor. . . . When the power of the tribes of Joseph increased, they too were pressed into forced labor.

Exodus 20:9–10: The seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work—you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns.

Exodus 20:17: You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.

A Terrorist:

Isaiah 2:19: Enter the caves of the rocks and the holes of the ground, from the terror of the Lord, and from the glory of his majesty, when he rises to terrify the earth.

Psalm 14:5: There they shall be in great terror, for God is with the company of the righteous.

Psalm 73:18-19: Surely thou didst set them in slippery places: thou castedst them down into destruction. How are they brought into desolation, as in a moment! they are utterly consumed with terrors.

Exodus 23:27: I will send my terror in front of you.

Leviticus 26:13-16: I am the Lord your God . . . if you will not obey me . . . I will bring terror on you.

Unforgiving:

Joshua 24:19: He is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions or your sins.

Isaiah 22:14: The Lord of hosts has revealed himself in my ears: ‘Surely this iniquity will not be forgiven you till you die,’ says the Lord God of hosts.

2 Kings 24:3–4: For he had filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, and the Lord was not willing to forgive.

Deuteronomy 29:20: For he had filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, and the Lord was not willing to forgive.

Exodus 23:21: Do not rebel against him; he will not forgive your rebellion, since my Name is in him.

Ezekiel 24:13–14: I the Lord have spoken. The time has come for me to act. I will not hold back; I will not have pity, nor will I relent.

Unjust:

Deuteronomy 5:9: I the Lord your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third and fourth generation of those who reject me.

Exodus 34:6–7: The Lord God . . . visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.

Numbers 14:18: The Lord is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation.

Isaiah 14:21: Prepare slaughter for his children for the iniquity of their fathers; that they do not rise, nor possess the land, nor fill the face of the world with cities.

1 Kings 21:28–29: Because he humbleth himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days: but in his son’s days will I bring the evil upon his house.

Jeremiah 29:31–32: Because Shemaiah has prophesied to you, even though I did not send him, and has persuaded you to trust in lies, this is what the Lord says: I will surely punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his descendants.

Vaccicidal:

Ezekiel 32:13: I will destroy all its livestock from beside abundant waters.

1 Samuel 15:3: Attack the Amalekites . . . put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.

Exodus 9:1–3,6: The hand of the Lord will strike with a deadly pestilence your livestock in the field: the horses, the donkeys, the camels, the herds, and the flocks. . . . And on the next day the Lord did so; all the livestock of the Egyptians died.

Deuteronomy 13:15: You must certainly put to the sword all who live in that town. You must destroy it completely, both its people and its livestock.

Ezekiel 32:13–15: I will destroy all her cattle from beside abundant waters no longer to be stirred by the foot of man or muddied by the hooves of cattle. . . . When I strike down all who live there, then they will know that I am the Lord.

Vindictive:

Deuteronomy 32:35: The Lord says, . . . “I will take revenge; I will pay them back. In due time their feet will slip. Their day of disaster will arrive, and their destiny will overtake them.”

Isaiah 47:3: I will take vengeance, and I will spare no man.

Isaiah 34:8: For the Lord has a day of vengeance, a year of recompense for the cause of Zion.

Isaiah 47:3–4: I will take vengeance, and I will spare no man. Our Redeemer—the Lord of hosts is his name—is the Holy One of Israel.

Psalm 94:1: O Lord, the God of vengeance, O God of vengeance, let your glorious justice shine forth!

Lamentations 3:64–66: Pay them back what they deserve, Lord, for what their hands have done.

The Mythic Jesus: Let’s Get Our Facts Right

1,700 words

Intro:
I’m an atheist. To me, there is a thorough lack of evidence for the existence of an Abrahamic God as described in the scriptures of the Christian faith. There is also a lack of consensus amongst biblical scholars as to the accuracy and veracity of these writings, which is enough for me to remain an unbeliever. It’s all myth, allegory, and an attempt to literalize a book written and edited by a church wanting to control the uneducated with the Fear of God. And his chosen priesthood, of course.

That said, there is “fake news” out there asserted by many who state that the explanations for god and Jesus are rooted in Egyptian mythology; that Jesus himself is just a plagiarized version of a multitude of these gods, particularly Horus. This is primarily based on the writings of Gerald Massey, a self-taught Egyptologist, and made popular in the movie Zeitgeist.

I’m not arguing that Jesus actually existed—but what I am doing is disclosing the facts behind falsehoods that make atheists and agnostics look bad. My point here is to disregard these sources of misinformation if we want to appear credible.

The source of this theory: *
Where did the idea of the mythic Christ originate? Much of it began in the writings of two amateur Egyptologists named Godfrey Higgins (1772-1833) and Gerald Massey (1829-1907). Both wrote extensively on the idea of the mythic Christ. They claimed one parallel after another between the Bible and pagan mythology, making it appear as if the biblical writers borrowed stories wholesale from ancient tales. Almost all scholars today recognize that this approach is fundamentally flawed. For nearly all of the supposed parallels these two men discovered, scholars today say without hesitation that no genetic connection exists between the Bible and the myths these two men examined.

Neither Higgins nor Massey was a scholar or academic, and both were self-taught religious enthusiasts. More importantly, neither is remembered in the history of scholarship today. Writers such as Dorothy Murdock—a vocal proponent of the Christ myth theory—laments that these supposed intellectual titans have been forgotten. She heaps effusive praise upon Massey in particular (2009, pp. 13-26), calling him a “pioneer.” In truth, neither one of them had any ideas worth remembering. They are virtually unknown in modern Egyptology.

In all of the cases of his “crucified saviours,” unlike Jesus, none were actually crucified, and none of them died in behalf of the salvation of others. Indeed, some of them never died.

Adonis	Adonis dies when he is gored by a bull on a hunting trip.
Attis	In a moment of madness, Attis commits suicide by emasculating himself.
Baal	The text is unclear, but it appears Baal is slain in personal battle with Mot, the Canaanite god of death.
Bacchus	Bacchus is the Roman equivalent of Dionysus, whose body is almost completely devoured by the Titans, who leave only his heart.
Balder	In the Norse myths, Balder is invincible to all known objects, except for mistletoe. One of the gods’ pastimes is throwing objects at Balder, who cannot be harmed. Loki crafts a magical spear from this plant and tricks the god Hodur into throwing it at Balder, killing him.
Beddru	Supposedly a Japanese figure. Either Graves had a bad source, or he simply invented the name, as no figure with this name exists in Far Eastern literature. It may be that he meant to say “Beddou,” who is a Japanese figure some have equated with the Buddha. Regardless, there is no record of the crucifixion of this individual, if he even existed in any of the literature.
Devatat	This is uncertain, but appears to be the name of the Buddha in some places in the Far East. The literature states that the Buddha died at 80 of a natural illness, though some say he was poisoned. Either way, he never died on a cross, and Buddhism has no need of a personal savior, anyway.
Dionysus	The Greek god of wine and the grapevine had a tough childhood. When an infant, the Titans devour his body, leaving only his heart behind. He is later reborn.
Hercules	Hercules dies when he is burned alive on a funeral pyre.
Hermes	Hermes never dies in the Greek myths.
Horus	Horus never dies in the Egyptian myths.
Krishna	Krishna is mortally wounded when a hunter accidentally shoots him in the heel with an arrow.
Mithras	Mithras does not die in the Persian myths.
Orpheus	In one account, Orpheus is torn apart by Maenads, the female followers of Dionysus, for failing to honor their master. In other accounts he either commits suicide or is struck by one of Zeus’ lightning bolts.
Osiris	Osiris is killed when his brother Seth drowns him in the Nile. Seth later recovers the body and dismembers it.
Tammuz	Originally called Dumuzi by the Sumerians, Tammuz is taken to the underworld when his lover, Inanna, is given a deal where she can be released if she finds a substitute. She is enraged that Tammuz is not mourning her death, so she chooses him to take her place in the realm of the dead. There is no mention of crucifixion.
Thor	Thor dies in Ragnarok, the final battle that will end the world, when he is bitten by a giant serpent.
Zoroaster	According to one ancient source, Zoroaster was murdered while at an altar.

Massey cites numerous other parallels of Jesus actually being a plagiarized Horus without any indication of the original references in the Egyptian texts. The following few milestones in the bible’s writings of Jesus’ life show how wrong he was...

Jesus’ Birth:
He (Massey) states Horus was born on December 25th of the virgin Isis-Meri. His birth was accompanied by a star in the east, which in turn, three kings followed to locate and adorn the new-born saviour. At the age of 12, he was a prodigal child teacher, and at the age of 30 he was baptized by a figure known as Anup and thus began his ministry. Horus had 12 disciples he traveled about with, performing miracles such as healing the sick and walking on water. After being betrayed by Typhon, Horus was crucified, buried for 3 days, and thus, resurrected.'

According to the Egyptian legend, Horus' father was Osiris and his mother was Isis (but there is nothing to connect this name with Mary / Meri). Osiris was killed by his brother Set who wanted his throne. Isis briefly brought Osiris back to life by use of a spell that she learned from her father. This spell gave her time to become pregnant by Osiris before he again died and she later gave birth to Horus. Horus then killed Set. The combination of Osiris and Horus became linked in Egyptian mythology with the idea of death and rebirth. As in all pagan religions, there was a connection with the seasons (winter = death, spring = rebirth) and with the sun setting and rising. In the Egyptian myth it became associated with the flooding and retreating of the Nile and thus with the new harvest each year in the Nile valley.

According to this myth Isis was not a virgin, there is no link to the name Mary, however there is a death and rebirth story in line with the nature gods of paganism and fertility rituals. While this may be of interest in understanding the ancient religions of the world it has absolutely no bearing on the events recorded in the Bible. Horus was supposedly born during the month of Khoiak (Oct/Nov), and not on December 25th, a fact that does not make any difference to the claim that both Horus and Jesus were born at the same time since the Bible never says that Jesus was born on December 25th!

When stories detailing the birth of Horus are examined, there is no star or three kings who come to visit him. Trying to link this to Christianity fails in any event as the account of Christ's birth in Matthew has magi (wise men, not kings) coming to Jesus with their actual number not being stated.

Jesus’ Baptism:
He states that Horus was "baptized" by Anup and started a "ministry." The only accounts remotely related to Horus and water are the stories told of Osiris (his father who is sometimes combined in ancient accounts with Horus to form one individual) whose body was cut up into 14 pieces by his enemy, Set, and scattered throughout the earth. Isis supposedly found each part of the body and after having Osiris float in the Nile; he came back to life or became the lord of the underworld, depending on which account is read. 

Jesus’ Death & Resurrection:
The claims of Horus being buried for three days and resurrected are not to be found in any ancient Egyptian texts either. Some accounts have Osiris being brought back to life by Isis and going to be the lord of the underworld. But, there is no mention of a burial for three days and no mention of his physically coming out of a grave in the same physical body he went in with and never dying again. In addition, there is certainly no account of Horus dying for others as Jesus did.

Conclusion:
There you have it—a sound rebuttal to the misleading theory of a mythic Christ borne of previously conceived gods of ancient lore. This article is not to be taken as evidence of the Christ story being real, or even true, (a debate for another time) but rather to educate and therefore disarm Christians’ accusations of atheists using flawed and erroneous information when “attacking” Christianity. 

Go ahead and check the accuracy of this research as I have: it doesn’t take much snooping around online to confirm the various god’s lack of paralleled lives when compared to Jesus. The first rule of debating is to use accurate and true data, not unfounded stories.  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

* With thanks to Dewayne Bryant, Ph.D. for the original full length article found at https://www.apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=10&article=973 which was heavily borrowed from and edited here for brevity.

To anyone who identifies as a Christian and thinks I'm going to hell:

I've had it with friends from my past who still identify as Christian. I tried to maintain contact with one particular person who at first was all-welcoming when I re-established contact with him a number of years ago. We debated back and forth about the foundation of our "isms", but the underpinning values of love and respect overshadowed those paradigms. Until a couple weeks ago.

I informed him of my Mom's passing, and all he did was preach at me about hellfire; that I read too much Dawkins; that I was a shell of a man angry at god; that according to my beliefs, I'll be nothing but worm food in contrast to his eternity in paradise. This, on the day of Mom's funeral. To exit this toxic "friendship", I permanently cut off any communication with him, which was difficult considering my grief. But a good thing considering his verbal abuse, misunderstanding of me, and his need to be right in his condemnation of an "apostate". I had to grieve a loss of what I thought was a life long friend.

Religion is dangerous in the hands of a proud narcissist. Others from my past who also exited narrow minded faith in fairy tales had to also cut off friendship with this same individual. Having to do it the day I buried my mother drove home the resolve to not tolerate people who believe that a sky daddy will reward them for such behaviour.

No, I'm not painting all Christians with the same brush, but if there's one thing I've learned from my foray into and out of Christianity is that 99% of the ones that take it seriously - by default - have an elitist attitude that they have a corner on the truth. It's why they believe...

So, to you proud Christians that think you're holier than thou, fuck off and die. 

Sarah Salviander’s Reasons for Converting to Christianity: A Response

Jim Hutchison

1,918 words

Introduction

An email came across my computer earlier today from something called the “Atheist Republic”, an on-line web based community of atheists who support and educate like-minded people.  The headline read “Christian Astrophysicist Has 5 Reasons She’s No Longer an Atheist”. This undoubtedly caught my attention, as the usual pattern is the opposite - that as we become more educated, particularly in the sciences, the less likely we are to believe in anything that has no evidence or backing by the scientific method.

Admittedly,  my bias in this area had me pre-judging her reasons and motives for such a paradigm shift, but being a truth seeker with an open mind, I was very curious to find out how and why she “flipped” from one end of the spectrum to the other. My pursuit of truth and meaning keeps me on my toes, as my beliefs are from a constant evaluation of the latest and most accurate facts and evidence. Facts and evidence divorced from any emotional need to feel comforted by any kind of non-truth.  I’d rather believe in the right things for the right reasons and be miserable, than the wrong things for the wrong reasons just for the sake of feeling all cozy and comfy.  There’s nothing more sacred than the truth.

The email was actually a link to a video blog with two participants from Atheist Republic who discussed her five reasons for turning from atheism to Christianity.  Their treatment didn’t go deep enough for me, so I delved into her writings, testimonies, and various articles on her web sites (references below), and have come away with what I think is a good understanding of her reasons and motivations.  I’ll touch on each one, and add my own comments. Her reasons are:

1 – Genesis is consistent with science

2 – The legal-historical case for Jesus is strong

3 – Christianity is the source of things I cherish

4 – Christianity is the best explanation for evil

5 – Christianity gives me meaning and hope

There’s two groupings in these reasons: her facts as she describes them, and personal reasons.

Her Facts

Statements 1 & 2 are claims of fact.  Let’s deal with the fist one, as this is the most contentious between scientists and creationists.  Firstly, it is important for the claimant to define their position; i.e.: are they claiming the bible to be literal, or allegorical? It’s a very important distinction, in that the allegory stance could conceivably be shoe-horned into a natural explanation of the origins of the universe, earth, and humans, although the order of events in the bible still contradict modern science’s knowledge of our origins thanks to generations of geological, botanical, anthropological, and cosmological study.  But it suits many people who have a prejudiced belief in the god of the bible.

The second option is belief in a literal 6 day creation, which is a huge problem for the most fundamental and simple laws of science and physics.  Reconciling a literal take of the first two books of the bible with modern science requires such denial of facts that it requires them to be thrown away and dismissed as man-made foolishness; the result of man worshipping his own intellect and holding it above god’s authority.  (Their words, not mine.)  It is patently obvious that to believe this, one must possess such strong prejudice and favouritism towards belief in the god of the bible, that all else is nothing in comparison. It’s called confirmation bias, and anyone possessing it will dismiss and explain away (usually quite poorly) any and all evidence to the contrary.  The most silly one I’ve ever heard is “Well, it’s a mystery. Who can know the mind of god?”

Ms. Salviander’s interpretation of the bible is to take it literally.

“How can someone with such education have strong favouritism for something so easily disproven?” you may ask.  The answer is actually in items 3 to 5, but I’ll get to that after I address point 2.

“The legal-historical case for Jesus is strong”.  No need to spill a lot of ink (...pixels?) on this one, as the historical basis for Jesus’ existence is muddied with enough doubt thanks to the geo-politics of second and third century Christianity that even biblical scholars don’t agree on.  There are well articulated arguments on both sides - that Christ was a real character, and his followers started a massive following with enough inertia that Constantine had to declare Christianity the official religion in the 3rd century.  The flip side of this story (again, argued well by scholars) explains his existence as a contrivance of religious clerics for the purpose of controlling the masses through fear of hell.

There is a palpable lack of any history of Jesus’ life, especially considering the apparent impact he had on his contemporaries.  No Roman writings, or otherwise. The only “proof” of his existence outside of the bible are the writings of a historian named Josephus, who wasn’t born until after Jesus death. His references to Jesus are strongly suspected to be identifiable additions after his death.  More fodder for the theory of Jesus’  life being non-factual.

So with substantial evidence on both sides of the debate, the claim of item #2 isn’t so iron-clad.

Items 3 to 5: Personal and Emotional

These next points clearly indicate the absence of scientific critical thinking; they are founded purely on the emotional need to feel coddled and safe.

“Christianity is the source of things I cherish.”   Someone please explain to me how the foundation of this statement in any way justifies converting to Christianity other than a need for emotional security and comfort.  Put another way, it seems her psychological requirements trump fact, evidence, and truth.  She says so herself in not so many words.

“Christianity is the best explanation for evil.”  People can be so sickened by man’s inhumanity to man that they disassociate the action from the person, and blame an external entity for such behaviour.  He’s called “the Devil”, and if I were him and god really existed, I’d be complaining about all this unwarranted accusation.  I jest of course, but people are quite capable of evil all on their own.  It’s easy to see as an outsider that when we and/or those we love experience incredible harm, there’s a need for an explanation; a focal point for our anger and sense of injustice.  But, shit happens, and sometimes so randomly, that finding an explanation is futile.  That irks us, so we invent “evil” as its own force and entity.

All that said, there’s an interesting verse in the old testament that was quoted in the Atheist Republic’s v-blog:

I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the Lord do all these things. Isaiah 45:7, KJV.

Christians seems to miss this one... if blame for evil is to be placed anywhere, it’s on the god they say created everything from scratch.  So technically, Ms. Salviander is correct in that her belief indeed explains evil.  Perhaps not the way she thought, but I can’t put words in her mouth.

“Christianity gives me meaning and hope.”  Nice for her, but again, these are emotional - albeit legitimate - needs we all have and share as humans.  Logically though, she is putting the cart before the horse by believing in something for its selfish benefit, rather than basing a belief on its merits alone.  It’s just like Fox Mulder’s poster on his office wall in the TV series “The X-Files”.  It’s an illustration of an out-of-focus UFO, with the words “I Want To Believe”.  This is blatant confirmation bias, where evidence is filtered for the sole purpose of supporting a predisposed and foregone conclusion.  The absolute opposite of the laws of logic and science.  Discovery of facts and evidence are meant to formulate and support a postulate with eventual confirmation of a theory - which then becomes established as scientific fact.  Like I said, item #5 is just the opposite.

Ms. Salviander’s Testimony

In her own words, Ms. Salviader’s eventual conversion is hallmarked by feelings and emotions, often precipitated by loss and pain.  You know where I’m going with this... Like any and all such conversions, they stem from the experience of needing meaning, explanations for things science can’t articulate, and the comfort of finally relinquishing the fate of your own life into the hands of god.  It’s a huge relief (ask me how I know), and the resulting sense of “finally coming home” is nothing more than adult thumb-sucking.

Three quotes from her web site:

(Following her daughter’s death:)

“I finally had a clear vision of our little girl in the loving arms of her heavenly Father, and it was then that I had peace. I reflected that, after all these trials in one year, my husband and I were not only closer to each other, but also felt closer to God. My faith was real.”

“I walking across that beautiful La Jolla campus. I stopped in my tracks when it hit me—I believed in God! I was so happy; it was like a weight had been lifted from my heart. I realized that most of the pain I’d experienced in my life was of my own making, but that God had used it to make me wiser and more compassionate. It was a great relief to discover that there was a reason for suffering, and that it was because God was loving and just. God could not be perfectly just unless I—just like everyone else—was made to suffer for the bad things I’d done.”

“[But] the only way we are free is if the universe and everything in it was created, not by some unconscious mechanism, but by a personal being—the God of the Bible. The only way our lives are unique, purposeful, and eternal is if a loving God created us.”

Please visit her web site to see that none of these quotes are taken out of context, and you may gain a better understanding and explanation of her beliefs.  Most of it is based on a couple concepts.  1) The big bang is proof that Genesis is correct, in that the universe had a beginning, therefore it had to be created (quite a stretch, I know), and... 2) The first days of creation are accurately described as such because it was GOD watching the clock, not us... the expanding universe bent time enough to equate billions of years to 6 days.

All interesting theory if you’re trying to shoe-horn facts into a bias that is rife with preconceived ideas, concepts, and conclusions.

Conclusion

So yes, my initial take on her 5 reasons proved true after careful examination.  Scientists of her ilk (and I’ve known some personally) use Aristotelian logic, but with unfounded assertions and highly theoretical associations between "facts".  One example being how the stretching of time due to universal expansion explains the literal 6 day creation story.  Additionally, what’s not explained is the messed up order of creation; that the earth existed before stars were created.  I didn’t find an explanation for that one, though I’m sure the creationists find some way...

So, the current world view I adhere to has been undergirded by yet another poor attempt at using the bible to explain everything by a mindset firmly grounded in god-belief.  Justification for this belief is so full of logical fallacies, that someone seeking truth outside themselves, free of bias and need for comfort, can only conclude that Christianity (well, all three Abrahamic religions really), base their foundation on centuries old fables, fiction, and regurgitated legends written by (perhaps) well-meaning authors trying to understand the age old archetypical search for meaning and purpose.

~~~~~~~~~~

Quotes and research from:

• https://jamesbishopblog.com/2015/05/23/former-atheist-astrophysicist-sarah-salviander-explains-her-journey-to-christianity/
• https://sarahsalviander.com/
• https://sixdayscience.com/
• http://evangelicalfocus.com/science/881/Sarah_Salviander_The_journey_of_an_atheist_astrophysicist_who_became_a_Christian

Critical Thinking is at Risk...

The discipline of critical thinking is taking a shit kicking these days.  Just look at the latest in American politics and the religious right’s support of it.  Those who willingly lack this discipline stay at the mercy of the manipulators, controllers, and fear mongers because to them, their arguments make sense. Religion and belief in god is at the root of so much garbage. Pls read on.

(For the sake of brevity in these few paragraphs, I’ll use the word “bible” to also mean the koran and talmud... they all come from the same root Abrahamic writings.)

By the basic rules of truth, logic and philosophy, the god of the bible cannot exist. The mass of contradictions in each of the Abrahamic “holy” writings is too overwhelming for the serious inquirer to take seriously, unless they are picking and choosing what they want to believe. 

See, there’s this little problem of evidence of god’s existence.  When challenged with this point, many immediately reply “Prove to me he DOESN’T exist.”  Oh please... it’s like me asking you to prove the easter bunny doesn’t exist.  Can’t do it, can you?  It’s a fundamental law of logic: you can’t prove a negative. Therefore, when all is said and done, when someone claims that god exists, I can as easily dismiss that claim due to the lack of evidence. 

The burden of proof is on the person making any claim without evidence; it isn’t up to the other person to prove they’re  wrong.

An inherent and significant fallacy of any faith and religious belief is as follows: say I settled on a particular interpretation of the bible (there are thousands by necessity...)  stating mine was the right one...  have I not placed myself in a position of unquestionable authority over the bible, god, and everyone else? Yes I have.  Simple logic, because I have claimed that my “take” is right one.  I’ll agree with others that agree with me, and reject all others with differing views.  Instant logical fallacy.

Sorry, we can’t wiggle out of this one by saying there’s “your” truth, and “my” truth because THAT my friends is broken, faulty, childish logic.  Terms must be defined: there can be many interpretations,  but there can only be the ultimate undeniable, provable, untenable final truth.  Like the law of gravity.  No arguments there!

The last protest to this logic is always “It’s a mystery. We cannot know or understand the mind of god.”  Well, isn’t that convenient?  Believers use this as their last argument; their last resort to demolish any kind of challenge to their beliefs.  They pull the rug out from under us by saying they have no need to provide proof because of the nature of god... that he can make and brake rules as he sees fit.  Funny how they are experts in total non-logic, contradictory facts, and claim to be best friends with the author of this universe that has no rules. They get to make up them up as things progress.  THAT is the purest definition of total non-accountability, and is the reason why religious faith is dangerous...

Please THINK critically.  It’s becoming a rarity these days.

What Happens if you REALLY follow the bible?

Sam Harris once again shreds the idea that the bible/god/christianity is all about love and peace. If we really took the bible seriously and lived by it, we'd all have slaves, beat our children, and stone our new wife if we found out she wasn't a virgin... give it a quick listen...

Why is SO much unquestioned respect given to faith?  It's as if anything believed under the umbrella of religion is somehow immune to the scrutiny of common sense.  We actually know the answer: it's because our relatively recent history as a society was enveloped in the dark ages, where religion governed all aspects of life.

My challenge to the reader is to examine your own emotions and judgements (good and bad) next time someone asks your head to be bowed at a family or communal meal, even if the majority present aren't religious. That behaviour is an indicator of our society's undue respect and over-tolerance for unfounded and irrational faith, which came from that time in history when superstition and religion where one in the same. The church held power over government. Priests were gods. That's not the case any more, but you wouldn't know it by the remnants were still carry...

It's high time we throw away that rabbit's foot.

The scary thing is, there are Christians today who would defend this kind of behaviour, not just slavery (...because, well - God says it okay), but the beating as well. In my Christian days, I was exposed to various teachings about submission, and one common interpretation is that submission to any and all authority is non-negotiable. That goes for Peter, above...

You see, a face-value interpretation of the Christian bible should actually make atheists out of any reader. But why doesn't it?

The most ill-informed criticism about evolution is the label it's given: theory. Richard Dawkins (above) makes a good point, albeit facetiously, that we live our lives believing and trusting in so-called "theories".  Like gravity. Scientists are still theorizing about what gravity is, yet it doesn't mean gravity is hogwash. Religious people use the word "theory" in a derogatory way to criticize evolution and natural selection, casting doubt on its legitimacy as an explanation for our beginnings. Fact is, evolution is far more than mere theory.

Isn't it odd that it's only people who believe in the literal God of the bible that make this accusation. These people insist that facts and evidence are trumped by a god who can create a universe that is only 6,000 years old, and in that feat, spontaneously create the rings in trees, the light that has taken millions of light years to reach earth from the cosmos, a woman from a rib... And the scary part is that the majority of North America's population believes in such fairy tales! We really, truly must take a head-on approach to instilling common sense and critical thought in our children. Otherwise, progress will be stunted.