Some 8,712 inches of rain per hour falling in Noah's flood, nonsense
indeed!
The above billboard is designed to announce an upcoming Freethought
Alliance conference, and sometimes I find the antics of the religious skeptics
as silly as I do those of biblical literalists and religious
fundamentalists.
Freely do I admit that I find some really nonsensical things in the pages
of the Bible, especially when I read it literally. But I don't need to
concoct ridiculous tidbits such as what is on this billboard to make my
point.
My best guess is that the Noah story represents the Jewish version of a
very popular and widely held flood myth. It's truly unfortunate that religious
fundamentalists have latched onto a literal interpretation of an ancient myth,
but more enlightened religious believers are just as troubled by this as
skeptics. However, I believe this problem is worthy of consideration on its own
merits without straw arguments.
Even ardent biblical literalist and the "father" of modern "Creation
Science" Henry Morris never said anything like that.
4 comments:
The absurd seems to heighten the feeding frenzy and to validate whatever belief system a person has. It's a shame that there isn't a place where people can truly coexist in harmony.
Hey, Doug!
A friend sent me a link the other day you may be interested in ... this guy is putting together a book, full of the stories of people who have made the journey out of fundamentalism, in one way or another. Sounds like it will make really interesting reading. A sentence he wrote in his "call for papers" caught my eye - he spoke of people moving from one kind of rigid fundamentalism to another - his words: "Some go the route back to fundamentalism, that is to say, to a militant atheism. As much as their world was defined by believing in a ‘literal’ interpretation of Scripture, their new world is defined by disbelieving in a ‘literal’ interpretation of Scripture." It's very true.
The details of the book, etc. are here: http://unsettledchristianity.com/2012/05/call-for-papers-from-fear-to-faith-energion-2013/#comment-435604 (might be something you would be tempted to write for, yourself!)
@ Mildred,
I think you hit the nail on the head. Why do disagreements these days always come down who is an idiot?
@ Kerry,
Thanks, I will check that out. I think I was well on my way to become the polar opposite type of fundamentalist. But I never stop searching and thinking. I hope I never will.
Post a Comment