From "Born again Christian" to Atheist!

[inge]

Hi it is very good that you did some research yourself. I have been youthleader for 10 years and I it always amazed me how much churchgoers just accept it because it is "told to them that way". As some do say "be a Berean" what means to dig for yourself into the bible.

Yes the bible is very accurate and tells honestly that people mess up. It describes persons in finesses and humanity to the deepest of their hearts.

When the bible would not mention Lot and what he did to his daughters- it would have lied
When the bible would have said: no slavery - it would have been a politic kind of book (immediately thrown out of many countries)

Still it says: There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.(Gal 3:28) In the Old Testament God gives a testimony of Jews getting out of slavery by God and He reminds them that they have been slaves.... God is not a God of slavery. Nor is His book a book of slavery. But humanity likes to take slaves and keep slavery and the bible describes it. The bible is a history book, and wisdom book and poetry book. The truth in it is the reality mentioned, and Gods rules and Gods salvation for humanity. The ones fighting slavery came that far when they found the truth in the bible: God created us all equal.

I take this last thing as example. Many use the bible to show how wrong it is to think the bible is true or even worthy to let the content change us from inside out. Well, many that did - are changed positively like the ones fighting slavery.

Even the bible warn us that many can take Gods word and abuse it to their own prosperity/ to manipulate others. That is why Jesus called the Pharisees vipers. This is still happening. And Jesus is the perfect example to show us that God is not a God of big words and useless chatter. Jesus is born in an age where Jews were less than (normal) Roman citizen. He was born in an average home, a dad being carpenter. His brothers laughed at His ministry. Both the rich (ladies) and the fishermen and even a thief followed Him. And He shocked the people with His teaching (straight out of Gods word).

So when you read the bible you need to do it in perspective. Take Jesus in the center and the rest of the bible will be put in place. God dislikes murder but they murdered His Son Jesus. God hates it when they abuse the widows and little ones but Gods little one, Jesus, had to flee as child. God hates abuse but Herodus abused the situation by mocking Jesus in His detention and sending Him back with a decorated mantle to Pilatus. Jesus was beaten while He was innocent. Jesus lived what He believed. Jesus is the Living Word of God.

I like to study and I also found many things in the bible that do not make sense to me, or it seems that it contradicts. It does not bother me. Through time I found some solutions some problems are solved, others not. No world view has all answers or is able to answer all questions of life.

We all learn and we are not perfect and we will never become perfect on this earth also our knowledge is not perfect (1 Cor 13). As soon as someone would say to me: "I know it all from the bible" I would be worried. Knowing it all seems to me like being puffed up in knowledge but not edifying in charity (1 Cor 8:1) (as the Pharisees did).

 

[Jimbone]

I was raised in a Christian family, with fantastic parents and great siblings. Went to a bible believing church my entire life. When I was 19 years old, I became a "born-again Christian". I lived as a devout Christian and made a big effort to make sure that I "wtnessed" to others as much as possible.
When I was 24, I started to think seriously about getting into the ministry in a professional sense. I was considering aquiring a second bachelor's degree by applying for seminary. However, before taking that big step I started to delve deeper into the bible. I wanted to really "know my stuff", when it came to the bible.
This is the point at which I started questioning things in the bible. This was the first time that I seriously studied the bible in depth. I read verses periodically throughout my life and watched a lot of sermons and read what other preachers and evangelists had written for several years. But, now I was reading the actual text myself, directly from the King James version. I used bible study companions to make sure that what I was reading was accurate, and even using translation guide books that corroborated the bible I was reading all the way back to the Greek translations.
For the first time, I started to see the bible for what it really was. Certain parts that were never taught in Sunday school or from the pulpit when I was growing up in church, were shocking to me. I had relied on what others had taught from the bible instead of reading the actual text myself.
This is what finally "put the nails in the coffin" for me concerning my "faith" and belief in the bible.
I would encourage anyone to actually read the bible, because this will allow you to see it for what it is. It's a bronze-age collection of manuscripts that went through translation after translation, after going through centuries of oral interpretations, generation after generation...
Please feel free to respond for an adult civilized conversation on these topics. (ツ)

Well I was the exact opposite, I was not raised to be a Christian or taught anything about God or the bible. I lived my life by what I could see, taste, touch, smell, and hear. If you couldn't see it, it didn't exist just like we're told. I am so very glad this was the case and I wasn't raised to think I was a Christian when I simply wasn't. I also want to make very clear that I don't doubt your feelings of sincerity, nor will I presume to tell you that you were never saved. The evidence points to you having not been truly regenerated by the Spirit of God, but being that it's a personal event I can't say for sure one way or the other. That out of the way I was always of the "God doesn't exist, when we die we're gone, religion was created by the powers that be to control the weak minded", school of thought up to the point my first son was born. I took the "evolution philosophy", to its logical conclusion in life. Example: If didn't like what you were doing and you feel what you're doing is just fine then if I could take my fist and smash it into your face more often than you could do the same thing to me then I was right and you were wrong. Survival of the fittest right? Well the first time I heard my son cry out after birth something changed inside me. I didn't run out that day and join a Christian church or anything like that, it's just I could no longer deny there was something more than just what we see.

I'm trying to make this as short as I can, sorry for the length. Now after a few more years and my wife becoming a Christian I finally made that leap. I had listened to the stories about Jesus and I really like the "idea" of Him. I figured if someone followed His teachings that it would basically result in a decent life, but to be honest I lived in the "real world" and had bills to pay and kids to raise. I liked the whole concept, but really didn't buy into the whole supernatural thing fully. My "rational" mind and ignorance could allow me to hold these faulty views. This is what I imagine was the kind of Christian you were, now please understand I am not saying "I know" anything about what you were, but just from my life experience that's my conclusion at this point.

Well this went on for right at 5 years, I wore my cross and said "I'm a Christian", but I knew the living Christ not. Well life went on, had another son and was doing really well in life, until I get in a motorcycle wreak and wake up in the hospital two and a half weeks later and my right (dominate) arm no longer functions. Well this just threw a huge wrench in my gears, I didn't get it at all. Now because I didn't really believe fully in the supernatural I didn't just blame God, but I was confused about the whole thing. over the course of 2 years it was just a downward spiral, first I had to come to the realization that I wasn't going to get my arm back. The accident had ripped my brachial plexus (nerve that controls the arm) out of the spine roots and all, and there was no way with the science today that it could be restored. Then I had to face the fact that the woman's insurance that hit me only offered 10K for personal injury, so that was the max I could get and with 700K in medical bills I would never see a dime of it anyway. Add to that the fact that I lost, what I thought at the time, a major part of what made me me, and the constant and massive amount of pain it caused in the arm I couldn't even feel, even with painkillers all the time every day it hurt. I wanted a way out, I wanted to die. The only thing that kept me here was my sons, I knew no one would love them or take care of them like their father, plus I didn't want to mess them up for life knowing that their dad killed himself. I could have done it easy too, I couldn't feel my arm at all, I could cut my wrist and never feel the bite of the blade.

Well long story “not as log but still long”, I felt like dying every second of every day for 2 whole years, a rough ride if I do say so myself, and at this point I didn’t even know if I wanted to believe there was a God anymore. I never rejected Him or even blamed Him, but I just didn’t know if I could really believe that anymore. Well it came to a head one night when I was home alone, I broke. I didn’t cry out for God or Jesus to help me, I thought I’d already done that, when I hit my knees all I said was “I can’t take this anymore, I can’t take this anymore, I can’t take this anymore, world you win and I lose. I QUIT!!!” See what happened was I knew I could do NOTHING to fix my situation and I acknowledged that and my pride was completely crushed. My pride and the “old man” died on that bedroom floor that night.

I think I was about halfway through the next day before I stopped and realized “dang, I haven’t thought about killing myself all day”, and after 2 years of thinking that at least every 5 minutes it was truly strange. I was in a much better mood though as well. At this point I had no idea what had taken place, but I did know it was from God. It took about 2 days for it to really hit me that I had been reborn, then it took about a month after that to pick my jaw up off the floor in shock that all this God, Jesus bible stuff was truly real. I could go on and on but this is already obnoxiously long, so if I can expand on anything else, or answer any questions you may have I’d be so happy to, but I said all this to ask if you think what you described as being reborn was really what happened when you thought it did or if you were just told that was what happened, because in my experienced being regenerated and indwelt by the Holy Spirit is not something that can be “disproved” or “taken away” by a few flimsy and horrible weak atheistic arguments that hold no water. Again one last time, I am asking and not assuming to “KNOW” or even be able to know if you really were born again. Thanks for the comment too, I appreciate your honesty.

 

[Galahad]

Hey, thanks for replying Jenizona!
I guess some of the bigger problems would be the bible's endorsement of slavery (and no it does NOT MEAN indentured servants).
Lot offering his daughters to the "sex-crazed" town folk, and then later getting both daughters pregnant (actually, somehow they each got pegnant while he was passed out drunk).
The fact that God is omniscient and created Lucifer knowing he would rebel.
The fact that God is omniscient and created man knowing he was going to disobey Him. So he knows that some of the people that He creates, will wind up in hell. Since he already knows the outcome, that means for many, God creates them knowing that their demise is inevitable.
I could go on, but must sleep.
Please refer to the: Skeptics Annotated Bible.
It's very enlightening...

What is your understanding of slavery?
Where does the bible "endorse" slavery?

Someday you will die. Just as I will. What then, my friend?

The answer to your questions: God is love. He cannot not create life. Love creates life. Think about that. You failed to mention this: God's Son, the Christ, came to earth, lived, and died for all. You failed to mention that.

Well, when all is said and done, you and I will hear from this God you ridicule. You can argue your case before Him. If you do, just know, He loves you. He is Holy. He has answered your questions. And He is also equitable. Cannot accept "I just couldn't see how you God could do what you did." So, if you're willing to go that route, you have been reminded of His love and compassion and grace and mercy, but also of His severity. His righteousness.

If you live this life with out God, your life will be challenging, hard, difficult. And you will die.
If you live this life with God, your life will be challenging, hard, difficult. And you will die and then step into the very presence of our God.

 

[Bate]

Mr. Frmr, welcome to CC!
You know it's always a decision you make, that determines your destiny!
Hope you've got a better destiny there.
But try to make the right decision.

Stay blessed and may you find grace!

 

[bluebirdchaser]

I'm getting into this conversation late, I just wanted to say welcome and all of that and I hope that you have an enlightening time here. Not every person who appears in the Bible is perfect (especially considering that no human is perfect outside of Jesus). Even those who were counted righteous in the end. And some things in life just confound logic, especially the things of God. (1 Corinthians 1:18-31) Just a thought to consider. Welcome again.

 

[Jenizona]

Hey, thanks for replying Jenizona!
I guess some of the bigger problems would be the bible's endorsement of slavery (and no it does NOT MEAN indentured servants).
Lot offering his daughters to the "sex-crazed" town folk, and then later getting both daughters pregnant (actually, somehow they each got pegnant while he was passed out drunk).
The fact that God is omniscient and created Lucifer knowing he would rebel.
The fact that God is omniscient and created man knowing he was going to disobey Him. So he knows that some of the people that He creates, will wind up in hell. Since he already knows the outcome, that means for many, God creates them knowing that their demise is inevitable.
I could go on, but must sleep.
Please refer to the: Skeptics Annotated Bible.
It's very enlightening...

Hello, Frmr! There's a lot of stuff that can make me cringe when I'm reading the Bible, to be honest. But I usually realize it's my own lack of knowledge about the historical or translational context that is causing the problems. That said, I -do- understand how odd some of those things can be, when you read them.

I can kind of understand how someone might decide they're not sure about Christianity after that, but to go from "unsure" to "atheist" is a huge leap. Do you actually no longer believe that a God exists? Or perhaps you're more agnostic, and just questioning things that you're unsure about?

EDIT: I have not heard of the Skeptics Annotated Bible! Sounds interesting... and a little odd lol!

 

[erikanutella]

I think you put this in wrong forum.
This is a New Member Introduction ^^

what got my attention is your subject from " BORN AGAIN CHRISTIAN TO ATHEIST "
I pray You will be enlighten by the Truth

No one can fathom the wonders of the Word of God the Bible can interpret itself because many people claim their christian but they don't know how to use the Bible and what is the Bible .. ^_^

In Exodus 34:27 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Write down these words, for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel."

In Jeremiah 36:1-2 " In the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, “Take a scroll and write on it all the words which I have spoken to you concerning Israel and concerning Judah, and concerning all the nations, from the day I first spoke to you, from the days of Josiah, even to this day".

In 2 Peter 1:19-21 " So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts. But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.

- - The Bible was written by Human but the very words of it It's come from God .
- - It is written in many languages now so that It can reach us all .

" All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." - 2 Timothy 3:16-17

o btw Welcome here ... and God Bless You ^_^

 

[mailmandan]

I was raised in a Christian family, with fantastic parents and great siblings. Went to a bible believing church my entire life. When I was 19 years old, I became a "born-again Christian". I lived as a devout Christian and made a big effort to make sure that I "wtnessed" to others as much as possible.
When I was 24, I started to think seriously about getting into the ministry in a professional sense. I was considering aquiring a second bachelor's degree by applying for seminary. However, before taking that big step I started to delve deeper into the bible. I wanted to really "know my stuff", when it came to the bible.
This is the point at which I started questioning things in the bible. This was the first time that I seriously studied the bible in depth. I read verses periodically throughout my life and watched a lot of sermons and read what other preachers and evangelists had written for several years. But, now I was reading the actual text myself, directly from the King James version. I used bible study companions to make sure that what I was reading was accurate, and even using translation guide books that corroborated the bible I was reading all the way back to the Greek translations.
For the first time, I started to see the bible for what it really was. Certain parts that were never taught in Sunday school or from the pulpit when I was growing up in church, were shocking to me. I had relied on what others had taught from the bible instead of reading the actual text myself.
This is what finally "put the nails in the coffin" for me concerning my "faith" and belief in the bible.
I would encourage anyone to actually read the bible, because this will allow you to see it for what it is. It's a bronze-age collection of manuscripts that went through translation after translation, after going through centuries of oral interpretations, generation after generation...
Please feel free to respond for an adult civilized conversation on these topics. (ツ)

Please explain to me what you believe constituted that you were a "born again Christian" prior to later becoming an atheist.

 

[FrmrChristian]

Thank you for your reply!

 

[FrmrChristian]

Thank you for your reply!
I do appreciate your kind words...

 

[JesusistheChrist]

Hey, thanks for replying Jenizona!
I guess some of the bigger problems would be the bible's endorsement of slavery (and no it does NOT MEAN indentured servants).

When "slavery to sin" becomes as repulsive to you as human slavery is, then you'll be ready to be saved.

Lot offering his daughters to the "sex-crazed" town folk, and then later getting both daughters pregnant (actually, somehow they each got pegnant while he was passed out drunk).

What of it? Does the Bible sanction that or is it merely reporting what transpired?

The fact that God is omniscient and created Lucifer knowing he would rebel.

Satan chose to rebel and 2/3 of the angels chose not to rebel. Is God to blame for what choices others make? Perhaps He should have created robots?

The fact that God is omniscient and created man knowing he was going to disobey Him. So he knows that some of the people that He creates, will wind up in hell. Since he already knows the outcome, that means for many, God creates them knowing that their demise is inevitable.

Same as above. I'm married and yet there are millions or billions of other women in the world. Perhaps they shouldn't exist? After all, that's basically what you're saying, isn't it? So what that there are "other gods" to choose from. Why can't someone willfully choose to be faithful to the One True God in the same manner that a man willfully chooses to be faithful to his own wife? Isn't that what love is all about?

I could go on, but must sleep.
Please refer to the: Skeptics Annotated Bible.
It's very enlightening...

The Skeptics Annotated Bible was compiled by imbeciles. How do I know? I know because I spent close to 10 years on a forum where I debated hardcore atheists daily and they regularly cited from that website. I refuted their garbage time and time again and I finally stopped debating them when I was thoroughly convinced that they were willfully ignorant.

 

[FrmrChristian]

No! Horrible analogies!
I have another response, that I'll be sending, I'm a slow typer, so be patient...

 

[Tintin]

Hello, Frmr! There's a lot of stuff that can make me cringe when I'm reading the Bible, to be honest. But I usually realize it's my own lack of knowledge about the historical or translational context that is causing the problems. That said, I -do- understand how odd some of those things can be, when you read them.

I can kind of understand how someone might decide they're not sure about Christianity after that, but to go from "unsure" to "atheist" is a huge leap. Do you actually no longer believe that a God exists? Or perhaps you're more agnostic, and just questioning things that you're unsure about?

EDIT: I have not heard of the Skeptics Annotated Bible! Sounds interesting... and a little odd lol!

Often the stuff in the Bible that makes us cringe is that we see humanity, and in turn, ourselves for who we are without God. And the picture throughout history (and now) is seriously ugly. Thankfully, once Holy Spirit helps us to recognise that we have a problem, we can look for the only solution to deal with the problem of sin - Jesus Christ.

 

[FrmrChristian]

I'm quite disappointed that your arguments are typical and very weak to have debated atheists for 10 years. I certainly don't believe that all atheists are intelligent. I do think, however, that the majority of them are realists.

Concerning Lot in earlier posts, I said what I did about him because of a couple of New Testament verses.
-2 Peter 2: 7-8 and 19: 8-
Lot is called "just" and "righteous".
This is ridiculous to me because he's the same man that offered his daughters to be raped by the angry mob. Lot offered his daughters to get the focus off of the angels that he was protecting from the same mob that wanted to rape the angels. (That's not at all, righteous in my opinion.)

Another example of God's immorality is the fact that God calls David (a murderer and adulterer) a man after his own heart.
-Acts 13: 22-

 

[FrmrChristian]

Other examples of the Judeo-Christian God's immorality:

1. The Flood
God is supposed to be omniscient, (all knowing, which by definition includes knowing the future) and He created mankind to begin. After a while, God decided that on second thought, he wants a "do-over". So God commits world-wide genocide by killing all men women, teens, toddlers, and babies. He even goes as far as killing every single animal as well (except, of course, Noah's family and millions of animal species that could not possibly fit on a literal ark, but that's another topic all together) and these animals weren't "sinners". But anyway, God kills 99% of all life on this planet.
-Genesis-

2. God purposefully "hardened" Pharaoh's heart, which caused Pharaoh to deny Moses request to set all of the children of Israel free.
Then God kills every firstborn child in Egypt (except, of course, the Jews that put the lamb's blood over their doors so the angel of death would "passover" those homes). But still, God kills all of the other firstborn children. For some really sick reason, kills the firstborn of all the cattle as well...
-Exodus 12: 29-

3. God orders Moses and his men to behead all of the men from a neighboring tribe that conquered. Then, Moses and his men kill all o the little boys, and kill all the non-virgin women. Also, as a grand finale, "take" all of the virgin little girls and keep them for themselves. Disgusting!
-Numbers 25: 4 and 31: 15-19-

To be continued...

 

[Tintin]

I'm quite disappointed that your arguments are typical and very weak to have debated atheists for 10 years. I certainly don't believe that all atheists are intelligent. I do think, however, that the majority of them are realists.

Concerning Lot in earlier posts, I said what I did about him because of a couple of New Testament verses.
-2 Peter 2: 7-8 and 19: 8-
Lot is called "just" and "righteous".
This is ridiculous to me because he's the same man that offered his daughters to be raped by the angry mob. Lot offered his daughters to get the focus off of the angels that he was protecting from the same mob that wanted to rape the angels. (That's not at all, righteous in my opinion.)

Another example of God's immorality is the fact that God calls David (a murderer and adulterer) a man after his own heart.
-Acts 13: 22-

You're right, Lot was a horrible man in some ways, but he also had faith in God. It's not works that saves us, it's Jesus' righteous, through faith in Him.

 

[Tintin]

Other examples of the Judeo-Christian God's immorality:

1. The Flood
God is supposed to be omniscient, (all knowing, which by definition includes knowing the future) and He created mankind to begin. After a while, God decided that on second thought, he wants a "do-over". So God commits world-wide genocide by killing all men women, teens, toddlers, and babies. He even goes as far as killing every single animal as well (except, of course, Noah's family and millions of animal species that could not possibly fit on a literal ark, but that's another topic all together) and these animals weren't "sinners". But anyway, God kills 99% of all life on this planet.
-Genesis-

2. God purposefully "hardened" Pharaoh's heart, which caused Pharaoh to deny Moses request to set all of the children of Israel free.
Then God kills every firstborn child in Egypt (except, of course, the Jews that put the lamb's blood over their doors so the angel of death would "passover" those homes). But still, God kills all of the other firstborn children. For some really sick reason, kills the firstborn of all the cattle as well...
-Exodus 12: 29-

3. God orders Moses and his men to behead all of the men from a neighboring tribe that conquered. Then, Moses and his men kill all o the little boys, and kill all the non-virgin women. Also, as a grand finale, "take" all of the virgin little girls and keep them for themselves. Disgusting!
-Numbers 25: 4 and 31: 15-19-

To be continued...

GENESIS:
Concerning, the Flood, yes, it was horrible. But you make it sound as if God killed innocent people, He didn't. The Bible mentions that people had only evil thoughts and actions. Only evil thoughts and actions. Let that sink in. The world is going to Hell in a hand-basket, but it's still nowhere near as bad as it was in Noah's time pre-Flood. If you had actually bothered to read the Bible, as you say you have, God put man and woman in charge of creation. They were tasked with looking after it. When Adam and Eve fell, the whole of creation fell with them, because Adam was the figurehead of humanity, the king, if you will. As for all animals fitting aboard the ark, it was certainly do-able. The Bible doesn't mention species, but kinds. Scientists have done much research to find that a few thousand animals could have led to the diversity we have today. That's not evolution, that's natural selection and speciation. Molecules to man evolution doesn't happen, but it's well-known that wolf-kinds led to foxes and dogs etc.

EXODUS:
Pharaoh had already hardened his heart to God and to Moses and Israel. So, God was just taking it that one step further. The Bible does mention that if we don't want anything to do with God, He will eventually give us over to our sins and the consequences that ensue. Sin is a serious thing, so is living life without God. As for the Angel of Death, God was rescuing His people, Israel, from their slave-drivers, Egypt. There are consequences to not honouring God and caring for His people.

NUMBERS:
Again, sin is taken very seriously. God wished to preserve (set apart/make holy) His people, Israel, from pagan ways. You see the kind of crap that happens when they don't do what God says, they start worshipping other gods and goddesses and God visits plagues on them. These pagan cultures were far from innocent. They sacrificed their babies in roaring fires and many other things. And the chiefs of the tribes were responsible for leading these people in their sinful ways. Cut off the head of the 'dragon' and you kill the 'dragon'. Also, Israel didn't rape girls and women like the pagan nations did (which was an incredibly common practice). God them a second chance at life, in a blessed nation, blessed under His banner, along with His people, Israel. And because the girls would be marrying, they would be given rights and have a living (besides, they wouldn't have been children but in their early-to-mid teens). You seem to have the mistaken impression that the pagan neighbours were all innocent bystanders, this is far from the truth.

 

[FrmrChristian]

Remember, this is just the tip of the iceberg...

4. God orders Moses and his followers to stone a man to death for his horrible sin. The sin is: The man was picking up sticks on the Sabbath.
-Numbers 15: 32-36-
God is not "just" at all in this case.

5. More killing sanctioned by God.
-Deuteronomy 20: 13-14-

6. When it comes to slavery in the bible, it's all there in black and white. THIS IN NO WAY IS REFERRING TO INDENTURED SERVANTS!
It is not moral at all for any human to OWN any other human!
-Leviticus 25: 44-46-
-Exodus 21: 20-21-
-Leviticus 19: 20

7. Rape
If a man rapes a vigin, then he must pay her father 50 shekels of silver. THE VIRGIN (who is the victim) MUST MARRY HER RAPIST, AND REMAIN MARRIED TO HIM FOR LIFE!
(Not just or moral at all!)
Again this is SO just the tip of the iceberg...
Thank you for your earlier comments, I just found your apologetics to be lacking.
People should be aware of the parts of the bible that don't make it to the pulpits across America in most cases...

 

[Tintin]

Remember, this is just the tip of the iceberg...

4. God orders Moses and his followers to stone a man to death for his horrible sin. The sin is: The man was picking up sticks on the Sabbath.
-Numbers 15: 32-36-
God is not "just" at all in this case.

5. More killing sanctioned by God.
-Deuteronomy 20: 13-14-

6. When it comes to slavery in the bible, it's all there in black and white. THIS IN NO WAY IS REFERRING TO INDENTURED SERVANTS!
It is not moral at all for any human to OWN any other human!
-Leviticus 25: 44-46-
-Exodus 21: 20-21-
-Leviticus 19: 20

7. Rape
If a man rapes a vigin, then he must pay her father 50 shekels of silver. THE VIRGIN (who is the victim) MUST MARRY HER RAPIST, AND REMAIN MARRIED TO HIM FOR LIFE!
(Not just or moral at all!)
Again this is SO just the tip of the iceberg...
Thank you for your earlier comments, I just found your apologetics to be lacking.
People should be aware of the parts of the bible that don't make it to the pulpits across America in most cases...

Slow down, Speedy Gonzales, and read my above post. It should help to answer some of your concerns.

 

[MyLighthouse]

I was raised in a Christian family, with fantastic parents and great siblings. Went to a bible believing church my entire life. When I was 19 years old, I became a "born-again Christian". I lived as a devout Christian and made a big effort to make sure that I "wtnessed" to others as much as possible.
When I was 24, I started to think seriously about getting into the ministry in a professional sense. I was considering aquiring a second bachelor's degree by applying for seminary. However, before taking that big step I started to delve deeper into the bible. I wanted to really "know my stuff", when it came to the bible.
This is the point at which I started questioning things in the bible. This was the first time that I seriously studied the bible in depth. I read verses periodically throughout my life and watched a lot of sermons and read what other preachers and evangelists had written for several years. But, now I was reading the actual text myself, directly from the King James version. I used bible study companions to make sure that what I was reading was accurate, and even using translation guide books that corroborated the bible I was reading all the way back to the Greek translations.
For the first time, I started to see the bible for what it really was. Certain parts that were never taught in Sunday school or from the pulpit when I was growing up in church, were shocking to me. I had relied on what others had taught from the bible instead of reading the actual text myself.
This is what finally "put the nails in the coffin" for me concerning my "faith" and belief in the bible.
I would encourage anyone to actually read the bible, because this will allow you to see it for what it is. It's a bronze-age collection of manuscripts that went through translation after translation, after going through centuries of oral interpretations, generation after generation...
Please feel free to respond for an adult civilized conversation on these topics. (ツ)

The problem is focus and priority with the scripture. Focus on God and His holiness when reading the Bible, focus on Jesus when reading the Bible, and see where you (mankind) falls in all this.

I've read the Bible and know what's in there, some shocking, some difficult, some this or that. But that's besides the point.

When you would read scripture, did you ever consider what you were reading? The Creator of the universe, one that can't fit in the heavens of the heavens, the one who is allowing you to breath this very moment, one who knows not only the number but the name of each star! His very words to mankind is what you were reading. We all tend to forget this, just jumping into scripture with minds that don't understand how much higher God's ways and thoughts are than ours. This is where we open ourselves up to deception and confusion.

Truth is:
Where did all this beautiful, accurate, and precise things come from? Do you really trust yourself? Can you hold the world in the palms of your hands? Can you number the sand by the sea? Can you stretch the universe? Can your speak and it be? Can you cause the earth to shake from your presence?

If your mind is a process how is there any certainty? No one could trust their thinking if the mind is consistently evolving in it's own time and place. If human life is passive and apart of humanistic process, we can't determine anything. Therefore as an atheist you can't even fully determine that God doesn't exist. Matter is created from non-matter, things (that are fade away) creates everything, contradiction after contradiction .... This is "logical reasoning" without God.