Ironwolf

Number 2 in a series.

Do you cling to your Bible as closely as your cell phone?

When I read that sign, I thought for a minute about carrying my bible around next to my face like a cell phone for a few days, but decided against it as I thought it might give me brain cancer.

But seriously…

Translation: You are not reading your Bible enough.

“Whenever we read the obscene stories, the voluptuous debaucheries, the cruel and tortuous executions, the unrelenting vindictiveness with which more than half the Bible is filled, it would be more consistent that we call it the word of a demon than the word of God. It is a history of wickedness that has served to corrupt and brutalize [hu]mankind.” — Thomas Paine

“[The Bible] is full of interest. It has noble poetry in it; and some clever fables; and some blood-drenched history; and some good morals; and a wealth of obscenity; and upwards of a thousand lies.” — Mark Twain

“Is there an intelligent man or woman now in the world who believes in the Garden of Eden story? If you find any man who believes it, strike his forehead and you will hear an echo. Something is for rent.” — Robert G. Ingersoll

“The Bible must be seen in a cultural context. It didn’t just happen. These stories are retreads. But, tell a Christian that — No, No! What makes it doubly sad is that they hardly know the book, much less its origins.” — Isaac Asimov

“The Bible has been interpreted to justify such evil practices as, for example, slavery, the slaughter of prisoners of war, the sadistic murders of women believed to be witches, capital punishment for hundreds of offenses, polygamy, and cruelty to animals. It has been used to encourage belief in the grossest superstition and to discourage the free teaching of scientific truths. We must never forget that both good and evil flow from the Bible. It is therefore not above criticism.” — Steve Allen

“I read the Bible all the time. I have never read a stranger book in my life. I mean it is too weird!” — Anne Rice

“Whatever you do, don’t read the Bible for a moral code. It advocates prejudice, cruelty, superstition and murder. Read it because we need more atheists— and nothing will get you there faster than reading the damn Bible.” — Penn Jillette

I drive past Glendora Friends Church and their well-placed sign quite often. It never fails to astonish me that their few precious seconds of community outreach this sign represents are usually filled with the most vacuous and risible platitudes. And, as is so common with church signs: occasionally they dispense actual wisdom, but on those occasions they also dispense with religion.

So, since I’ve got to drive by their insipid sign every week, I thought I’d start a little push back here on my blog. Enjoy.

Faith hopes against the evidence.

Translation: Unless you learn to ignore the evidence, you will lose your faith.

“The way to see by faith is to shut the eye of reason.” — Benjamin Franklin

“Faith is believing something you know ain’t true.” — Mark Twain

“We may define “faith” as the firm belief in something for which there is no evidence. Where there is evidence, no one speaks of “faith.” We do not speak of faith that two and two are four or that the earth is round. We only speak of faith when we wish to substitute emotion for evidence.” — Bertrand Russell

“Say what you will about the sweet miracle of unquestioning faith. I consider the capacity for it terrifying and absolutely vile.” — Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

“Faith is the great cop-out, the great excuse to evade the need to think and evaluate evidence. Faith is belief in spite of, even perhaps because of, the lack of evidence.” — Richard Dawkins