"actually, the bible doesn't condemn homosexuality!" but are you saying that if it did condemn homosexuality, that you would be homophobic?
"actually, the bible doesn't condone slavery!" but are you saying that if it did condone slavery, that you would be okay with it?
"actually, the bible doesn't condone genocide!" but if it commanded you to, if He commanded you to, would you take up the sword?
"actually, the bible doesn't command the killing of unbelievers!" but if it did, would I stare at the blade at my chest and see you holding the handle?
There isn't a god. when you take Isaac up to the mountain, lay him across the altar, hold the blade above him; there will be no angel to call your name; to stop you; to declare it was all a test. The knife will fall and you will call yourself justified.
I've spent the time studying the bible; and I know that these aren't true. It condemns homosexuality. it condones slavery. it condones genocide. it condones the killing of unbelievers. Sometimes in the back of my mind, I fear that the people I know will look a little closer and follow what the bible actually says. And in the front of my mind, I fear those who follow it just enough to try to justify their bigotry.
There is a class, a category of people - those that follow their religion as truth, and are willing to do whatever it tells them, even if it commands things that would be evil and disgusting to a non-believer.
There are millions, maybe billions of these people. Some of them are homophobes. Some of them are murderers. Some of them are gay-affirming. Some of them are your friends. Some of them are world leaders. Some of them are your family.
The only way we can end religious violence is by condemning these people wholesale. The 9/11 attacks, the Crusades, Sharia Law, and more were caused by people believing lies. A liar is a liar and liar who denies truth and reality cannot be trusted to self-regulate and make sure their lies aren't truly in reality harmful.
not every religious person is one of these people. Some of them follow it as cultural practice, some of them are agnostic theists, some hold their religion as a hope rather than a fact. Some people observe pikuach nefesh and never let their belief override the value of a human life. But is the duty of every person to ensure that the difference between them and Heaven's Gate cultists is more than just luck, environment, and a lack of follow-through.
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