Defending My God-given Right To NOT Be A Christian – 4.8MB DOWNLOAD
Downloaded 53 times since April 22, 2010

“In My Own Words” – 386K DOWNLOAD
Downloaded 105 times since April 22, 2010

This manuscript is available for download in it’s unfinalized form.

Main page visits: 200 | Download page visits: 27

Christian theology declares that the Bible is the flawless Word of God and that its authority is fully beyond reproach. I claim that the Scriptures are a work of man, not of God.

If there is indeed a God, He is not capable of making mistakes. And yet, there are errors in the Bible. As I demonstrated in An Epiphany, one such error is found in the book of Genesis.

“You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you. Two of every kind of bird, of every kind of animal and of every kind of creature that moves along the ground will come to you to be kept alive.” (Ge 6:19, 20)

And then, in the next chapter of Genesis, Noah was told to take seven of every kind of bird.

“Take with you seven of every kind of clean animal, a male and its mate, and two of every kind of unclean animal, a male and its mate, and also seven of every kind of bird, male and female, to keep their various kinds alive throughout the earth.” (Ge 7:2, 3)

Any rational person (devout Christians excluded) must be willing to admit that there is indeed a contradiction in the biblical text above. So then, why do such discrepancies exist?

There are eight primary factors that I know of which contribute to scriptural incongruencies. At this time, I shall only discuss one of those factors.

Multiple Versions

Scholars have been able to demonstrate that the ancient Israelites themselves had two (or three) separate versions of the Flood. One such version had been recorded by the priests in Israel, while another one (or two) was recorded by priests in Judah. The priestly versions conflicted significantly enough to cause strife between the castes. In an effort to satisfy both groups, an editor literally cut and pasted the original texts while including additions that blended them in an acceptable fashion. In many passages, it is plain to see that the editor included information from as many as three priestly traditions.

Every living thing that moved on the earth perished—birds, livestock, wild animals, all the creatures that swarm over the earth, and all mankind. Everything on dry land that had the breath of life in its nostrils died. Every living thing on the face of the earth was wiped out; men and animals and the creatures that move along the ground and the birds of the air were wiped from the earth. (Ge 7:21-23a)

Weighing Up the Bible

I do not believe that a sane man, having educated himself about the many discrepancies inherent in the Bible, can continue to rightly insist that the Bible is the true and perfect Word of God. If some of the Bible is defective, then as a whole, it is not perfect. Should a man fear admitting this fact?

As Richard Elliot Friedman puts it, “we are now at a point at which our discoveries concerning the Bible’s origins can mean an enhanced understanding and appreciation of the Bible in its final, developed form.”

Is enhanced understanding and appreciation something to fear?

For those who are used to indulging in blind faith, nothing could be more threatening.

If a man admits that his holy book is indeed blemished, then he might be forced to ask himself whether or not it contains moral advice and theological principles which have been unintentionally manipulated according to the socio-historical biases of its authors, editors, and scribes.

So then, let’s have a look at some of the Bible’s advice.

Death by Orgasm

Logic would suggest that getting one’s sister-in-law pregnant would be considered sinful. Luckily, that’s not the case.

Then Judah said to Onan, “Lie with your [dead] brother’s wife and fulfill your duty to her as a brother-in-law to produce offspring for your brother.” But Onan knew that the offspring would not be his; so whenever he lay with his brother’s wife, he spilled his semen on the ground to keep from producing offspring for his brother. (Ge 38:8, 9)

Clean up in aisle 3! Someone please get a mop!

By reading between the lines and using a little imagination, it’s obvious to see that Onan wasn’t literally dumping his load on the ground. He was pulling out and shooting all over sister-in-law’s titties. What guy hasn’t dreamed of doing that?

Unfortunately for Onan, busting a nut on his sister-in-law’s fun bags was considered a hell-worthy sin. Who’d a thunk?

What he did was wicked in the LORD’s sight; so he put him to death also. (Ge 38:10)

How much does that suck? This makes one think that the typical Catholic pull-out method might not be such a good idea. On the upside, God encourages a man to have sexual relations with his dead brother’s wife. Surely that would help with the grieving process after losing one’s brother … or husband.

Now that I’m done exposing some of the contradictions and porn that the Bible has to offer, it is time to engage in some serious scholarly pursuits.

At this time, I would like to begin examining the validity of the primary tenets of Christian theology.

Were Adam and Eve the first people on the planet?
Did the Flood kill every person and every animal on Earth?
Do angels exist?
How did God talk to all of His prophets?
What is God’s name?
Does Hell exist?
Where do we go when we die?
Who is Satan?
Does Original Sin really exist?
Do we possess free will?

In the book, I spend a full two chapters (110 or so pages) exploring the scriptural answers to these questions. For now, we’ll just examine one of them.

Adam & Eve

God created Adam and Eve.

So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. (Ge 1:27, NKJV)

Christian theology tells us that these were the only two people on Earth. Period. After about a year of sticking it in the wrong orifice, Adam finally figured out how to use his pecker and Eve thus fell pregnant.

Adam lay with his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, “With the help of the LORD I have brought forth a man.” Later she gave birth to his brother Abel. (Ge 4:1,2)

To this point in the story, it is not reported that Adam and Eve had any other children. According to the Scriptures, humanity consisted of only four people. That is, until Cain killed Abel.

Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him. (Ge 4:8)

And then there were three: Adam, Eve, and Cain. If the Creation story is taken literally, then no other humans existed. Period.

And this he [God] said [to Cain]: “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood is crying out to me from the ground. And now you are cursed in banishment from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood at your hand.” (Ge 4:10,11, NWT)

God punished Cain by sending him to a distant land.

Cain said to the LORD, “My punishment is more than I can bear. Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.” (Ge 4:13,14)

I don’t know what in the hell Cain was so worried about. If no one else existed on the planet, then who was going to kill him?

So Cain went out from the LORD’s presence and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden. Cain lay with his wife, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Enoch. (Ge 4:16,17a)

Hold on a fucking second here! How in the hell did Cain take a wife?

Well, there is only one possible answer to that question: The land of Nod was populated before Cain arrived. Many devout Christians continue to argue that Adam and Eve may have spawned as many as 750 children after Cain and Abel. They go on to suggest that these other children could have populated Nod. Cain’s wife would therefore have been one of his distant relatives.

What a bunch of horseshit!

Such a theological concept is wholly conjectural and in no way based, even remotely, on the Scriptures. The Bible makes no suggestion that Adam and Eve had a third child until after Cain had already moved to Nod.

Adam lay with his wife again, and she gave birth to a son and named him Seth, saying, “God has granted me another child in place of Abel, since Cain killed him.” (Ge 4:25)

Before this, Eve bore no child to replace Abel. Additionally, before the birth of Seth, it would not have been possible that Eve bore 1000-years worth of other children because she gave birth to Seth when Adam was only 130 years old.

When Adam had lived 130 years, he fathered a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth. (Ge 5:3, ESV)

Only after Seth was born did Eve have other children.

The days of Adam after he fathered Seth were 800 years; and he had other sons and daughters. Thus all the days that Adam lived were 930 years, and he died. (Ge 5:4, 5, ESV)

Let’s face it, the people in Nod were not related to Adam and Eve. They were a separate race of people, who were created separately from those in the Garden of Eden. As their region was already developed by the time Cain arrived, their creation may even have preceded that of Adam and Eve. Who knows, the people of Nod may even have been created by a different god!

As many of my readers may have already suspected, the story of Adam and Eve is fully mythical. Now, you know that you weren’t crazy for thinking so.

Christian theology is full of fabricated myths.

Growing up, I was taught that God has an enemy named Satan. I was taught that Satan had at one time been God’s most beloved angel. Before long, Satan became jealous of God’s power. As a result, Satan’s pride turned him wicked and the Lord tossed him out of Heaven. Satan was cast to the Earth. Specifically, he was tossed into the fiery depths at the center of the planet.

For most of my life, I accepted these notions as fact. I never questioned them. But then, one day, I did question them. I asked my pastor, “How do we know all of these things about Satan?” The pastor answered, “The Bible tells us so.” “Where, specifically?” I inquired.

“Eze 28:12-19 and Isa 14:12-20,” my pastor said in response.

I thought that was superb. Knowing that my belief was based on something substantial eased my mind greatly. That should have been good enough, but out of curiosity, I decided to actually read the passages for myself. They were nothing short of enlightening.

Here, read the passages for yourself and see what you think.

“You were the model of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone adorned you: ruby, topaz and emerald, chrysolite, onyx and jasper, sapphire, turquoise and beryl. Your settings and mountings were made of gold; on the day you were created they were prepared. You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones. You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you. Through your widespread trade you were filled with violence, and you sinned. So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God, and I expelled you, O guardian cherub, from among the fiery stones. Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor. So I threw you to the earth; I made a spectacle of you before kings. By your many sins and dishonest trade you have desecrated your sanctuaries. So I made a fire come out from you, and it consumed you, and I reduced you to ashes on the ground in the sight of all who were watching. All the nations who knew you are appalled at you; you have come to a horrible end and will be no more.” (Eze 28:12b-19)

“How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’ But you are brought down to the grave, to the depths of the pit.” (Isa 14:12-15)

As one can see, this is rather convincing, but maybe we should also read the first half of Eze 28:12 !

“Son of man [that is, Ezekiel], take up a lament concerning the king of Tyre and say to him: “This is what the Sovereign LORD says . . .” (Eze 28:12a)

Eze 28:12-19 is not even remotely about Satan, let alone addressed to him!
It is addressed to the king of Tyre, in Phoenicia, a human king! Additionally, to understand the context within which Isa 14:12-15 was written, we must read Isa 14:3.

On the day the LORD gives you relief from suffering and turmoil and cruel bondage, you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon . . . (Isa 14:3)

In context, Isaiah was describing the cruelly oppressive king of Babylon, who swelled with pride but was brought down to defeat! So basically, we know nothing of Satan from these passages. Not a goddamn thing! What a bunch of bullshit!

I went back to my pastor with a somewhat aggressive question: “Is there any scriptural proof for the existence of Satan, or is it just a big lie meant to scare us?”

He could provide me with no proof, merely further verses taken out of context. How could I continue to believe that mankind knows the characteristics of this Satan when the Bible itself doesn’t clearly warrant such beliefs?

I couldn’t.

Still, Christian theology continues to insist that the Devil does exist. “Why else,” they ask, “would the world be such a terrible place?”

Is it? Is the world such a terrible place? Of course, one has to take the good with the bad, but I rather like the world. What could be better than experiencing physical existence?

Well, according to Christian theology, life in Heaven will be far better than our time here on Earth.

A Perfect Heaven?

It has been hypothesized that in Heaven, in a world removed from physicality, a man’s soul will be free from the limitations of being human. “In Heaven,” so they say, “man will be in touch with God; he will have everything; he will yearn for nothing. In Heaven, man will know all things that can be known.”

We tell ourselves that such a state of existence would be ideal. Have we not yet realized that such a state would be terrible torture?

Knowledge of all things is not bliss. A man who knows all things can learn nothing. He can experience little more than boredom. He can enjoy nothing. That, my friends, would be contrary to everything wonderful about being human. Man’s experience here on this planet, in the human form and function, is a rare pleasure. Blinded from full understanding of Truth, every step a man takes is new and challenging.

We are completely fucking lost, and yet, it’s marvelous because we are free to experience our existence without the burden of having to understanding all of its intricacies. This is our escapism from the Other Side.

Have you not considered the very probable possibility that this could be the pinnacle of existence? There is a great probability that this physical existence is the Heaven that men so desperately seek.

Flawed Reasoning

I have some serious fucking issues with Christian theology’s explanation of Heaven. It seems to me remarkably illogical and fictionally manufactured. So much of the theology concerning Heaven blatantly contradicts other Christian theological principles.

It is a tangled web they weave.

Christian theology claims that once man resides in the presence of God (in the afterlife), then man will no longer feel the urge to sin.

Do we not currently live in God’s direct presence? Have Christians forgotten that this is precisely what their Bible claims!

“Am I a God near at hand,” says the LORD, “And not a God afar off? Can anyone hide himself in secret places, so I shall not see him?” says the LORD; “Do I not fill heaven and earth?” says the LORD. (Jer 23:23, 24, NKJV)

He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and have our being, (Ac 17:27b, 28a, NKJV)

We are immersed in Him, and yet, we do sin … everyday.

Were not Adam and Eve in His direct presence when they supposedly disobeyed Him? They spoke with Him face to face; they knew Him personally, and yet, they sinned!

I am told that I have misinterpreted this theological concept.

“Yes,” Christians say, “we are now in God’s direct presence, as were Adam and Eve, but the limitations of the physical bodies interfere with our ability to fully connect with Him.”

“Poppycock!” I say.

Was not the Satan of Christian theology born and bred in such a perfect Heaven? Did he not possess an angelic, non-physical body? Was he not in the Lord’s direct presence? You fucking bet he was! And yet, even living within a system devoid of temptation, he chose independence over glorious slavery before God. You see, it is not in the nature of a free-willed being to submit to any type of slavery. And that’s the fucking fact, Jack!

Satan chose his own path for one reason and one reason alone: Because he could.

The Essence of Humanness

Should man have been created without free will? Does man’s free will make him inherently evil? No! Man is not evil. He is just man. Without his free will, a man is nothing more than a beast of the field. The ability and right to choose freely is the essence of what it means to be human.

If Heaven is anything like Christianity suggests it could be, then I promise you, there will still be sinning in Heaven. The Heaven of Christian theology is uneventful and mundane. Such a state of being is destined to forcefully breed curiosity. So long as the character of man continues to be in God’s image, man will continue to possess free will. So long as man continues to retain his free will, he will continue to be curious. So long as he continues to be curious, he will seek out new experiences. Some of these experiences will incidentally violate moral code, and thus, be called sinful.

The only way that God can guarantee the termination of sin is to remove man’s free will. And if Heaven is a life without true, honest free will, do you really want to go there for eternity? ‘Cause I fucking don’t!

Maybe, Maybe, Maybe Baby

Maybe someday we’ll all go to Heaven where God will suck our brains out
of our heads.
Maybe there are no contradictions in the Scriptures.
Maybe no editors have ever manipulated the biblical text.
Maybe the moral advice found in the Bible is still applicable to the modern
era.
Maybe Adam and Eve were literally the first two people on Earth.
Maybe the Devil exists.
Maybe, maybe, fucking maybe.

I am willing to admit that anything is possible, but listen to what I say now: The Scriptures themselves do not conclusively support any of the above possibilities. Consequently, I find no compelling reason that I should trust in the validity of Christian faith.

Building Wisdom

Instead, I choose to pursue wisdom. I consider myself a philosopher.

The term philosophy comes from two Greek words, philo meaning “love of” and sophus meaning “wisdom”. Philosophy is defined as “the logical analysis of the principles underlying conduct, thought, knowledge, and the nature of the universe”.

In the remainder of my book, I attempt, ever so humbly, to share my philosophy and some of my thoughts about the principles that underlie the nature of existence, the Creator, the soul, and morality.

It is my desire that my words might revitalize the souls of so many men who have, from discouragement, given up on the search for wisdom.

Do you know what is present in a live person, but missing from a corpse?

When I ask people this very question, they commonly reply, “Breathing … heartbeat … motion.” And yes, this is all correct; but there is something else that causes breathing and heartbeat and motion.

Guyton’s Textbook of Medical Physiology (eighth edn, p 478) illustrates that the central nervous system is the master system of the human body. Consisting of the brain and spinal cord, this system controls and coordinates all of the other systems of the body, all 75 trillion cells.

In truth, even dead people have brains and yet they are not alive. Hence, the nervous system itself must not be the animator of life. If I put a plastic bag over my head, I will suffocate and die. Upon hitting the floor, my brain will remain intact. I will still weigh the same amount. My cellular structures will be essentially unchanged. Initially, even my body temperature will remain unaltered. But obviously, something is missing.

One very important thing found in a live being, but missing from a corpse is the presence of a measurable electrical activity within the brain. This can be demonstrated by using an EEG (electro-encephalograph), which measures and records electrical brain waves.

In a living being, measurable electrical energy current courses back and forth along the nervous system, going from brain to body and body to brain at 200 mph. It is not the brain and nerves themselves that drive life; rather, they are a pathway for the energy current which is integral to animation of the body. It is the organizing force of this energy current which causes the skeletal muscle fibers of your diaphragm to contract and relax so that you can breathe. It is the force of this energy current which causes the smooth muscles of your heart to contract and relax so it can pump blood throughout your body. It is the force of this energy that organizes the structure and functions of every single cell, hormone, and biological chemical in a living being. Within each man, there lives a majestic power that transforms common food into living, loving, thinking clay. It builds a human being from nothing more than a genetic blueprint and the raw materials it finds on the Earth. It maintains the material of the body of a living thing in dynamic organization for the purpose of survival. This energy continually gives to a living thing all of its signs of life (i.e. blood flow, production of bile, cellular repair, hunger, etc.). It never, ever makes mistakes. In order to ensure the survival of its host for as long as possible, it adapts the host’s physiology to the current environment without violating the laws of nature.

The energy in the body is subject to the same laws as the energy out in the distant reaches of the universe: It can neither be created nor destroyed, merely moved and changed from one form to another. Whenever energy leaves your physical body, it must, according to absolute natural law, continue to exist somewhere, somehow.

Energy binds atoms into molecules, into cells, into tissues, into organs, into a human body. Remove all of the electrical energy from your body and it will return to the dust. The human body itself is merely the physical manifestation of energy. When the body is bound into physical existence, it possesses order and organization as a symbiotic community of cells. Interfere with the natural free-flowing distribution of this electrical energy and the organization of your cellular structure and health will diminish proportionately.

Energy is integral to organization. Energy either maintains organization of the body or is the single means by which some other undetectable source directs organization. In either instance, there exists some intelligence, if you will, that maintains organization and order in human beings.

This energy-entwined, organizing intelligence coursing through your system is what makes you, you. At your conception, organizing intelligence drove the development of your tiny body. Its presence built your body from a single-celled organism in your mother’s womb. Its continued presence within your body maintains your life to this very day.

Each man has within him something that cannot be created or destroyed; something that weighs nothing, but runs everything. Some people say, “I don’t want to live forever.” I say, “They better start getting fucking used to it!” Like it or not, something within you is all-powerful. Something within you is destined for eternal existence. Something within you had no beginning and shall have no end. It has existed as long as God Himself. Something about you is divine.

No Such Thing as Murder?

If the reader is inclined to accept the logic of the Law of Eternal Existence, then he must question whether or not it is truly possible to terminate life? For an eternal being cannot be terminated, only his earthly body taken from him.

If something within us is indestructible, then aborting a baby does nothing more than release its energy back into the Great Beyond. According to this line of reasoning, abortion merely robs a man of the vessel in which he would enter this world. For all we know, that life energy therefore returns to the stars, enters a tree, or is transferred into a newly conceived cow. Not that I would personally take this stance, but one might be inclined to argue that a man’s life energy may enjoy its earthly experience much more as a bird than as the illegitimate child of a crack whore. It is never better to be dead than alive, but it may be better to live as a bird than as a starving child. In some cases, maybe abortion is a form of merciful euthanasia.

Not only should a man doubt the validity of his stance for or against abortion, but both for and against his every decision. In determining what is righteous, the issues are more often gray than black and white. Man must accept that he cannot know those things that cannot be known.

Sadly, man is inclined to believe that he knows so much more than he actually does.

Neither the Bible, nor Christian theology, nor science, nor mathematics, nor logic knows the fullness of Truth. None of these avenues is capable of either proving or disproving, beyond a reasonable doubt, the existence of God, of an afterlife, of individual human souls. In the final analysis, the only thing we know for sure is that we know virtually nothing at all.

And so, if man truly does know nearly nothing at all, then all of this philosophizing about what could be and what might be seems a fruitless venture. But such philosophical, critical analysis of existence is not a wasteful endeavor. Socrates suggested that a man gains much humility and much wisdom by proving to himself that he knows so very little:

“True wisdom comes from knowing that you know nothing.”

As I state earlier in the book: Though critical thinking may not lead a man to fully understand Truth, if nothing else, it steers him clear of the lies which the propaganda machine would ask him to falsely embrace as Truth. In differentiating Truth from deception, a man becomes enabled to live his life as a free man, capable of acting upon his own free will with minimized interference of outside forces. This drives human progress.

It is only through the processes of perceptive questioning, deep contemplation, and critical thinking that a man is enabled to once again take back the reins to his own life.

Knowing What Can Be Known

Socrates suggested that man knows nothing for certain. As much as I love Socratic philosophy, I have to disagree with him. After much deliberation within my own mind, I have come to the conclusion that there is indeed one thing that man can know for certain. It has been said many times, many ways, and it is the secret to happiness.

“So what is the secret to happiness,” you ask?

I want to reveal it to you right here, but I’m not stupid. If I told you the secret right now, you’d have no reason to buy my book!