TT2C, adamah and Cofty, couldn't it be said that your presentation in this thread exhibits a prosecutorial zeal? If this is true, would such zeal not lead believers to the inevitable conclusion that you act on behalf of The Prosecutor? Whom, from their perspective, is a very real thing? Are you not, in way, baiting this reaction simply by exhibiting this prosecutorial zeal? If they truly are captive to their own imaginations, what else are you leaving them to do? It's as if the God of the Religion is on trial, with you as judge jury and executioner, and the verdict is that God was never there to be on trial in the first place. You argument paradoxical.
Don't you care at least a little BIT about reality, i.e. what is really REAL? I prefer living MY life based on reality, not just a wishful comforting fantasy that only makes ME feel good. Didn't you learn the lesson of the dangers of chasing after a fantasy while in the JWs?
God exists in our Scripture because God is an observed truth. We now have the task of defining God, not the task of determining His existence. If you are not interested in that endeavor, then that's an indicator that free will truly exists. You may turn away, if you wish.
Now you're arguing from an ends-based (teleological) justication, saying "Don't challenge my God belief with facts, and maybe it's possible that it IS a fantasy, but just let me enjoy my fantasy/delusion in peace, because I ENJOY it so...." REALLY? Again: don't you CARE one bit about reality?
The problem is believers aren't content to keep their beliefs to themselves, but engage in recruiting others (knocking on doors, etc), forming political organizations/action groups, trying to force their beliefs down MY throat, controlling school curricula for creation science, voting for God-fearing candidates, etc.
For me, when the Bible became allegory a huge burden I didn't know I had lifted. The document no longer held any power over me, but quite the opposite, I had power over it. As I put the peices together (which is a process that lasts a lifetime) I discovered the document's true purpose: To instruct me in the ways of righteousness. It lifted me up in a time of darkness and gave me strength to carry on. That's because Scripture has a voice and that voice leads you to what is right, what is true and especially, what is faithful. It's been doing this for ages and ages.
Yeah, and that's an "appeal to tradition" argument. Take a logic course at your local community college, and learn it's potential flaws.
You know what's REALLY liberating? Realizing it's ALL a lie, ALL about control. Don't be lazy, but do the hard work of forming your own moral compass (realizing you ARE a citizen of a State, and the Planet: you have a RESPONSIBILITY to other humans, not just a powerful figment of your imagination who you'd LIKE to exist).
If you must reduce Scripture to a simple fairy tale at least maintain the moral alignments of the original characters. Otherwise, you have to say you are starting a new story. Calling the God of the Torah evil is like calling Batman evil, you could make a case, but it's just not right.
You are claiming that ancient laws are BETTER than NEW laws. That's just so backwards, it's revoltingly-insulting. Wake up and realize the World has moved beyond Bible-based morality CENTURIES AGO, and the sky didn't fall in. You're holding onto an ancient book that still advocates slavery, thought control, etc, and it's time to admit while it has some good in it, it's NOT God-given or inspired, but merely the product of ancient clever men where it served a purpose in THEIR time, but modern concepts of granting fundamental human rights to all have moved well-beyond it.
Adam
