Lent

OK – am just really disillusioned at this point. Lemme  ask a question or two;

Is the Bible the word of God, inspired by God, or What Paul wanted to preach? What part of what parts we should listen to, follow, believe as necessary, not interpret and/or just ignore is why I ask. Seems to me there are a TON of double standards and conveniently ignored bits while some things are blindly and without explanation held to with absurd devotion.

I quit reading in the middle of II Timothy and just stewed for a while. I am glad I did not post right away, referring to Paul the same way I would a crack dealer trying to short me would have probably offended someone.

I am more conflicted, torn on what is right vs wrong, what do I believe vs what am I being taught and more importantly, who is making these rules and why, than when I was a devout, card-carrying, preaching atheist.

Let me explain – Paul is a misogynistic, oppressive sexist at all times. But don’t worry, you ladies can be saved through childbirth! YEA! Be quiet, be submissive, be frumpy, be pregnant and barefoot in the kitchen. Do not lead, do not teach, do not participate except in service to the men. Stick with me folks. These are all themes, statements made by Paul throughout the NT after the Gospels. These are all the things Paul has found necessary to include the epistles, over and over again, that we,  the modern Christians base your religion and supposedly our lives on.

Back to question #1 – IF the teachings of Paul, the books, letters whatever you choose to call them, if these things are the word or inspiration of God through Paul, why are we not lined up in protest in front of schools, colleges and clothes stores, the DMV or Churches with female pastors and anywhere else a woman is not being quiet and submissive and simply of service and occasionally poppin’ out  a youngin?

Who decided and why – that we could suddenly ignore part to the bible? That being said – Who decided and why that we must not ignore the other parts? Why has one entire theme of Paul’s teaching been tossed aside?

Times have changed, it is a different world, blah blah blah blah. No matter what you answer – my reply is simple – *you cannot have your cake and eat it too. It is black and white. It is one or the other. Which leads me where I am going with this – you may claim slipper slope,  I contend modus ponens.

Paul was celibate and suggested all people live that way to be truly happy. However, “If you cannot control your attraction and desires, get married” Thank you for the out. Continuing – Paul preached as much about/ against homosexuality as he did about the place, function of women. If we have abandoned the misogyny of his teachings, why have we clung so adamantly to his other teachings, in the face of changing times, things being different?

Before you get ahead of me, here is my answer to your question – Paul gave marriage as a way to engage in sexual contact with a member of the opposite sex. He said, if you cannot control your attraction and desire, marry. The man/woman wording is there of course but – since we are picking and choosing what we will teach and follow anyway, let me ask you – when did you make a conscious choice to be attracted to someone? Do you recall when you decided you where straight? Do you have it in your diary when you said, “I will choose to be aroused by blonds taller than me with freckles”? Do you go against your attractions, desires intentionally? Did you marry someone you loathe looking at, that kills your desire for intimacy with that person?

If marriage was given as a way to make our attractions and desires (which I hope you can see are NOT conscious choices) then why are we so blindly and recklessly trying to say it only OK for opposite-sex couples? What makes that attraction or desire different from attraction or desire of same-sex couples?

OH, I KNOW, I KNOW, I KNOW – PICK ME!!!!! Because it’s not natural. Well, guess again, lots of examples of homosexual contact in other animals. Look it up yourself.

OH, I KNOW, I KNOW, I KNOW – PICK ME!!!!! Because you can’t make a baby that way! No, you can’t. The last time you had sex, the last 10 times you had sex, were you trying to make a baby?

OH, I KNOW, I KNOW I KNOW – PICK ME!!!!! Alex, is it because the Bible tells me so? The Bible also tells me women need to be quiet, submissive creatures that are saved because they can bear children. The Bible tells me that women cannot lead or teach.

What about divorce, or remarrying widows and widowers? We’re OK with that when Paul was not – oops when the Bible said that was not OK.

Just to make sure you are not missing my point – I use a specific example because it is important to me – but the general question I have is this – Why must I accept and submit to the rules and teachings of only part of the Bible? Who do you think ‘wrote’ the Bible, inspired the authors of the Bible? If you answered God, then who are you to decide that parts of it are no longer relevant? Who are you, to edit God?

Or let me ask it another way, why are there people in the world willing to die for the teachings of Paul but, only some of them?

Reading: CF  was actually to discouraged with the conflicts and blatant double standard to read anymore. I suppose I will get back to it.

Learning: A+ although maybe not what I was expecting

Workout – screw it – facebook quiz says my ‘actual age’ is 52. I’m doomed.

Ice Cream: A+  and just so you know, I made brownies, from scratch, and they were good. I guessed the ingredients and method before consulting cookbook and was dam close. So there.

A V