Posted by
Andrews on Friday, April 18, 2008 11:36:08 AM
I have a question. I have noticed there is a group who spends a lot of time on Townhall criticizing those who express a literal belief in the Bible. And it raises a few questions.
Now, let me get this out of the way. I am, as I have said before, not a Christian, but I do believe that the Torah is divine in origin. I do believe that G-d tailored his message to his audience, so that things such as the six days of creation may be figurative language rather than literal truth. I believe that G-d understood shepherds and laborers recently escaped from slavery, likely unable to count beyond the limits of their flocks, might have a hard time with astrophysics and time lines of multiple billions of years. Nor was that the only consideration. Had G-d given Moses the full physics of creation, does anyone believe the Hebrews would have accepted that as the word of G-d when Moses presented it? After centuries in bondage, surrounded by Egyptian mythology, it was necessary that the creation story be something familiar, meaning, of necessity it would be more of a fable than an accurate account. So, it is possible that, though of divine origin, the Torah is not entirely, literally accurate*.
But, regardless of my own beliefs, I have no argument with those who want to believe anything at all. So long as it is not imposed on me, someone can believe the bible is fiction, divinely inspire, accurate, inaccurate, allegorical, anything at all. I do not have a problem with any of those positions.
What I wonder is why it matters so much to those who do not believe that others know and accept their beliefs? I understand Christians trying to persuade others, as their religion requires evangelism as part of belief. But for non-believers, I just don't get it. Why do they care if other people continue to believe in the Bible? Their insistence, and often outright hostility, puzzles me.
But my other question was the real reason I wrote this. What I am wondering is if these non-believers spend as much time attacking other faiths. Do they sit at home finding inconsistencies in the Vedas as well as the bible? Or is it simply Christianity (and Judaism) which attracts their attentions? I have yet to see anyone point out where the Hindu holy texts contradict modern science, yet those books have a huge number of believers and there are those who believe them to be literally true as well. Even closer to home, I don't see these atheist critics even taking on the Koran. It seems that only Christians upset them.
Well, just asking if any of my readers have thoughts on this subject. Atheist, believer or other I would be interested in what you think. I have told you what I believe, but I know I am in a very small minority, so don't worry about offending me. Give me your thoughts.
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* And for those who claim this means I am calling G-d a liar, as I have said elsewhere, I do not think it a lie. If you do not give a full account of reproductive biology, genetics, and the mechanics of intercourse when your three year old asks where babies come from, you are not lying, you are just recognizing the limits of your audience.
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POSTSCRIPT
I know I have written before about "smug arrogant atheists" who claim scientific disproof of G-d, but that is not necessarily the group about which I am writing. Yes, they are part of the group which feels compelled to criticize believers, but even some other non-believers, those who are reasonable individuals and treat others quite civilly, can't seem to refrain from poking holes in the Bible. It is a most peculiar phenomenon.
And, in the interest of full disclosure, I suppose I should confess that, when an arrogant teen, I too engaged in the popular intellectual pass time of mocking the believers. Both during my, thankfully short lived, leftist period in my late teens, and my longer, but also thankfully short lived, membership in the cult of Ayn Rand which followed, I was quite adept at finding Biblical "errors" and was not shy about pointing them out. Sadly, it is so long ago, I don't really recall why I did it. Which is part of the reason I am asking this question.