No, It is NOT Acceptable To Claim That God Says It's OK For You To Be A Stupid Bigot

[kpete]

At some point, this has to stop. No, it’s not acceptable in a civilized society to claim that God says it’s okay for you to be a stupid bigot. And it doesn’t matter how many people believe it is. They’re wrong. Period.

You know how I feel about faith-based religion because I’ve written about it so many times before. The fact is that when you peel away the culturally sanctioned rationale for believing that homosexuality is wrong — or for refusing to eat meat on a Friday, or for sitting on a box and covering the mirrors after someone dies, or for making sure that a woman’s body is clothed almost completely — what you’re left with is just plain old-fashioned crazy. And what’s worse is that, as the Robertson story proves, the rules and restrictions adhered to by the faithful all too often negatively impact people who should be well beyond the jurisdiction of any one particular religion. It would be one thing if Robertson merely believed that gay people were an affront to God, but those beliefs inform his actions. No belief is benign. It’s one thing for someone to, let’s say, make a personal decision not to work on Sunday because he thinks his god demands it — it’s another thing entirely for a pharmacist not to dispense the morning-after pill for the same reason.

I quite frankly don’t give a damn what someone’s god wants; the rights, privileges, and even whims of living, breathing human beings take precedence over the requirement they’ve imposed upon themselves not to offend the imaginary friend they talk to before they go to bed every night. The rights of a gay person to live without persecution and to be afforded equal marriage opportunity should at no point be considered equal to the “rights” of the faithful to adhere to the regulations imposed by Jesus (or Yahweh, or Muhammad and so on). Yes, you’re allowed to believe what you want, but when that belief collides with reality, reality shouldn’t be the one forced to submit. In the game of chicken between what’s proven and what can’t be, guess which one has to veer off?

Phil Robertson believes in the God of the Bible. He believes that this god doesn’t approve of the behavior of gay people and that that makes it okay for him to call them “ruthless” and “full of murder.” Fine. He can think whatever nonsense he wants. But he doesn’t get to throw up his hands and grant himself immunity from the outraged response of people whose beliefs adhere to logic, reason, and live-and-let-live compassion by “shifting the blame” over to his Christian faith. And neither do any of those defending him. Sorry, you don’t get to hide behind faith. And the entire ridiculous concept of faith shouldn’t be protected when it informs and perpetuates intolerance.


http://thedailybanter.com/2013/12/phil-robertson-shouldnt-be-able-to-hide-behind-his-faith/

[stopbush]

1. Couldn't have said it better myself.

Make believe (ie: religion) should never be considered on the same level as reality, let alone trumping reality.

Sorry, religionists, but your beliefs are based in make believe, and make believe is only OK as long as we all acknowledge it's make believe.

[RockaFowler]

2. Most people like him Bastardize the Bible

It really makes me sick.
They take what they want from the Bible and then throw away those passages that are against what they want to believe. You know the one - Love Thy Neighbor - they seem to forget that one. I have a feeling he wears poly-cotton blend shirts, eats shrimp and are unclean (those beards alone are unclean)!!

[trotsky]

5. Most people unlike him do it too.

Liberals reject a lot of what Paul wrote, most of the judgmental parts, etc.

Everybody picks the parts of the bible they want to believe. They have to - you'd go crazy trying to follow the whole thing.

[Lint Head]

8. If you tried to follow the whole thing all adults would only have one eye.

New International Version
And if your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell,

New Living Translation
And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out. It's better to enter the Kingdom of God with only one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell,

English Standard Version
And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell,

New American Standard Bible
"If your eye causes you to stumble, throw it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than, having two eyes, to be cast into hell,

King James Bible
And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire:

Holman Christian Standard Bible
And if your eye causes your downfall, gouge it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell,

International Standard Version
And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It's better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell.

NET Bible
If your eye causes you to sin, tear it out! It is better to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell,

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
“And if your eye subverts you, pluck it out, for is better for you that you should enter the Kingdom of God with one eye than having two eyes that you should fall into the Gehenna of fire.”

GOD'S WORD® Translation
If your eye causes you to lose your faith, tear it out! It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell.

Jubilee Bible 2000
And if thine eye causes thee to fall, pluck it out; it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye than having two eyes to be cast into hell,

King James 2000 Bible
And if your eye offend you, pluck it out: it is better for you to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire:

American King James Version
And if your eye offend you, pluck it out: it is better for you to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire:

American Standard Version
And if thine eye cause thee to stumble, cast it out: it is good for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell;

Douay-Rheims Bible
And if thy eye scandalize thee, pluck it out. It is better for thee with one eye to enter into the kingdom of God, than having two eyes to be cast into the hell of fire:

Darby Bible Translation
And if thine eye serve as a snare to thee, cast it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into the hell of fire,

English Revised Version
And if thine eye cause thee to stumble, cast it out: it is good for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell;

Webster's Bible Translation
And if thy eye causeth thee to fall into sin, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes, to be cast into hell-fire.

Weymouth New Testament
Or if your eye should cause you to sin, tear it out. It would be better for you to enter into the Kingdom of God half-blind than remain in possession of two eyes and be thrown into Gehenna,

World English Bible
If your eye causes you to stumble, cast it out. It is better for you to enter into the Kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into the Gehenna of fire,

Young's Literal Translation
And if thine eye may cause thee to stumble, cast it out; it is better for thee one-eyed to enter into the reign of God, than having two eyes, to be cast to the gehenna of the fire --
Parallel Commentaries
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

9:41-50 It is repeatedly said of the wicked, Their worm dieth not, as well as, The fire is never quenched. Doubtless, remorse of conscience and keen self-reflection are this never-dying worm. Surely it is beyond compare better to undergo all possible pain, hardship, and self-denial here, and to be happy for ever hereafter, than to enjoy all kinds of worldly pleasure for a season, and to be miserable for ever. Like the sacrifices, we must be salted with salt; our corrupt affections must be subdued and mortified by the Holy Spirit. Those that have the salt of grace, must show they have a living principle of grace in their hearts, which works out corrupt dispositions in the soul that would offend God, or our own consciences.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out,.... Than which, nothing is dearer to man, it being very tender, and exceeding useful: this metaphor the Lord sometimes makes use of, to show how dear his people are unto him, and what a tender concern he has for them, Deuteronomy 32:10. And here it may design such, as are most beloved by men, and are their most intimate acquaintance, and bosom friends; and yet these are to be parted with, when they prove snares and stumbling blocks, or give offence, by endeavouring to draw into sin, and from Christ:

it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye; that kingdom, which God has prepared for his people, from the foundation of the world, and of his rich grace, gives unto them, and in which they will enjoy him to all eternity;

than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire. In the two instances before it is added, "that never shall be quenched".

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

47. And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell-fire—On the words "hell" and "hell-fire," or "the hell of fire," see on [1467]Mt 5:22.

Mark 9:47 Additional Commentaries

[etherealtruth]

3. I can't imagine that this would be acceptable to anyone that considers themselves Christian

"... what you’re left with is just plain old-fashioned crazy." That says it all

Great article

[Kurovski]

4. K&R

Sometimes, it seems funny to me how folks get struck dumb about human rights and earthly decency when the issues are attached to some of the religious ideas which float betwixt the clouds.

The concept of "Go along to get along" is as much a power in the world as is actual faith.

[yellowcanine]

6. It is also not ok to take a 2000 year old text out of its cultural context and try to shoehorn

your own cultural baggage into it. Such as claiming that when Paul (or whoever) wrote that something was "unnatural" he was talking about the same thing that you think is "unnatural" and that even if he were, that it would still be ok to go with it. Lots of things which were "natural" in the 1st century are no longer natural and vice versa. Contrary to what the bible thumpers say, gods do change because they are created in our image, not the other way around.

[yuiyoshida]

7. There are some days....

I am happy to call myself a Buddhist.

[napkinz]

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