"Fear the bible"

[Celebration]

Okay, that about takes the cake for the T shirts that I have seen. A really cute looking approximately 13 year old teenager in my neighborhood was walking her dog, and wore that T shirt. What the.....................?????

You know what? I think we may be paying for the fact that this country was originally settled by a lot of people that were very unmainstream religious people in England. I just have no real explanation for why people would wear a T shirt that said "Fear the Bible." "Love Jesus" is fine. "Follow the Saviour" is fine. I mean, it might not be my thing, but I can accept it. FEAR THE BIBLE. Sorry, I think that's sick.

Honestly, I have a hard time trying to relate to bunches of folks around here. Thank goodness for message boards.

Done ranting now. THE END.

[tanyev]

1. Well, if it's big and heavy and thrown with great accuracy....

;)



Seriously, there is no mainstream denomination that would support that sentiment. I agree, that is bizarre.

[crikkett]

6. ...it could be as effective as a shoe! Throw The (Good) Book at 'em!!

LOL




:evilgrin:
I laughed at my own joke.

[MorningGlow]

2. That doesn't even make sense!

:shrug:

It's a BOOK. Written by hoomans. There are some wise bits, some amusing bits, some naughty bits, and a lot of really, really boring bits (Numbers? REALLY?). Books can't hurt you. But yes, the power that some people apply to the books...:scared:

ITA about the people who settled here. I blame the pain-and-suffering-loving Puritans for the fact that they settled in the northeast...and we stayed here! More relaxed people would've said, "Phk this snow and shit. Which way to the beach?"
:rofl:

[rosesaylavee]

3. I think it's a book that thousands have used to justify

harming and/or killing millions. That may be the meaning behind the shirt. However, it is just a book. Not too different than the Koran in that respect. It can be a path to enlightenment or a path to extreme pathological behaviors. It depends on who is reading, who is interpreting.

[northernlights]

4. my sentiments, exactly

books don't kill people. People kill people...and use books to justify their actions.

[crikkett]

5. Perhaps the little girl is an atheist, or of a minority religion.

or perhaps she has parents who don't understand irony.

[stellanoir]

7. I've posted this before

I simply won't discuss the Bible with anyone who is not fluent in Hebrew and Aramaic.

This is why, besides it being riddled with outrageous contradictions, there is this. . .

Since Arabic languages are far more multi leveled and somewhat more poetic than Greek, Latin, and English, I've long been intrigued by the scholars who are fluent in Hebrew and Aramaic who translate the verses directly into English.

The etymology they present is really quite fascinating.

The Aramaic root of the word "enemies" is a "tangled knot."

The Aramaic root of the word "evil" means "unripe."

That suggests something that requires more sunlight (aka consciousness), nourishment, water (aka emotional support), and time (patience), though I've heard no one else elucidate it as such, but most metaphysicians don't live on farms. That perspective sure beats all the tiresomely unenlightened dualistic shadow projection that is bandied about so much these days.

"Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth" translated directly becomes "Blessed are those who soften their hearts (emotional rigidity) because they are open to the full powers of nature."

"Love thine enemies" was translated by Neal Douglas-Klotz. http://www.abwoon.com/ He was a guest on the visionary activist show recently. http://www.kpfa.org/archives/index.php?arch=24231 It's well worth a listen.

The host is a colleague of mine and she described his interpretation as "a vast instruction manual of great mystery."

"Love thine enemies" = "Love your enemies. From a hidden place, unite with your enemies from the inside. Fill the inner void. That makes them swell outwardly and fall out of rhythm, instead of progressing step by step. They stop and start harshly out of time. Bring yourself back into rhythm within. Find the moment that meets with theirs', like two lovers creating life from the dust. Do this work in secret. This kind of love creates. It does not emote."


This sort of approach is reinforced in Jungian psychology and Buddhism.

That translation reminded me of this other one that I found many years ago though I don't have a clue of who translated it. I like it better than the one on Douglas-Klotz's site.



Lord’s Prayer*

Oh heavenly source of all radiance

Soften the ground of our being and carve out a space within us where your Presence can abide.

Fill us with your creativity so that we may be empowered to bear the fruit of your mission.

Let each of our actions bear fruit in accordance with our desire.

Endow us with the wisdom to produce and share what each being needs to grow and flourish.

Untie the tangled threads of destiny that bind us as we release others from the entanglement of past mistakes.

Protect us from being seduced by that which would divert us from our true purpose, but illuminate the redemptive opportunities of each passing moment.

For you are the ground and the fruitful vision, the creative power and fulfillment, as all is gathered and made whole once again.

*Translated directly from Aramaic to English instead of the traditional translation from Aramaic to Greek to Latin to English


Here's a very cool video

http://www.sedonadigitalarts.com/html/video_previews.html

Here are two rather funny ones.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIBfNsPDw1I&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifKKlhYF53w

[crikkett]

10. thanks for the info, stellanoir.

And I heartily endorse the Visionary Activist Show. :thumbsup:
Thursdays 2pm PST streaming live on KPFA.org

[Kind of Blue]

14. Thank you for the links, Stellanoir .

[Mist]

15. stellanoir--thanks for sharing those translations--the difference between

what we've heard before and what you've shown us are amazing.

I like your 'tude! "I simply won't discuss the Bible with anyone who is not fluent in Hebrew and Aramaic."

[stellanoir]

16. Yup

One of my two spiritual teachers was multi lingual and he used to interpret the first five books of the Bible prefacing it by saying, "Here is is for a Greek audience. . .Here it is for a Roman audience. . .Here it is for a Pagan audience. . .and here is how I see it. . ."

His version was so riddled with contradictions that it was comprised of the best of the *best* of divine comedy and tragedy.

It was sort of like. . .Mel Brooks does the bible.

I don't find anything remotely funny in the St. James translation.

I often say humor is my religion. :)

Caroline Casey used to respond to fundies when they got all doomy and gloomy about the Book of Revelations by saying ". . .and does this belief system make you truly happy. . .?"

That same spiritual teacher said that the Book of Revelations reads like somebody's bad Medieval mushroom trip. LOL

[Mist]

17. Yes, I always thought that about Revelations. Someone did the brown

acid.

"Mel Brooks does the bible." LOL!

[Celebration]

8. Context

Oops, I realize that some of you don't know how to read the "Fear the Bible" message (but some do). You would just have to live here and experience it. This is a FUNDY T shirt. 100% the message on this girl's shirt is to fear her own religion. I'm sorry. I just think that's sick. It is hell, fire and brimstone all rolled into a T shirt. So, yes I make judgments on that, not the bible, which, you know, being raised Episcopalian, I don't know diddlysquat about. "Love the Bible" would be better than fearing it. Heck, hate the Bible would just clearly identify oneself as against the bible. That could not happen here. My problem is with being taught to fear your own belief system.

There is a zero percent chance that this T shirt could be interpreted any other way, in this neighborhood. I do wish I knew where she got the T shirt. I didn't get close enough to be able to read any more.

[crikkett]

9. so her tshirt might as well say "Be good or I'll spank you, xo, Mom"

One of the worst things my (step) mother ever did to herself was to repeat the phrase "if you don't respect me, you'll fear me" at the top of her lungs when she was pissed off at us.

Because in the end, she got neither.

[Why Syzygy]

12. I love this..

not the bible, which, you know, being raised Episcopalian, I don't know diddlysquat about
My own personal schaudenfraud . excuse me

I attended a Baptist college for one year. And, of course Bible studies were required. The first day of the NT class, the professor came in, started his lecture and threw a Bible across the room to hit the wall and fall on the floor. He wanted us to know there was nothing sacred to the physical properties. :shrug:

[wovenpaint]

11. I'm certainly no scholar

but I remember being told somewhere along the line that use of the word "fear" in the bible could be interpreted as "honor or respect" rather than to fear as in cower.

Here's quote from dictionary.com

"to have reverential awe of"

Of course, tell that to the tee shirt maker...

:hi:

[Celebration]

13. Yeah, some people say "Fear the Lord"

Meaning something like that, I think. But the people that use that generally seem to like the double meaning. I think it is an odd phrase. I have never heard "fear the bible".