From: Subject: Protect God Date: Fri, 7 Dec 2007 09:39:41 -0800 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="utf-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Location: http://web.archive.org/web/20030523043038/http://www.protectgod.com/ X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2900.3198 =EF=BB=BF Protect God

ProtectGod.com=20

 

Welcome to protectGod.com. You are about to receive FREE, an = abbreviated=20 version of "Defamation Of God" by Paul Winchell - a book = that=20 organized religions will undoubtedly ban and no publisher would = print.=20 Since we invest much of ourselves in paying homage to a Heavenly = Father,=20 shouldn=EF=BF=BDt we be sure that the book designed to honor Him = does just that? A=20 painstaking investigation of the Bible reveals that Scripture = defames God=20 by maligning His character and morality with accusations of cruel = and=20 heartless acts against humanity. Yet millions flock to their = churches=20 unaware of the ruthless atrocities of which scriptural authors = accuse the=20 Almighty.

This website has no tax-free status nor does it = solicit=20 donations. Its sole purpose is to defend our Creator against the = libelous=20 charges of biblical writers who maligned God=EF=BF=BDs sacred = image by accusations=20 of heinous and immoral crimes against mankind. Paul Winchell = protects=20 man=EF=BF=BDs most cherished image in a riveting book and since no = publishers will=20 print it, he is offering it to you free.

 

Defamation Of God

By Dr. Paul Winchell

Preface

God is being defamed and most people are = totally unaware=20 of it. It=EF=BF=BDs time to end an injustice that=EF=BF=BDs been = going on for centuries=20 and I=EF=BF=BDve chosen to take a stand because I=EF=BF=BDm = God=EF=BF=BDs child and love my=20 Father. I should say Our Father for we are all God=EF=BF=BDs = children and I=EF=BF=BDve=20 spent a big part of my life learning about Our Creator and the = meaning He=20 holds for people everywhere. I will protect that sacred image by=20 challenging every libelous accusation against His character and = morality=20 wherever such charges are encountered, even if cherished = beliefs=20 are inadvertently trampled upon.

I=EF=BF=BDve been successful in my life and = accomplished much of=20 what I originally set out to do. I enjoyed a twenty-year = television career=20 as a ventriloquist with my alter egos Jerry Mahoney and = Knucklehead Smiff.=20 I made a lot of movies, appeared on most top television shows, = created and=20 performed the voice of "Tigger" for thirty six years at Disney = Studios,=20 invented and patented the first successful Artificial heart used = in humans=20 - but all that aside, I must now take a stand and speak out = against any=20 denegation of Our Father. Since we live in the "Computer Age" and = millions=20 of young people are becoming literate daily, it seems appropriate = to offer=20 this work in today=EF=BF=BDs "Cyber Style".=20

_______________________________________________

http://www.com click here to download=20 Tutorial

TUTORIAL

For the novice "Cyberfyte"- a "Folder" is a series of "Files" that=20 encompasses a particular theme. I will begin my presentation by = opening a=20 Folder called "God"=20 that every one of us carries in our heads - with wide variations,=20 depending upon our "Parental Beliefs and Practices". We start life by identifying with mom = and dad and=20 then deal with our fellow man as though he carries the same image = of God=20 that we do. Now, what might such an image be if it is not based = upon=20 Scripture? Many will immediately brand him an Atheist but the = question=20 worth considering is this: "Is it wrong to believe in a god that = is=20 not found in the Bible"? We seem to have no problem with = adherents=20 of other faiths, even though their sacrosanct beliefs differ = vastly from=20 ours. I suspect we can afford to be tolerant in those cases = because we=EF=BF=BDre=20 convinced that they worship a myth while our Deity is the only = true God;=20 obviously,

They believe the = same about=20 us.

Note: All = the=20 Files = and=20 Folders that follow=20 can be "deleted" or=20 "Saved" = except for=20 the "Parental=20 Files", which cannot = be=20 completely erased. These are "Software Programs" that may be updated=20 periodically but they cannot be "Uninstalled".=20 "Parental=20 Files and = Folders" continue to run subliminally on our=20 "Hard=20 Drives", = frequently for=20 life.
Click=20 here Download and save this tutorial

______________________________

Introduction.com

http://www. Archive this File for future=20 reference

It is almost impossible to relate to the = mindset of our=20 ancestors during antiquity for they lived at a time when = Superstition was=20 rampant and mankind had not yet emerged from the Dark Ages. = Society=20 consisted of The Church and Monarchy and the average citizen = operated a=20 fief and had to share his product with land Barons. As you peruse = the=20 Files = in theses=20 Folders, you may=20 feel tempted to send some of them to the Trash or=20 Recycle=20 Bin but before = doing so=20 please consider the following: Our forebears had no Science, no = telescopes=20 or Astronauts to send pictures of other planets back to them; no=20 satellites or computers and they had no knowledge of the dinosaurs = that=20 would have sunk Noah=EF=BF=BDs Ark in a heartbeat. So please = let=EF=BF=BDs be tolerant of=20 the concepts they made for they never even saw the land upon which = they=20 dwelt; not even a view from a helicopter was available nor a jet, = the=20 Shuttle and definitely not a Space Station of today=EF=BF=BDs = technology. And how=20 can we ever forget that Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldren took = photographs of=20 our home from the moon?

We live in a totally different world today than = that of=20 our primitive ancestors, with new knowledge and invention. How can = we=20 expect them to have thought differently then they did? When they = became=20 ill and death seemed imminent, it was understandable and perfectly = reasonable for them to pray to a god in their feelings of=20 helplessness. They either got well or they died but presently=20 revolutionary treatment exists. We can receive a new heart and = lungs,=20 kidneys or liver transplants and we can do it without prayer. No = such=20 option existed during their day so the image of a caring god who = might=20 help them get well became a necessity. Currently, even the Pope = seeks=20 medical aid for his Parkinson condition rather than rely on prayer = alone=20 and there=EF=BF=BDs nothing immoral about that.

We may not give it a thought but many phenomena = of the=20 universe, formerly regarded as God=EF=BF=BDs bailiwick, have now = been relegated to=20 the commonplace. Television weathermen show us satellites tracking = weather=20 systems hourly. It=EF=BF=BDs freezing in New York and sweltering = in Miami; people=20 are dying from tornadoes in the mid west but all is sunny and calm = in=20 California. Floods devastate Europe and Asia while reports tell us = that=20 droughts are destroying crops in the farmlands. Newscasters = announce=20 meteor showers and invite us outdoors to watch Lunar and Solar = eclipses,=20 elements of nature formerly accepted as Omens from God. The = terrified=20 populace read warnings into every catastrophe, "Behave or the = world will=20 come to an end." Today, thanks to Scientific Research, much of the = fear=20 has evaporated with rational explanations for natural disasters. = Without=20 our current knowledge it was completely natural for earlier = civilizations=20 to turn to "the gods" for assistance. It would have been = inconceivable if=20 they had not.

The amazing fact is that many people still = share the=20 views of antiquity as though the older an idea is the more valid = it=20 becomes and that is the greatest paradox of the ages. With all the = crimes=20 and wars that go on, the events of 9-11, the sniper attacks, the = suicide=20 bombers that murder innocent people, those horrible nightclub = fires, the=20 Shuttle disasters and the students that shoot classmates and = teachers -=20 perhaps the time has come to leave the fantasies in the ancient = past and=20 face hard reality. We live in a "world of Chance" in fact, a = Universe of=20 chance where most things happen because they obey the law of = "Cause and=20 Effect". But before going any further, I wish to make one thing = very=20 clear. The sentiment that follows is not Atheistic but neither is = it=20 Scriptural; it is simply one that deals with the concept of God in = a=20 purely generic sense.

I take a totally neutral position in this = matter. I=EF=BF=BDm=20 neither for nor against any belief that mankind has held about = Deity, past=20 as well as present. I am perfectly comfortable to admit that there = is a God and just as open to accept the remote possibility = that=20 there isn=EF=BF=BDt. That premise is immaterial to my present = point of view. What=20 strikes me is that human beings are like computers; far superior = of course=20 - for the present anyway - but we function in a similar manner. We = make=20 mental=20 Files of = everything that we=20 consider important, Files = of all kinds,=20 and when we "Save" = these=20 Files = they continue=20 to run automatically. Unfortunately, we can=EF=BF=BDt delete them as easily as our silicon counterparts - the human = mind is far=20 more complex - but it=EF=BF=BDs functioning is very similar. We = start our lives by=20 "Scanning" our=20 parents and "Saving" a Copy of their values, attitudes, prejudices = and religious=20 beliefs, which become part of our "ROM".=20 In less Cybernetic terms,=20 their constant "suggestions" are actually a form of hypnosis. = Every parent=20 hypnotizes his child to a certain extent, and although not = intentional,=20 the "Data" = frequently=20 lasts a lifetime.

The thoughts and = ideas=20 expressed in the following Files and Folders may be=20 Saved, Deleted or sent to the Recycle Bin.=20

Folder One

Defamation Of God.com

As previously stated, my aim is to defend Our = Father=20 against defamation of His character and morality by challenging = every=20 falsehood and unjust accusation wherever those insults may = appear,=20 even if certain cherished beliefs are inadvertently trampled upon. =

In total honesty I must confess that I = know=20 nothing about God. No one truly does, not even the Clergy. And = what=EF=BF=BDs=20 more, they know that they don=EF=BF=BDt know. I=EF=BF=BDm = not saying they don=EF=BF=BDt=20 believe but belief is not knowledge. While I may not know = about=20 God, I do know what the meaning of God stands for. God is = kind,=20 wise, patient, loving, just, merciful, and compassionate. To me, = that=20 description exemplifies the true meaning of God.

Scurrilous affronts to the Almighty=EF=BF=BDs = character and=20 integrity appear in a book that is supposed to venerate Our = Creator. The following Files = reveal some=20 of the countess libelous examples that are found in the Bible.=20

____________________________________________________

File//:=20 = a          &= nbsp;           &n= bsp;           &nb= sp; =20 Abraham And = Isaac

One of the greatest Patriarchs of Scripture is = Abraham=20 with whom God makes the first sacred covenant. Jehovah is = portrayed=20 as a very insecure Personality in this sequence of Genesis. = Although=20 Abraham has always proven his loyalty to the Lord, God decides to = put him=20 through a cruel and heartless test. Abraham=EF=BF=BDs beloved son = Isaac is the=20 pawn in this drama that pits a father=EF=BF=BDs love for God = against that of his=20 only child. Though Abraham has done everything the Lord asked of = him, even=20 circumcised himself on Jehovah=EF=BF=BDs command, Jehovah = still seems=20 uncertain of his loyalty. He orders Abraham to bring Isaac to a = sacred=20 sacrificial altar and murder him. Agonizing over the deed he must = perform,=20 Abraham brings Isaac to the appointed spot and prepares to slay = him before=20 God. The child is petrified as his father raises the dagger = overhead. Just=20 as he is about to plunge the blade into the lad, God stops the = test by=20 revealing that He only wanted to know how much Abraham loved him. = Who=20 chooses to believe that the Lord is so insecure that He must = torment his=20 most devoted servant in such a heartless manner? Does this = behavior sound=20 like the Creator of the Universe or that of an immature schoolboy? = Ask=20 yourself if this story doesn=EF=BF=BDt defame the image of = God?

____________________________________________________

<= B>

File//:b          &= nbsp;           &n= bsp;        =20 David and Bathsheba

King David (whose symbol is the Jewish Star) = watches=20 Bathsheba sun bathing on her roof and has her brought to his = palace where=20 they carry on an adulterous affair. Upon learning that he has made = her=20 pregnant, he conspires to have her husband return from the war to = sleep=20 with his wife. Uriah is too devoted to His King and chooses = instead to=20 return to the front lines. David orders his Generals to place him = into the=20 thick of battle and has Uriah slain. Now David can have Bathsheba = all to=20 himself and Jehovah is furious with him for what he=EF=BF=BDs = done. We wait for=20 Divine Retribution and here is how it comes. When the child is = born, God=20 punishes them by killing their baby plus seventy thousand of = David=EF=BF=BDs=20 innocent subjects. The two adulterers receive no chastisement and = Uriah=EF=BF=BDs=20 murder goes unpunished. Does anyone believe that God would mete = out this=20 kind of justice for such a diabolically premeditated crime? Does = it make=20 the deed okay because it appears in the Bible? Consider this for a = moment;=20 no one knows who wrote this tale during antiquity yet many believe = it. One=20 murder is quite enough but the writer turns God into a mass = murderer who kills the baby and thousands of = David=EF=BF=BDs people that=20 had nothing to do with Uriah=EF=BF=BDs death or with the = adultery. Shall we=20 just accept the word of these unknown authors or give God the = benefit of=20 the doubt?

 _____________________________________________________

=

File//:c          &= nbsp;           &n= bsp;           &nb= sp;           &nbs= p; =20 Uzzah

Uzzah is a pious slave who is very solicitous = of God=EF=BF=BDs=20 laws. Among those is the injunction that the Ark is most holy and = must=20 never be touched. One day, as Uzzah is following the procession, = the Ark=20 starts to topple. Instinctively, Uzzah grabs it to stop it from = falling=20 and God immediately sends forth a "holy fire" and immolates the = poor=20 slave. Would the Lord kill a man for trying to save a holy object? = Is the=20 Creator of the universe no more rational than that? Let the = punishment fit=20 the crime but Uzzah was merely trying to save the Ark. If you had = a=20 neighbor with such a short fuse who murdered someone for a reason = like=20 that, what would you do? I=EF=BF=BDd call the authorities or move. = Better yet, I=EF=BF=BDd=20 just deny that God ever did such a thing.

 ______________________________________________________= _______=20

File//: d          &= nbsp;           &n= bsp;        =20 Let=EF=BF=BDs Give God Credit For Wisdom

There=EF=BF=BDs a scene in Genesis that = doesn=EF=BF=BDt give The Almighty=20 much credit for brains. He praises Abel for being a shepherd and = has no=20 respect for Cain being a farmer. What sense does that make? Surely = God=20 understands sibling rivalry. Well, the remark hurts Cain so deeply = that he=20 murders his brother in a jealous fit of rage. Then the boy fears = that=20 someone will try to slay him for his crime so God puts a mark upon = Cain to=20 protect him and swears vengeance on anyone that tries to kill the = lad.=20 Seriously, would God make such a statement when only three people = exist in=20 the world? Would Adam and Eve try to kill their only son? The = writer sure=20 let that one get away from him because who=EF=BF=BDs left to slay = Cain? Would the=20 Lord even take part in such an inane conversation in the first = place? Is=20 this not an insult to Our Father=EF=BF=BDs intelligence? Many = believe that Moses=20 was the author of this story but how could he know all these = details since=20 he wasn=EF=BF=BDt born until later in the next book? As the story = continues Cain=20 is driven out of Eden by Jehovah and goes to live in the "Land of = Nod"=20 where he meets a nice girl and starts a family. Where did these = other=20 people come from??

_________________________________________________________= ____

File//:=20 = e           &n= bsp;           &nb= sp;    =20 Let=EF=BF=BDs = Re-examine This=20 One

In Sodom and Gomorra, the Bible tells us, God = can only=20 find one righteous person in living in two large cities so = he=20 chooses a man named Lot. God is so furious that Lot is the only = one=20 without Sin that He goes on a rampage and sets both cities = ablaze=20 and all the men, women and children burn to death. Does that sound = like=20 something God would do and is Lot really worth saving? Since God = believes=20 he is it must be so, right? Well, God turns Lot=EF=BF=BDs wife = into a pillar of=20 salt for looking back at the fire so in order to continue the = family name,=20 Lot=EF=BF=BDs daughters get pop drunk and both get pregnant by him = and that must=20 be okay with God since He believes that these people are the only=20 righteous ones in both cities. I hope it=EF=BF=BDs becoming clear = why I defend the=20 meaning of God against the vilification of His intelligence = and=20 morality. Do you think the Bible treats God with respect? The = faithful=20 will undoubtedly be angry with me for showing that the Bible = defames the=20 Almighty but I hope they will remember that I am defending = Him. I=20 feel no resentment towards anyone that chooses to believe these = stories=20 because their parents probably also did; I just fail to understand = how=20 that makes them virtuous and righteous people.

 _________________________________________________________= ____

File//:=20 = f           &n= bsp;           &nb= sp;           &nbs= p;  =20 Moses and the=20 Exodus

After wandering in the desert for forty = torturous years=20 Moses guides his tribe towards the land of milk and honey. God = Himself=20 leads the way taking the form of a cloud pillar by day and a huge = fire at=20 night. Canaan lies before them and as they prepare to enter, the = Almighty=20 tells Moses that he alone will not see the Promised Land. Moses = may watch=20 his people go in but he must stay behind because he failed to = sanctify the=20 Lord=EF=BF=BDs name to his tribe forty years earlier. Are we to = believe that God=20 would be so cruel to his most devoted servant? Can anyone accept = that the=20 Lord held a grudge for forty years because Moses failed to = sanctify His=20 name before an exhausted band of wandering Jews? Does the Bible = endow Our=20 Creator with admirable qualities befitting God?

______________________________________________________= _______

File//: g          &nb= sp;           &nbs= p;            = ;            =    =20 Joshua

I=EF=BF=BDm sure we all know that Joshua fought = the battle at=20 Jericho, his trumpeter blew three blasts on the trumpet and the = walls came=20 tumbling down. The bible tells us that God joined the fight and = hurled=20 huge rocks down from Heaven killing more of Joshua=EF=BF=BDs = enemies with those=20 rocks than Joshua=EF=BF=BDs entire army combined. Is scripture = telling us we are=20 not all God=EF=BF=BDs children?

=

_____________________________________________________________

File//:h          &nb= sp;           &nbs= p;            = ;            =  =20 Adam and Eve

The Bible states that because the first two = humans=20 disobeyed God, He brought death into the world. Five = million year=20 old fossils clearly show that creatures have always died and = always will.=20 Death is a natural appointment - merely nature acting without=20 intent. God never created death as a punishment or caused = women to=20 bring forth their babies in pain as scripture claims. Every = creature=20 experiences discomfort during birth and the good Lord is not that=20 heartless. The Old Testament maligns the meaning of God and = deprives us of a loving image. There is no doubt in my mind that = Scripture=20 defames the essence of God.

_________________________________________________________= ____

File//:i          &= nbsp;           &n= bsp;           &nb= sp;      =20 The Deuteronomy Horror

In the fifth and final book of Moses called = Deuteronomy,=20 God becomes so angry at man for being disobedient to Him that He = let=EF=BF=BDs go=20 a barrage of the vilest curses imaginable. If you read = Chapter=20 28 in its = entirety, your=20 senses are sure to be shocked. All the plagues and failed harvests = that He=20 wishes for man, that will bring starvation and disease are bad = enough, but=20 in verse=20 53 Jehovah says,=20 quote: "You shall eat the fruit of thine own body, the = flesh=20 of thy sons and daughters". And in verse 57, "The young one that cometh from between = her feet -=20 and toward her children which she shall bear, she will eat=20 them=EF=BF=BDthat thou mayest fear this glorious and fearful name, = THE LORD THY=20 GOD." Unquote! This is blasphemy! The one book that = was=20 designed to honor and protect God destroys the most cherished = symbol of=20 mankind. A tyrannical, power mad, dictator may feel such = vindictive=20 emotions but surely not a wise and loving God. Is it now clearer = why I=20 deny that any deity would be so unworthy of the homage that = man=20 pays? The righteous people generally become enraged at the=20 slightest affront to their Lord and yet they venerate a book that = claims=20 He utters the words I=EF=BF=BDve just quoted. It certainly is = their right=20 to believe these stories but are they defending God or has = blind=20 fear robbed them of their reason?

PS. since we=EF=BF=BDre still on Deuteronomy = let me add one=20 thought. It is widely held that Moses wrote Deuteronomy, yet the = chapter=20 ends with Moses being buried somewhere in the mountains. The = significant=20 phrase is this: "=EF=BF=BDnobody knows where his sepulcher is = unto this=20 day". How could a dead man write that line?

If that were not = enough of an=20 insult to our intelligence, the Bible also contains "God given = laws" on=20 how to treat slaves. These laws are attributed to the Lord, = who=20 Scripture claims gave them to man. What is so ironic is that most = of these=20 "laws" deal with Hebrew slaves. So the great biblical miracle of = parting=20 the Red Sea let the Jews escape bondage in Egypt only to be sold = as slaves=20 in their own land. These laws "given by God" (says the Bible) are = cruel=20 and heartless and continue to defame our Father. God never created = any of=20 these inhuman "laws". They were obviously written by slave owners = for=20 their own greedy agendas.

http://www/.          &nbs= p;            = ;        =20 The Slavery FOLDER.com =

_________________________________________________________= ____

File://a

Nothing you=EF=BF=BDve ever read compares with = the meticulous=20 instructions for the treatment of slaves as those found in the = "good=20 book". If you think the South was rough on those oppressed people=20 before the Civil War, wait till you read the laws that = existed in=20 biblical times. The height of irony is that most of these laws = applied to=20 Hebrew slaves. Here are some "God given" laws pertaining to slaves = and=20 slave ownership that appear in "Holy Writ". The following passages = are=20 quoted verbatim:

 _________________________________________________________= ____

File://b

1. If a man buys a manservant, he owns him = for seven=20 years. The slave must work in any capacity that his owner = dictates. After=20 six years of labor he will go out free. In the event his owner = gives him a=20 wife and they have children, he gets freedom but his wife and = children=20 remain property of the owner.

2. If a man buys a manservant and a = maidservant=20 and they have a family during their debenture, they go out free = but their=20 family remains the master=EF=BF=BDs property. If, after six years = of servitude,=20 the slave comes to his master and says, "I love my master, my wife = and my=20 children and I want to stay with them and I give up my freedom", = he then=20 he belongs to the master for the rest of his life. Then he must be = marked to show all that he is his owner=EF=BF=BDs property. = The marking is=20 accomplished in the following manner. The law instructs the master = to take=20 his slave to the door and fasten him to the doorpost with an awl = through=20 his ear and the slave is now his forever.

3. If a man sells his daughter as a = maidservant,=20 she shall not be freed as other slaves are. If the new master = takes her=20 for his wife and she fails to please him in bed, he may take her = to a=20 strange land and sell her there. But he will have no further say = over her=20 because he has dealt with her deceitfully.

4. If a man smite his servant or his = maid with a=20 rod and they die, he will surely be punished. But if either of = them=20 continues to live for a day or two, he will not be punished for = they are=20 his money.

Note: Now, here are a few laws = that applied=20 to everyone, not merely to slaves. The Bible writers claim = that=20 Jehovah Himself calls these laws "Judgments".

 _________________________________________________________= __

http://www/          &nbs= p;            = ;            =     =20 Judgments.com

File://a

1. If a man hurts a woman so that she = miscarriages,=20 he earns her husband=EF=BF=BDs wrath and pays whatever price the = judges=20 decide.

2. He that smiteth his father or his = mother shall=20 surely be put to death.

3. He who steals a man and sells him will = surely be=20 put to death.

Note: If he kidnaps someone and = doesn=EF=BF=BDt=20 sell him (?)

4. If two men work together and one = strikes the=20 other with a stone or his fist, he shall not be put to death but = "keepeth=20 his bed. (?)

5. If a master strikes his slave=EF=BF=BDs = eye and he or she=20 dies, let him go free for his eye=EF=BF=BDs sake.

6. If a thief steals his neighbor=EF=BF=BDs = property and no=20 one sees him do it, then he must take the oath of the Lord and = receive no=20 punishment.

Note: Suppose he=EF=BF=BDs = lying?

7. If a man entices a maid to sleep with = him, he must=20 marry her. If he refuses, he must pay the going price of a = virgin=EF=BF=BDs=20 dowry.

8. Do not allow a witch to live.

Note: God believes in witches? = Scripture claims=20 that God created these laws. Can we blame the pious people of=20 Salem?

 _________________________________________________________= ____

File://b

According to the Bible, all of God=EF=BF=BDs = laws come to us from=20 one man named Moses Levi. Moses was over one hundred years old = while he=20 trekked through the desert for forty years leading a tribe of = Hebrews=20 known as the Levites. Scripture tells us that he was on Mount = Sinai forty=20 days and nights without food or water as God wrote the Ten = Commandments=20 and when he came down he wasn=EF=BF=BDt too weak to smash them in = a fit of rage.=20 Those that believe this must accept that the leader of a wandering = band of=20 Jews chatted "face to face" with the Almighty on a great number of = occasions. The Pope who leads millions of Catholics never made = such a=20 claim. The Bible further states that the Ten Commandments, and = other=20 "laws" that are scrupulously observed by both Jews and Gentiles = alike,=20 were handed over personally by God to one man just to teach = his=20 tribe. Believers without question have accepted this story for = four=20 thousand years.

 _________________________________________________________= ____

File://c

While the Clergy is highly respected in most = societies,=20 many people have no idea that Moses was responsible for its = existence.=20 During antiquity Moses had to act as judge and jury in solving = problems=20 for his tribes. Seeing him so overworked, his father-in-law = Jethro,=20 suggested that he empower other tribal priests to act as judges = and=20 relieve him of some of the load. Voila! That=EF=BF=BDs how the = Clergy was born. As=20 the realization sets in that it was Moses alone who gave us all of = God=EF=BF=BDs=20 laws, we may begin to see "men of the cloth" in a different light. = Clergymen enjoy a unique position in many societies and they will = be with=20 us so long as we continue to believe a one hundred and twenty = seven year=20 old man named Moses Levi. By modern standards Moses might be = regarded=20 differently. He killed three thousand of his own tribe in one = afternoon=20 for worshipping the Golden Calf. Of course he said that God = ordered him to=20 do it.

_________________________________________________________= ____

File://d

The "Pentateuch" comprises the five books of = Moses, which=20 is the first section of our Bible. In Genesis we learn of the = great flood=20 that destroyed everything on Earth. After creating the universe in = seven=20 days, God was dissatisfied with the outcome. The Bible says He = felt that=20 humans were inherently evil and the land corrupt. Displeased with = mankind,=20 as well as the animals, He claimed that "all flesh" was evil. He = grieved=20 with remorse and said he was sorry he had created man and = threatened to=20 destroy every living thing on earth. He ordered Noah, who was then = six=20 hundred years old, to build an ark that would hold two of each = creature He=20 had made. Then God unleashed the worst flood in history and = drowned every=20 man, woman and child - and the animals as well. The words used by = the=20 biblical authors in describing God=EF=BF=BDs anger are chilling = and make the Lord=20 seem monstrous. "I will destroy all life that is in the land". All = in=20 whose nostrils is the air of life, etc.". The words are = terrifying,=20 especially when the Bible tells us that God said them.

Note: Since no Bible writers were = around=20 during that flood and no one alive today was there either, = let=EF=BF=BDs give God=20 the benefit of the doubt and use common sense. Isn=EF=BF=BDt any = evidence required=20 of the authors who write these tales?

 _________________________________________________________= ____

File://e

Elephants must have come from Africa, tigers = from India,=20 Kangaroos from Australia and Pandas from China but apparently they = made=20 the journey or they wouldn=EF=BF=BDt be here today. One hundred = and twenty-five=20 thousand different animals exist on earth and both the = Queen Mary=20 and Queen Elizabeth Ocean liners couldn=EF=BF=BDt hold them but = Noah=EF=BF=BDs little=20 craft carried two of each safely through the deluge.

Note: At this point you may be tempted = to send=20 some of the Files = in this=20 Folder to=20 the = Trash=20 or Recycle Bin but before doing so, please remember that our = ancestors=20 were not in possession of the knowledge that we have=20 today.

Trash or Recycle Bin

Not Recommended

 _________________________________________________________= ____

File://f

I=EF=BF=BDm sure the biblical authors = weren=EF=BF=BDt=20 intentionally dishonest since they reported what they = believed was=20 true - but they weren=EF=BF=BDt very enlightened either. When they = claimed it took=20 God seven days to create the earth we can overlook their lack of=20 knowledge. When they stated "He made the sun on the third = day",=20 they had no idea that the world couldn=EF=BF=BDt exist without it. = When they=20 casually mentioned, "He also made the stars" they didn=EF=BF=BDt = know that the sun=20 was a star. They were also convinced that the sun revolved = around=20 the earth, a theory that would have to wait for Copernicus to = disprove.=20 Neither is it hard to understand that they thought the earth was = flat=20 because centuries later, Columbus=EF=BF=BDs crew thought the same = thing. Bishop=20 Usher calculated that from Adam and Eve=EF=BF=BDs arrival the = world was six=20 thousand years old. How could the good Bishop even dream that = Earth came=20 into being almost five billion years ago? When biblical writers = reported=20 that Methuselah=EF=BF=BDs lifespan was nine hundred years and that = a man lived for=20 months in the belly of a whale, it was understandable for them to = make=20 such mistakes because Science hadn=EF=BF=BDt yet arrived. Were it = not for the=20 scientific method, we too, might still believe such "facts". So, = should we=20 also blindly believe the things they wrote about = God?

 _________________________________________________________= ____

File://g

The Garden of Eden episode begins on a very = tender note.=20 All the animals are friendly; the lion lies down with the lamb and = everything is so loving, until God planted the "The Tree of = Knowledge of=20 Good and Evil" in the midst of the garden. When the two newly = created=20 humans ate some fruit, God became enraged and put a curse upon = their=20 heads. He vowed that henceforth man would toil by the sweat of his = brow=20 and woman would bring forth her young in pain. The authors of the = bible=20 added that because of this infraction, death entered the = world. We=20 have all heard that Adam and Eve caused "Original Sin" and yet = from these=20 first two humans came all the people in the world. Seems like = incest and=20 interbreeding are not as evil as eating fruit. Those who believe = that Adam=20 and Eve sired the entire world=EF=BF=BDs population usually shrug = and say, "Well,=20 how else could they do it in those days"?

 _________________________________________________________= ____

File://h

The tale about the Tower of Babel tries to = explain how=20 the many languages of the world came into being. It seems that men = built a=20 tower clear up to Heaven, which God saw as a serious threat to His = domain.=20 In order to prevent the workers from reaching Him, the Lord = confounded=20 man=EF=BF=BDs speech so the builders couldn=EF=BF=BDt understand = each other and that=20 brought the whole project to a halt.

_________________________________________________________= ____

File://i

In the book of Moses called Exodus, Moses = pleads with the=20 Egyptian Pharaoh to "Let my people go" but before the King can = respond God=20 "Hardens his heart". Each time the Pharaoh seems to show = compliance=20 to release the Hebrews, God re-hardens his heart. = God is so=20 angry at Pharaoh for having a hard heart that He = sends=20 plagues of frogs, flies, lice and hail storms that destroy all = trees and=20 plants and swarms of locusts that devour what remains, starving = thousands=20 of innocent citizens. While all this is going on everything is = calm in=20 Goshen where the Hebrew live. God sends Moses to tell the Hebrews = to=20 slaughter a lamb and smear it=EF=BF=BDs blood on the doors so He = can recognize=20 their homes from those of the Egyptians=EF=BF=BD when He will = =EF=BF=BDpass-over=EF=BF=BD=20 the houses that night. Then He murders the first born of every = Egyptian=20 family, turns the Nile and all the water in Egypt to blood and = kills their=20 animals but all is well in Goshen where the Hebrew live. Finally, = the=20 Pharaoh releases the Hebrews and as they leave God tells them to=20 borrow gold, silver, jewels and raiment from their Egyptian = neighbors and "despoil them". Are we to believe that the Lord said = "Thou=20 Shalt Steal?"

At last they are out of Egypt and wandering = aimlessly in=20 the desert and God re-hardens the Pharaoh=EF=BF=BDs heart = to make him give=20 chase. Why would God act like a traitor and try to foil their = escape? Did=20 the writers want to set the stage for the great miracle of parting = the Red=20 Sea? They wrote that God let the Hebrews walk across the sea = floor, then=20 closed the waters on the pursuers and sent the Egyptians to their = deaths -=20 "to get honor upon them so they will know I am the Lord". Why is = that so=20 important to Him; doesn=EF=BF=BDt He know that He=EF=BF=BDs the = Lord? Does He have to go=20 to such extremes just to be secure and feel certain that = He=EF=BF=BDs God? The=20 answer is that during antiquity there were many gods that the = authors of=20 these stories were merely reflecting their own beliefs.

Does anyone besides me see this whole scenario = as=20 libeling the image of our Creator? Is this not the most blatant = defamation=20 of God=EF=BF=BDs character and morality? Do the scripture writers = present God as a=20 role model that will inspire us to emulate?

 _________________________________________________________= ____

File://j

Scripture not only maligns God it also bears a = good deal=20 of responsibility for the difficulty that women have encountered = in trying=20 to achieve equality with the males. This becomes apparent the = moment we=20 begin to read the Old Testament. The book of Genesis reports the = arrival=20 of the first two humans beings. After creating the universe, God = creates=20 Adam and Eve simultaneously and gives them equal = dominion=20 over the earth. So far it looks like Creation is off to a great = start. But=20 then it quickly becomes apparent that different writer has taken = over=20 because this author tells the story of Creation all over = again.

That=EF=BF=BDs peculiar enough but whoever is = writing the=20 text=20 now has a very different = slant on=20 things. The first version of Creation seemed eminently fair to = both sexes=20 but now things begin to change. This time Adam is created first = and Eve is=20 treated as an afterthought. She=EF=BF=BDs not even created the = same way that he=20 was; this time Eve is fashioned from one of Adam=EF=BF=BDs ribs. = This seems to=20 make her a part of man and not a separate entity in her own = right.=20 Jehovah even remarks, "I shall call her wo-man because she was = "taken=20 out of man". He announces that henceforth, her duty = shall be to=20 her husband. If it weren=EF=BF=BDt for that second writer, women = might have been=20 spared a lot of grief. We all know the rest of the story, Adam = blames Eve=20 for making him eat the "apple" (which many scholars claim is = symbolic for=20 fornication) and now all of mankind will have to suffer on her = account.=20 And so, Eve becomes the scapegoat for "Original Sin" because her = husband=20 was too chicken to accept some of the responsibility. Because of = this=20 infraction, Jesus will now have to be sacrificed in order to = forgive=20 mankind for Eve=EF=BF=BDs "Sin". Shall we call God a chauvinist or = is it more=20 likely that the Bible writers were anti-female? Besides if God had = anything to do with writing the Bible why would there be = two=20 different versions of Creation?

Note: Another=20 example of gender discrimination occurs as rules are = spelled out=20 about what is "clean" and "unclean" by biblical = standards. To = File://k "rules" click here

_________________________________________________________= ____

File://k=20 Biblical=20 Rules

When a woman gives birth, she is "unclean" and = must leave=20 the village and live on the outskirts until once again she becomes = "clean". If the child is a male, she must remain away for one = week. If the=20 child is a female, she must stay outside the village for = two weeks.=20 Of course the writers claim that God ordered this discrimination. = I=20 understand that a great taboo existed against blood at the time = but is=20 there any difference with either sex following the birth of a = child?=20

_________________________________________________________= ____

File://l

The Old Testament treats men with respect while = women are=20 frequently referred to as harlots and whores. Patriarchs are = lauded but=20 very few females are given admirable status in scriptural = narratives.=20 Delilah betrays the beloved Samson by having his eyes put out. = Cunning=20 Salome orders the decapitation of John the Baptist. Males that = meander=20 receive no Divine punishment. But wives that are declared=20 unfaithful are taken into the village and stoned to death. These = are just=20 a few examples of lady Icons that appear in the Bible. In fact, = one=20 sparkling "role model" of the Old Testament is Jael, heralded as a = heroine=20 and praised for the brutal murder of a tribal enemy. After = seducing him=20 she waits until he falls asleep on her lap. Then she drives a = metal spike=20 into his temple.

 _________________________________________________________= ____

File://m

The highly prized females of the Old Testament = are always=20 the virgins. Whenever the armies of Moses conquer a city, they = kill all=20 the men, women and children and spare only the virgins. Moses = tells his=20 army that "God ordered it that way" for the soldiers. As Moses lay = dying,=20 at one hundred and twenty seven years of age, his ministers gather = the=20 most beautiful virgins in the land to dance around his deathbed in = the=20 vain hope that they can revive him. Try as they may, the Bible = reports,=20 quote: "Moses could gat no heat" unquote.

 _________________________________________________________= ____

File://n

Perhaps one of the worst slights to females is = barely=20 noticed, occurring in the most revered tenet of religion, "The Ten = Commandments". The tenth commandment reads, "Thou shalt not covet = thy=20 neighbor=EF=BF=BDs wife nor his house, his servants, his ox, his = ass, nor any=20 thing that is thy neighbor=EF=BF=BDs". With one brief = sentence the Bible=20 reduces woman to a piece of property. Passages like these have = undoubtedly=20 played a role in depriving women of the equality they have always = sought=20 and truly deserve. Common sense should tell us that the good Lord = had=20 nothing to do with this slight to the ladies!

 _________________________________________________________= ____

File://o

Common sense is not very common. Copyright Dr.=20 Paul Winchell 2003

_________________________________________________________= ____

http://www/          &nbs= p;            = ;  =20 The Ten Commandments.com

Note: I ask the reader to understand = that I am=20 not critical of the Bible in its entirety for there is much = that is=20 good to be found within its pages. I am taking issue only = with=20 those portions that denigrate the Lord=EF=BF=BDs character, wisdom = and morality.=20

At the very core of the Judaic - Christian = Religion=20 stands The "Ten Commandments". Almost one third of the = world=EF=BF=BDs population=20 recognizes them as rules of moral behavior. For centuries Kings = and=20 Queens, as well as Popes, have abided by their authority. Both = Jews and=20 gentiles alike believe that Moses received them from God on Mount = Sinai.=20 The Bible claims that God Himself wrote them in stone with His own = finger.=20 The Commandments have continued to wield a powerful influence over = mankind=20 throughout the course of history. Even Jesus Christ lived by their = principles.

An investigation of the Ten Commandments = reveals some=20 discrepancies that may not have been explored before. I invite you = to come=20 on an interesting journey and if you have access to a Bible, why = not=20 follow along to be sure that no liberties are taken with biblical = text. We=20 begin with the second book of Moses entitled "Exodus". =

_________________________________________________________= ____

Exodus

File://a

Here we find the Hebrews being led out of Egypt = by Moses.=20 In Chapter=20 20: 1through = 17, the=20 voice of the Lord is heard speaking to the children of = Israel. The=20 sentence begins, "And God spake these words" etc. Here, = Jehovah=20 clearly speaks the Ten Commandments, as they are known to = the=20 world. The biblical word spake is significant because = Scripture=20 clearly tells us that God spoke the commandments aloud. = You=EF=BF=BDll=20 recognize them as those that the Clergy has consistently=20 taught.

20 1-17: God=EF=BF=BDs voice is heard =

Chapter 34 verses 1through = 28 finds God and Moses on Mount Sinai. = Moses has just=20 smashed the first set of tablets that God had given him. = Please=20 note: the following quote is verbatim.

"And the Lord said unto Moses, Hew thee two = tables of=20 stone like unto the first: and I will write upon these = tables the=20 words that were in the first tables which thou brakest". = God then=20 supplies a duplicate set and gives them to Moses but when we read = what is=20 written, these are completely different from the commandments that = we all=20 know! These are laws that deal with tribal morality, indigenous to = the=20 culture of that period. You can find them in Chapter 34 Verse = 11=20 through 28 that = begins:=20 "Observe thou that which I command thee this day." You may read = them at=20 your leisure but for now I offer a truncated version below:

Thou shalt make no molten gods.

Thou shalt worship no other God.

Thou shalt eat unleavened bread for the month = thou camest=20 out of Egypt.

Thou shalt not make covenants with inhabitants = of the=20 land lest thou go whoring after their gods.

Six days thou shalt work, but on the seventh = day thou=20 shalt rest.

Thou shalt not seethe a kid in its = mother=EF=BF=BDs milk.

Note: The above summary is = not a=20 verbatim quote because these verses contain far too many = Commandments to=20 list here.

 _________________________________________________________= ____

File://b

Question: Which set=20 of commandments would you say carries greater authority, the ones = that God=20 spake or those that He just gave to Moses? If my analysis = is=20 accurate, it would seem to indicate that the commandments which = the Clergy=20 has consistently taught for the last four thousand years are the=20 wrong ones!! If you read them carefully you will notice = that these=20 Commandments deal exclusively with an antiquated life style. These = laws=20 were extremely important to the tribes of Israel but have no = relevance to=20 modern life. At the time, a taboo existed prohibiting the making = of=20 covenants with strangers (aliens). Although one other Commandment = may seem=20 odd, it was considered highly immoral to cook a lamb in its own = mother=EF=BF=BDs=20 milk.

_________________________________________________________= __

File://c

To be certain that no error has been made, see=20 "Deuteronomy" Chapter 10, verse 2. Here God = reaffirms=20 that He will write the same words in the duplicate set that = were in=20 the original set which Moses broke.

_________________________________________________________= ____

File://d

The biblical writers have created a real = dilemma. How=20 could such a discrepancy have gone unnoticed for so long? Since = God=20 clearly gave Moses two duplicate sets but the Clergy keeps = quoting=20 those that God spoke, which ones should we follow? How can = we now=20 determine what conduct is morally right and what behavior is = morally=20 wrong? The original purpose of God=EF=BF=BDs laws was to define = morality for=20 mankind so how can we return to those sound family values that the = Church=20 always talks about, if we don=EF=BF=BDt know what they are? It was = not very long=20 ago that our own government was seriously considering posting the = Ten=20 Commandments in every school, classroom and workplace in America. = Our=20 leaders believed it would act as a catalyst to improve our moral = values=20 but which set would they have posted? The basic question that = remains is=20 this; did God create these Commandments or are they a product of = the Bible=20 writers? Let=EF=BF=BDs examine the Commandants that God allegedly = spoke and=20 evaluate them.

 _________________________________________________________= ____

File://e

1st Commandment: = "I am the=20 Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, = out of the=20 house of bondage".

Note: The Bible writers claim that once = the Jews=20 were finally free, God hardened Pharaoh=EF=BF=BDs heart once again = so he would=20 chase after them. Does this not libel Him as a traitor to the = children of=20 Israel and the Exodus?

2nd = Commandment: "Thou=20 shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make = unto thee=20 any graven image or likeness of anything that is in the heaven = above or=20 that is in the earth beneath or that is in the water beneath. Thou = shalt=20 not bow down thyself to them nor serve them; for I the Lord thy = God am a=20 jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the = children unto=20 the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; and = showing=20 mercy to thousands of them that love me and keep my Commandments". =

Biblical authors have ascribed frailty to God;=20 human weakness of hatred, rage, vengeance, jealousy, = paranoia, insecurity, and spite-qualities most degrading to the=20 meaning of The Lord. Did God create man or has man created = God? And=20 can you imagine "The Father" becoming deeply disturbed by the = making of=20 images? How can the Catholics resolve this dilemma when = their=20 temples are filled with "graven images" depicting the events of=20 Christianity? And notice that God is jealous of other gods. = Doesn=EF=BF=BDt=20 the Almighty know that He is the only one? The Bible = defames the=20 Father by portraying Him as an extremely insecure Supreme=20 Being.

3rd. Commandment: "Thou = shalt not=20 take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not = hold him=20 guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

I must confess ignorance on this one. How can a = name be=20 "taken in vain"? If I say "God bless you" am I taking = Jehovah=EF=BF=BDs name in=20 vain? If I say "God damn it" am I guilty of taking His name in = vain? If I=20 suddenly realize that DOG spelled backwards is GOD does that = qualify to=20 make me guilty?

4th Commandment: "Thou = shalt keep=20 the Sabbath Holy".

Jewish people have gone to extremes to observe = the fourth=20 commandment. In order to comply, they have created a self-imposed=20 impotence upon themselves. Many pious Jews scrupulously observe = the=20 dietary laws of keeping meat and dairy dishes separated. Some = families own=20 a second set of cutlery and flatware and never mix the two in = order to=20 keep them "kosher. Orthodox Jews must not light their stoves or = ovens on=20 the Sabbath. They generally arrange for a gentile friend or = neighbor to=20 ignite their appliances for them. They are not allowed to drive or = use=20 elevators on the Sabbath, which is very curious since neither = autos nor=20 elevators existed in olden times. The taboo extends to a host of=20 prohibitions that would otherwise be considered hardships. Perhaps = the=20 origin of these practices stems from a biblical passage where a = man was=20 stoned to death for picking up sticks on the Sabbath. God is = actually=20 quoted as saying, "Whosoever does any work on the Sabbath = shall be=20 put to death". What would that do to our economy?

Note: Extremely orthodox Jewish couples = consider=20 sex unclean and make love through a hole cut in the bed sheet. = This=20 fanatical observance takes place any day, Sabbath or not. Would = any god=20 deign to sanction such a practice?

5th Commandment: "Honor = thy father=20 and thy mother; that thy days may be long upon the land which the = Lord thy=20 God giveth thee."

The fifth Commandment, "Honor Thy Father and = Thy Mother"=20 creates a multitude of difficulties. It=EF=BF=BDs one thing to = show respect for=20 parents but quite another to legislate a child=EF=BF=BDs emotions. = Many parents=20 should never have had children in the first place. They have no = idea what=20 a child is or what its needs are. In their ignorance, they = frequently=20 create life-long problems for their youngsters. This becomes = obvious when=20 headlines report children running away from home or even murdering = their=20 parents. Young girls frequently become pregnant because of = parental=20 reluctance to discuss sexual matters. Scripture bears some = responsibility=20 on this issue. It=EF=BF=BDs incredible to realize that we are = required to pass a=20 competency test in order to drive a vehicle but need no lessons on = how to=20 raise a child.

6th Commandment: "Thou = shalt not=20 kill".

The sixth Commandment, "Thou Shalt Not Kill", = presents a=20 worthy sense of morality but extremists who bomb abortion clinics = and kill=20 its doctors readily circumvent this injunction by professing they = are=20 doing God=EF=BF=BDs will. If the good Lord weren=EF=BF=BDt = constantly killing people in=20 the Bible this Commandment might make more of an impact on = mankind. You=20 know the old saying, "Do as I say not as I do."

7th = Commandment: "Thou=20 shalt not commit adultery."

No comment on this one because the Bible = contains so much=20 adultery, that it=EF=BF=BDs a case of the pot calling the kettle = black. What=EF=BF=BDs=20 more, it=EF=BF=BDs no business of scriptural writers to pry into = the affairs of=20 men and blame it on God.

8th Commandment: "Thou = shalt not=20 steal."

The eighth law "Thou shalt not steal" is = universally=20 accepted because nobody relishes losing his possessions. However, = God=20 Himself ordered the Hebrews to "despoil" the Egyptians of gold, = silver,=20 precious stones, perfumes and incense and used all the booty in = the=20 construction of His tabernacle. (So says the Bible)

9th Commandment: "Thou = shalt not=20 bear false witness against thy neighbor."

The ninth commandment is constantly abused = wherever the=20 oath is required. Having suspected criminals take the oath in a = court of=20 law is foolhardy. Using the Bible to insure the veracity of = testimony is=20 even more absurd. Prisons are filled with sanctimonious liars.=20 Nevertheless, it=EF=BF=BDs surprising how many gullible jurors = give added weight=20 to an oath sworn on the Bible. Even elected officials are sworn = into=20 office on that book and some of them are far from = truthful.

10th Commandment: "Thou = shalt not=20 covet thy neighbor=EF=BF=BDs house, thou shalt not covet thy = neighbor=EF=BF=BDs wife, nor=20 his manservant nor his maidservant, nor his ox nor his ass nor any = thing=20 that is thy neighbor=EF=BF=BDs."

This commandment makes the wife a piece of = property and=20 devalues all women.

 _________________________________________________________= ____

File://f

If they needed so many laws to keep people = honest in the=20 old days there must have been an awful lot of cheating back then. = Although=20 laws of conduct were needed in a barbaric society, a code of = ethics=20 remains a necessity even today. In my opinion our current society = appears=20 no less primitive in its behavior than did the tribes of Moses. = "God=EF=BF=BDs=20 laws" didn=EF=BF=BDt work then and it=EF=BF=BDs highly unlikely = that they will now. We=20 have seen that some of the rules deserve merit while others are = nothing=20 more than pure superstition. However, the value of the = commandments=20 is not the issue, the ones that are recognized by the = world,=20 is. If you have verified the verses indicated, you = will=20 agree that no liberties were taken with biblical text. The = discrepancies=20 cited could be found by anyone that does not feel intimidated by=20 Scripture. It seems inconceivable that we have been teaching the = wrong=20 Commandments for four thousand years or since the Clergy = identified "God=EF=BF=BDs=20 laws".

Note:=20 I have no prejudice towards any faith, in fact I favor religious=20 observance for I sincerely believe that people have a need to = worship. I=20 also admire the many churches and synagogues for their help in = welcoming=20 new arrivals to the neighborhoods where they can meet and make = friends.=20 Besides providing a meaningful social life for adults and children = alike,=20 much splendid charity works wouldn=EF=BF=BDt be accomplished = without their=20 efforts. It is only the Bible=EF=BF=BDs portrayal of God that I = find offensive not=20 the book in its entirety, for there is much that is good to be = found=20 within its pages.

End of Defamation Of God Folder

The second major portion of the Bible is The = New=20 Testament, which is stored in the next Folder. If this book = were=20 interactive, you could use the link below.

Click here to use this link to the next = Folder, The=20 Religion Folder

 

Folder = Two

The Religion = Folder.com

http://www. cut and paste into your browser=20

Religion has plated a major role in every age = and every=20 culture. The practice has been with us since humans first evolved = on this=20 planet. Men were always troubled by the mystery and finality of = death and=20 Religion attempted to supply an answer. Since no way existed to = prove its=20 conclusions, the Religious premise

Had to be accepted on faith.

 _________________________________________________________= ____

File://a

To understand how the original notion of = a god=20 began we must go back in time to the earth, as it existed when = humans made=20 their initial appearance. The dawn of spirituality began with = Early Man=20 who stared at his surroundings and wondered who, or what, had = created=20 everything that his survival depended upon. Surrounded by = predators and=20 threatened by the hostile forces of nature, he devised rituals = hoping to=20 gain power over his environment. His first response was a belief = in=20 magic. Anthropologists have dubbed this primary form of = religion=20 "Sympathetic Magic". Its purpose was to mimic nature by producing = similar=20 effects found in natural phenomena. For example, observing that = rats had=20 strong teeth, men began to eat rats hoping to gain similar tooth = strength;=20 noticing that bears were physically powerful, they ate bears to = gain their=20 power and so on. Primitive Man practiced this form of magic for = Eons until=20 it gradually began to dawn upon him that he wasn=EF=BF=BDt getting = the results he=20 had hoped for. As winter approached and the days grew shorter, he = worried=20 that the sun was leaving and the fearful darkness would soon = engulf him.=20 Using "Sympathetic Magic", tribes hurled flaming sticks into the = nighttime=20 sky in the vain attempt to re-ignite the sun and keep it from=20 leaving.

 _________________________________________________________= ____

File://b

Death continued to plague him and when a fellow = hominid=20 met the inevitable, the tribe rubbed his body with red clay hoping = to=20 bring back the pink blush of life to the corpse. More Eons passed = before a=20 new thought occurred to some perceptive individual. "What if = somebody (or=20 something else) was controlling everything"? That was the = beginning of a=20 new concept and, shortly thereafter, man started to propitiate the = spirits, who he now thought animated nature. Early Man = believed in=20 spirits of trees and grass, of sky and water, plants and animals = and every=20 aspect of nature. Primitive Man imagined that an invisible "Spirit = World"=20 was controlling things so he created more rituals to appease these = spirits=20 and began entreating them to send him animals that were the staple = of his=20 diet. This is the origin of Totems, which each tribe invoked to = insure=20 success during the hunt. More rituals became a necessity for = winning favor=20 of the spirits and great care was taken to avoid offending and = incurring=20 their anger, which might result in poor hunting. Man has always = feared the=20 "wrath of the gods" in his quest for survival. In this regard, = Prehistoric=20 Man was no exception.

 _________________________________________________________= ____

File://c

Before modern faith came upon the scene, Pagan = cultures=20 flourished that recognized the existence of spirits and gods. Both = genders=20 were included in the celestial Pantheon and some early societies=20 sacrificed innocent virgins to appease their gods and goddesses. = These=20 sacrifices were condoned by the entire society, convinced = the=20 ritual would protect them. Then along came an Egyptian Pharaoh = named=20 Ahknaten with a revolutionary idea of "One God" and = the=20 Egyptians had to abandon their religion of Animism and accept = Ahknaten=EF=BF=BDs=20 new theory. But one god or many, the motivation behind faith was = always=20 the same. Paradoxically though it may seem, worship was designed = to=20 mollify man=EF=BF=BDs fear of God.

 _________________________________________________________= ____

File://d

The "Spirit World" gradually evolved into the = "Religious=20 World."

_________________________________________________________= ____

The Religious World = Sub-Folder

Note: This=20 Folder = contains=20 Theologies of both past and present and examines the origins of = man=EF=BF=BDs many=20 belief systems.

_________________________________________________________= ____=20 File=EF=BF=BD=EF=BF=BD/a

The Mormon Religion is a form of Christianity, = which=20 features the Angel Maroni and the Golden Plates. The text goes on to claim that Jesus Christ = returned to Earth=20 and appeared to the American Indians. While none of the Mormon = premise can=20 be substantiated, we do know that its founders Joseph Smith and = Brigham=20 Young were quite involved in the occult. If a "prophet" appeared = today and=20 announced that he was a practitioner of "Black Magic", do you = suppose he=20 would he attract many supporters? Well, strangely enough, the = "Church of=20 the Latter Day Saints" has become one of the fashionable and = respected=20 Theologies of our day and growing steadily.

_________________________________________________________= ____

File://b

The advent of Christianity officially began = after the=20 Crucifixion by the followers of Jesus. The original Church = of=20 Christ was spawned by terror and torture. The Auto de Fe, = better=20 known as the "Inquisition", took the lives of thousands that = refused to=20 accept Jesus as the "Son of God". In order to make converts, = priests=20 poured hot molten led into their ears and tightened ropes around = their=20 heads until their skulls burst. Men and women alike were placed = upon the=20 rack and slowly stretched until their arms and legs were torn from = their=20 sockets. The only way that victims could stop the horror was to = recant and=20 swear that they accepted Christ. History clearly records that = Inquisitions=20 took place in many different lands and that conversions were made = in the=20 most ruthless fashions, but with the passage of time such = bestiality seems=20 to have been almost entirely forgotten.

_________________________________________________________= ____=20 File://c

Paying homage to God through Scripture has not = always=20 yielded the purest moral image that one could hope for. The "Holy" = Bible,=20 which is the cornerstone of The Judaic-Christian faith, = meticulously=20 describes the gruesome origin of the Hebrew Religion. Fresh blood = of=20 slaughtered animals was poured over "holy" sacrificial altars = throughout=20 the tabernacle of the wandering tribes of Israel. Gore literally = drenched=20 the tent in which "sacred" services were held but the interior was = splendidly fashioned of gold, silver and precious stones that were = stolen=20 from the Egyptians on God=EF=BF=BDs orders (So saith Moses). The = first tribal=20 priests were Moses=EF=BF=BD brother Aaron and his sons for = generations to come.=20 They burned the flesh of bullocks, lambs, turtledoves and other = livestock=20 to provide "a pleasing savor to the Lord" as the Clergy initiated = Peace=20 Offerings, Wave Offerings, Sin Offerings, Heave Offerings and = Trespass=20 Offerings as payment for infractions of the Mosaic Code. Two = millenniums=20 later even the Virgin Mary, being a Jewess, had to bring a = Sin=20 offering to the Priests to be made "clean" again after the birth = of=20 Christ. So demeaning was motherhood during antiquity because of = the=20 archaic taboo against blood.

_________________________________________________________= ____

File://d

The faith of Islam uses the Koran as its = Scripture and=20 not many Americans are familiar with its contents. The Koran is = the=20 equivalent of our western Bible, containing many of the same = Patriarchal=20 characters and fables of the Old Testament. Allah is the god = Jehovah -=20 known by a different name - and Mohammed is the prophet of the = Muslim=20 people, just as Moses is venerated as the prophet of the western = world.=20

_________________________________________________________= _ 

File//e

The Religion of Islam had not yet been created = as the=20 first book of Moses begins. In Genesis we learn of a "Sacred = "Covenant"=20 made between God and the Hebrew Patriarch, Abraham. A loyal = servant of the=20 Lord, he is put through a grueling test to prove his love for = Jehovah. The=20 Almighty orders him to murder his son Isaac on the sacrificial = altar. I=EF=BF=BDm=20 sure we all know that story and most of us also know that Abraham = was the=20 husband of Sarai or Sarah, who the Bible tells us was barren. = Sarah=20 entreats Abraham to impregnate her brown-skinned handmaid saying, = "that I=20 may have my children by Haggar". A boy is born and named Ishmael = but not=20 long afterwards, Sarah becomes resentful and orders her husband to = abandon=20 Haggar and Ishnael in the desert. He dutifully obeys and soon = their=20 pitiful sobs are heard up in Heaven. God comes down to investigate = and=20 upon learning what transpired, makes a "Sacred "Covenant" with = them to=20 create a new peoples from the seed of Ishmael. The Hebrew god = Jehovah=20 promises them a population as vast as the "grains of sand on the = beaches".=20 This, according to Genesis, is the origin of Islam that sprung = from the=20 loins of the Jewish Patriarch, Abraham!! Moses is the alleged = author of=20 this story and since he, nor anyone else witnessed these = Covenants,=20 how he came by this information remains a mystery. =

_________________________________________________________= ____

File//f

In the New Testament, the same = god that=20 made the Covenants with Abraham and Ishmael, sends the Angel = Gabriel to a=20 Jewish virgin in Bethlehem to announce the birth of "His Son". = Three=20 religions, all - vying for the approval of one Father, can = initiate a=20 multitude of conflicts, especially if the father shows the = slightest trace=20 of favoritism. So, what emotions would one expect to be piqued in = "God=EF=BF=BDs=20 children" when God infers that the Jews are His "chosen people"? = If this=20 slight did not occur in the Bible, it may have spared a good deal = of pain=20 and hatred for Jewish people the world over, anguish they still = experience=20 because of it. It seems that planets can remain in orbit without a = Heavenly Father=EF=BF=BDs constant approval but not human beings. = Is it possible=20 that these biblical Covenants made between Abraham, Ishmael, Mary = and=20 Jehovah backfired and caused 9-11, America=EF=BF=BDs second = "Day of=20 Infamy"? The implications of this biblical tale are staggering. = Despite=20 three covenants made by the same god, man=EF=BF=BDs intolerance of = his brother=20 continues. History clearly chronicles that Islam and Christianity = have=20 frequently conducted Holy Wars against each other and currently = Muslim=20 Fundamentalists seem bent upon the destruction of their brothers = in=20 Israel. It is absurd to even consider that our Creator = precipitated this=20 man-made madness.

 _________________________________________________________= ____

File//g

The Hindu Religion is one of the oldest Theologies on the = planet and at=20 the helm is the god Brahman. Because of the tenet of reincarnation = it is=20 impossible to debate with a Hindu disciple. Should someone claim = that=20 Christ or Jehovah is the one true God, the Hindu will agree and = declare=20 that Brahman shows his many faces to the world as all the = gods and=20 that each face is merely another incarnation of Brahman. He also = believes=20 in many other deities including Krishna, Vishnu, Shiva, Ganeesh, = Kali and=20 three hundred million lesser gods. When a pious Hindu has proven = himself=20 worthy, after a number of reincarnations, he may reach Nirvana = where his=20 soul will find peace and final rest. __________________________________________________________=

File//h

The most fascinating religion is Buddhism, = which boasts=20 well over a billion followers. Do all the world=EF=BF=BDs = religions offer the same=20 "judgments of God" for our behavior, namely the rewards of Heaven = or the=20 torments of Hell? Most of them, I=EF=BF=BDm sorry to say, = do. Yet, there is=20 one that resembles no other faith, and that one is Buddhism. = Buddhists are=20 faithful to the Buddha but is the Buddha a god? And is Buddhism a=20 religion, in the way we of the west interprets faith? Although the = world=20 accepts it as a religion, the one thing that sets Buddhism apart = from all=20 the rest is - it has no god. To understand, we must explore the = myth that=20 spawned that great Eastern philosophy.

 _________________________________________________________= ____

File//i

The Buddha, as he is referred to, was not a god = but a=20 mere mortal named Siddhartha Gautama Sakyamuni. He was born a = Prince in=20 the palace of his father. The King decreed that his son should be = raised=20 in the palace behind its cloistered walls. As he grew, he wondered = about=20 the society that lay just outside the grounds. Never permitted to = venture=20 into the town nor mingle with the peasants who inhabited his = father=EF=BF=BDs=20 kingdom, he learned nothing about life, as it existed in his = country.=20 Associating only with the privileged members of court, he gained = no=20 knowledge of the daily lives of the people he would someday rule. =

Disquieted by the reality denied him by his = position, he=20 developed an intense desire to discover what the subjects of his = father=EF=BF=BDs=20 realm were experiencing. He devised a plan to disguise himself and = venture=20 forth into the village where he would live amongst the common = people. One=20 night, while everyone slept, he slipped out of the palace and = entered the=20 city. His aim was to find out how the average citizen existed. = Upon seeing=20 that suffering and unhappiness was the legacy of humanity, he = realized=20 that he must seek enlightenment in order to help his people. = Dedicated to=20 find wisdom, he sat down under a Boa tree and vowed not to return = to royal=20 life until he had discovered the secret of enlightenment which he = could=20 then endow upon his subjects. And, there he remained, focusing all = his=20 attention upon his naval until his goal could be achieved.

The myth does not tell us how long he sat = there, but his=20 focus was so intense, that he shut out all thought save that of = finding=20 enlightenment. At long last, a beautiful lotus flower sprouted = from his=20 naval, signaling him that he had found the wisdom he sought in = order to=20 help all humanity. Myths are always symbolic, but the = wisdom=20 Siddartha had found, eventually eased the suffering of his = subjects and=20 touched more than a billion hearts throughout the Asian continent. =

_________________________________________________________= ____

File//j

His odyssey to enlightenment gave Buddhism its = "Four=20 Truths" and "Eight Noble Paths" which is accepted as the = cornerstone of=20 its philosophy. The "Four Truths" relieved his peoples=EF=BF=BD = suffering, and the=20 "Eight Noble Paths" eased their troubled lives. It is wisdom = indeed, and=20 while the Eastern world has embraced it, it seems unlikely that = the=20 western mind has the discipline to adopt its dogma. One of the = "Noble=20 Paths" 0ffered by Gautama, suggests, "Surrender the things you = want=20 that are "not in your best interests". There is no doubt that this = is=20 genuine wisdom but what society would follow such a noble truth? = If it=20 could, would the world have its wars, drug problems, Aids, rapes, = murders=20 and a myriad of other horrors with which mankind is constantly = plagued?=20 Many of us engage in pursuing our desires despite consequences to = our=20 health and safety. When the results are catastrophic, regret, = anxiety and=20 depression follow. Sometimes, those who believe their behavior is=20 innocuous are driven to suicide in the attempt to escape their = dilemma.=20 Panic and guilt are almost always spawned by self-destructive = impulses=20 that man refuses to curb.

 _________________________________________________________= ____

File//k

The most fascinating aspect of Buddhism is, = that while=20 extremely principled in morality, it recognizes no deity. The = realization=20 that a belief system, embraced by a billion adherents, can be so = lofty in=20 it=EF=BF=BDs values without a god at the helm is a huge paradox. = And, yet,=20 Buddhists are not considered Atheists by other cultures. They = observe=20 rituals and tenets indigenous to other forms of worship. They have = their=20 temples, priests, icons and even a bible, yet their mythology = recognizes=20 The Buddha - to whom they pray - as the very mortal Siddhartha. = Strange=20 though it may seem, religion can exist and flourish without a = godhead.=20

_________________________________________________________= ___

http://www/.          &nbs= p;            = ;   =20 THE NEW TESTAMENT.com

(For God so loved the = world)

File://a

Throughout history millions have believed every = word in=20 the Bible but today many worshippers feel that the Old Testament = no longer=20 carries its original authority. They discount many of its fables = on the=20 grounds that although our forebears meant well, they were = misinformed.=20 These folks are selective worshippers who accept what hey find = agreeable=20 and discount the rest. Unfortunately, Scripture does not offer = that=20 luxury. Either the Bible is the word of God or it=EF=BF=BDs not. = And if the=20 Almighty did write it, as many members of the Clergy claim, = didn=EF=BF=BDt He know=20 in advance that one testament wouldn=EF=BF=BDt suffice? If Jehovah = is infallible=20 why did he need to write a second one? And if He is the author of = the New=20 Testament, He has presented himself as a Personality = that=EF=BF=BDs not even=20 remotely like the god of the Old Testament. Besides, it=EF=BF=BDs = not so easy to=20 ignore the first one because a number of its prophecies are = fulfilled in=20 the second. In essence, the two testaments are irrevocably = intertwined.=20 Were it not for that fact alone, Christianity would have no = gospels and no=20 god figure as well. It is therefore not possible to discount the = Old=20 Testament or the entire foundation of Christianity = would = collapse.

_________________________________________________________= ____

File://b

The second part of the Bible finds Jesus Christ = paying=20 the ultimate price for the "Original Sin" of Adam and Eve. As the = gospel=20 according to Luke unfolds, we meet a young Jewish girl named Mary = who=20 receives a visit from the angel Gabriel announcing that she has = will=20 conceive a holy infant. This fulfills the prophesy of the Old = Testament=20 that a Messiah is coming. Luke is the only Apostle to tell = the=20 story of Gabriel visiting Mary. He must have also considered it=20 advantageous to claim that Jesus was a blood descendant of King = David=20 because he provides a genealogy tracing Jesus back to the King. In = doing=20 so, he lists forty-three generations from David to Jesus. = Matthew=20 also offers a genealogy but Matthew lists only = twenty-eight. When=20 we compare both genealogies, we discover that no two names on = either list=20 are the same, except for the final name Joseph - the = husband of=20 Mary. It therefore appears that Joseph is descended from David - = not=20 Jesus. We are left in a quandary because the New Testament has = just begun=20 and we are struck by inconsistencies.

 _________________________________________________________= _____

File://c

There is a striking difference in the = Personalities of=20 Jesus and Jehovah. Christ is kind and gentle, filled with love and = compassion while Jehovah is portrayed as wrathful and filled with=20 vengeance. Jesus never mentions the despicable deeds that Bible = writers=20 attribute to Jehovah; not one word about the awful flood that = drowned the=20 world or the cruel punishment of Adam and Eve. No mention of = betraying the=20 Hebrews by causing Pharaoh to follow them, the deadly plagues He = visited=20 upon Egypt or the slaying of the firstborn. There is no doubt that = Christ=20 gave the world a new image of God - one that is not remotely like = the god=20 of the Old Testament. He saw the Father quite differently than the = way=20 Moses depicted Him. In essence, Christ was also defending God = against=20 defamation of His character and morality.

 _________________________________________________________= _______

File//d

Moses was still revered when Jesus began to = challenge=20 many of his principles. Those that obeyed the Mosaic Code = considered this=20 blasphemy. One day he went to the Synagogue and berated the loan = sharks,=20 threw down their tables and chased them and their animals from the = Temple.=20 But he must have known that moneylenders and animal sacrifices = were part=20 of Jehovah=EF=BF=BDs rituals. His unusual practice of exorcising = devils from those=20 he believed to be possessed frightened the worshippers. Is it = possible=20 that Jesus Christ believed in devils? Scripture claims He believed = with=20 all His heart. But His "Father" created everything so God must = have also=20 created devils, but why? If Satan were destined to become = Christ=EF=BF=BDs=20 archenemy, why would God create devils? The answer is simple; He = didn=EF=BF=BDt!=20 In olden days people believed that illness was caused by demons = inhabiting=20 our bodies. It=EF=BF=BDs hard not to feel compassion for them = because medicine, as=20 we know it, hadn=EF=BF=BDt been established and no one would have = believed that=20 microbes were the real culprits. Still, if Jesus Christ = were God=EF=BF=BDs=20 son why wouldn=EF=BF=BDt he have known that? Recently there = has been a=20 resurgence of Exorcism in the Catholic Church as modern prelates = "cast out=20 devils and unclean spirits" just as Christ did and some gullible = Catholics=20 have been injured or killed by the practice, which only shows that = many=20 scriptural passages continue to foster a belief in = magic.

 _________________________________________________________= _______

File://e

The unforgettable scene at the cross can melt = the heart=20 of an Atheist. The pain and anguish have been indelibly imprinted = on the=20 minds of the faithful for the last two thousand years. It is = excruciating=20 as Christ pleads to Yahweh, "My God My God, why hast Thou forsaken = me?"=20 and God never answers. The Bible cites several instances where God = spoke=20 aloud from heaven, from a cloud and from a burning bush and = His=20 voice "was heard by many" but when His Son pleads with Him to = answer - not=20 one word; He just silently let Jesus die. Such callousness at the = very end=20 of Christ=EF=BF=BDs life defames the very meaning of a loving and = caring god. The=20 pious will continue to venerate this book and believe such = heartlessness=20 about our Creator - but never shall I.

Note: A careful analysis of the = New=20 Testament reveals the fact that Luke and Mark were not members of = Christ=EF=BF=BDs=20 original twelve Apostles. Who were these men that wrote = gospels and=20 claimed to be eyewitnesses to the events reported in all four = gospels?=20 This becomes very significant when we realize that Luke alone gave = Christianity three of its most crucial tenets.

1. Angel Gabriel visiting Mary.

2. The Immaculate Conception.

3. Jesus born in the manger.

4. Mark and Luke are the only disciples to = report The=20 Ascension.

_________________________________________________________= ____

http://www/.          &nbs= p;            = ;      =20 The Christian Myth.com

Some time ago on public television, Bill Moyers = presented=20 the renowned Mythologist Joseph Campbell in a fascinating series = of=20 interviews. Mr. Campbell has since departed this world leaving a=20 contribution to theological thought that will remain a classic for = many=20 years to come. According to this learned gentleman, every faith = begins=20 with a myth, which then spawns the rituals, tenets and scripture = of that=20 religion. The Christian myth is no exception - says Mr. Campbell - = for it=20 springs from one of the more fascinating flights of man=EF=BF=BDs=20 imagination:

 _________________________________________________________= ____

File://a

In the beginning, Satan was God=EF=BF=BDs most = favorite angel. He=20 served his master faithfully and lived in peace and harmony with = all the=20 heavenly occupants. One day, God decided to create human beings = and=20 ordered Satan that henceforth he would serve man. Lucifer = adamantly=20 refused to serve anyone but his Lord, God. Jehovah became livid at = being=20 disobeyed but Satan remained adamant and hostility began to = escalate=20 between the two powers until a full-scale war broke out in Heaven. = It was=20 catastrophic because many innocent angels were killed (?) and the = conflict=20 ended with Satan=EF=BF=BDs "fall from grace in the eyes of his = Lord". Jehovah=20 banished him to Hades where he would tend the flames of Hell = forever more.=20 If it were not for this myth, "The Fallen Angel" might have = enjoyed a far=20 better reputation, in fact we may never have heard of the "Prince = of=20 Darkness" or of Devil worship.

 _________________________________________________________= ____

File://b

According to Mr. Campbell, and I should add = Bertrand=20 Russell as well, this is the original myth that gave rise to the = Christian=20 faith, following which rituals and tenets were added to flush out = the=20 religion. By creating a Devil as the epitome of evil, the myth = served the=20 purpose of absolving God of all responsibility for the cruelties = and=20 injustices that occur in the world. The creation of two separate = powers=20 (one for good and one for evil) it eliminated the grays and = everything was=20 painted n black and white. Today, when we imagine God and Satan as = mortal=20 enemies, we fail to recognize the alliance that the early church=20 constructed. It=EF=BF=BDs almost as though they had formed a = partnership between=20 the two powers so that when we die, God judges us and sends the = "Sinners"=20 to Satan in Hell. We are well aware of what supposedly awaits us = if we=20 arrive in Hades but what happens if we receive our just reward and = go to=20 Heaven? Have we ever taken the time to think this = through?

 _________________________________________________________= ____

File://c

We=EF=BF=BDve been conditioned to = earthly pleasures=20 throughout life and spent our existence pursuing the things we = love. What=20 would we do with ourselves in Paradise? There are no football = games or=20 other sporting events to relish. What about the love we have for = our cars=20 and our computers? We couldn=EF=BF=BDt drive anywhere and = there=EF=BF=BDs certainly no=20 Internet or TV in the Hereafter. It=EF=BF=BDs not very likely that = we could find=20 many interesting hobbies to fill our time. Perhaps we could take a = trip to=20 the mall for some shopping? No need for designer clothes up here. = How=20 about a nice glass of cold beer at the local tavern? I = don=EF=BF=BDt think so.=20 Hey, how about sex? Jesus said that all marriages are dissolved in = Heaven.=20 Hmm, I would think not. But wait, I mean with my own spouse? I can = see=20 where that wouldn=EF=BF=BDt work either because suppose I had = outlived three=20 spouses, I don=EF=BF=BDt imagine I I=EF=BF=BDd be allowed to sleep = with all of them. No,=20 that would definitely be a Sin. By the way, can one sin while in = Heaven?=20 And if one does, can he still be sent to Hell - even after living = an=20 exemplary life? Hmmm, better keep on thinking. How about food? = Scripture=20 says Jesus ate a hearty meal of honeycomb and fish after He had = risen. But=20 does it really make much sense to continue needing nourishment - = and=20 toilets for eternity? What if we turned into angels - could we = just fly=20 around all day? I=EF=BF=BDve heard some people say they thought = they might become=20 pure energy, but what kind? Others say they would be in ecstasy = just to=20 sit on the right hand of God. But that=EF=BF=BDs out the realm of = our experience.=20 Obviously, life after death would have to involve the same = sort of=20 things that we loved and did while we were alive. So, the = Hereafter would=20 probably be like living life all over again. But many good people = have led=20 very unhappy lives. So, what would their reward be after a = lifetime of=20 righteousness? They undoubtedly fantasize that suddenly they would = feel=20 gloriously happy but it just doesn=EF=BF=BDt work that way; = happiness is not=20 something we find - it=EF=BF=BDs something we = choose.

 _________________________________________________________= ____

File://d

I=EF=BF=BDm sure lots of well meaning people = have dreamed about=20 the Hereafter without giving it much rational thought. Suppose, to = our=20 amazement, we failed to arrive in either Paradise or in = Hades?=20 Would there really be much fun being ghosts and continuing to = wander=20 through our old haunts for eternity? This concept of life after = death=20 definitely requires more thought.

End Of Bible Folder

Click here for a link to the Bible = Origin=20 Folder

http://www/.          &nbs= p;            = ;         =20 BIBLE Origin FOLDER.com

In the previous Folder numerous=20 examples of slander and defamation leveled against Our Creator = were shown=20 to be present in the "Holy Bible". Peculiar though it may seem, = the=20 faithful will probably fail to recognize them. Before continuing = to=20 examine the Theologies of other cultures, it is significant at = this point=20 to discover just how our own "Holy Book" came into=20 being.

_________________________________________________________= ____

File://a

The "Judaic-Christian" Bible was created = approximately=20 300 years after the Crucifixion. It was during the third = century in=20 the Ottoman Empire, that Emperor Constantine of Turkey settled the = religious strife in his country by converting to Christianity. = Constantine=20 then decided that a "Holy Book" was needed and ordered his = Cardinals to=20 collect old folk tales, Hebrew stories and assorted gospels = written by=20 unknown authors after the Crucifixion. Among the many works = collected were=20 the five books of Moses, the gospels according to Peter, according = to=20 Mary, according to James, according to Thomas, according to = Matthew,=20 according to John and a plethora of Apocryphal fragments. After = much=20 deliberation, the Cardinals cast their votes for the manuscripts = they=20 wanted included in one cohesive volume. It was this compilation of = themes=20 that later came to be known as the "Holy Bible". Consider this: if = those=20 men had chosen other works, the faithful would now believe = different=20 authors. The revered Bible that millions of worshippers have = accepted as=20 the "Word of God" was created by a vote of men.

Note: I repeat, I=EF=BF=BDm = neither for nor against=20 any religious practice because I believe that people have a basic=20 need to worship. But must religions create fearful gods in = order=20 for them to work?

End of DeReligion Folder

Click here=20 for some related files below:

File//m

Egypt was constantly invaded by fierce tribes, known as the = Hiksos=20 people that dwelt in the craggy regions of the Tigress and = Euphrates. They=20 coveted the Nile River, which overflowed its banks yearly, = inundating the=20 fertile valley below and never failed to produce lush verdure in = great=20 abundance. Each time the tribes invaded they were subdued and = scores of=20 prisoners taken. The Hiksos were an extremely persistent people, = driven by=20 the dream of living in an environment that was the antitheses of = their=20 sparse homeland. They had been successful in their pursuit twice = before=20 and occupied Egypt briefly. Ultimately, the Egyptians prevailed = and=20 brought back scores of = prisoners to serve as slaves. Soon their = numbers=20 swelled and began to pose a serious threat to the country. The = Pharaoh=20 knew he had to get them out of Egypt so he commissioned his = grandson (who=20 was found in the bull rushes by the Princess) to lead the Hiksos = out of=20 Egypt and into the desert. Biblical authors later claimed this to = be the=20 Exodus of the Hebrews led by Moses. This event became the = cornerstone of=20 Judaism.

_____________________________________________

File//n

Extremely meaningful is the fact that the Egyptians left a = detailed,=20 hieroglyphic account of their history and failed to mention the = "Exodus"=20 or that "Hebrew" were ever held in bondage. In addition, they left = no=20 report of the Nile turning into blood, the many plagues that = allegedly=20 decimated the country or the slaying of the first born of every = Egyptian=20 family. All these events are chronicled only in the Bible.

Save this file:=20

Recommended

Note: All=20 Religions are "Belief Systems", which means they can be altered by = new and=20 compelling data = but precisely=20 how has Religion continued to hold such a grasp on the mind? The = answer=20 may be found in "Parental Programming Software".

Install and=20 run "Parental Programming" Software below. ______________________________________________________

Parental Programming Software.com

File//a

We all have parents and each of us has been = "hypnotized"=20 by them to a certain extent. This idea may seem incredulous at = first=20 because the process occurs in such a natural manner. The parent is = the=20 "hypnotist", the child is the "subject" and religious beliefs = constitute=20 many of the suggestions that they make. Perhaps the word = "suggestion"=20 seems a bit too clinical - so let=EF=BF=BDs say "imitation" = or even=20 "copy" = because=20 that=EF=BF=BDs how we learn. Initially, by copying or imitating our parents and then others we later = encounter. Day=20 after day as we grow, we re-enforce the messages we get from mom = and dad,=20 practically since birth. "I am a Catholic", says one; "I am a = Jew", says=20 another, "a Protestant, a Methodist, a Moslem" and so forth, and = yet we=20 seldom ask ourselves why? The answer is so academic there seems to = be no=20 need to inquire. I am a Catholic because my mother/father were = Catholics.=20 I am a Jew for the very same reason. We identify with our parents = through=20 the suggestions they make to us. These messages need mot be overt = because=20 we can receive them subliminally from observing their behavior. = One stern=20 look of disapproval can have as potent an effect as a lecture. = Noticing=20 their demeanor in a house of worship can reveal their level of=20 religiosity. Do they seem to be at ease with their god or do they = appear=20 obsequies and fearful? We incorporate all these signals and = frequently,=20 even wear the symbols of their faith to help us feel that we = belong. One=20 may wear a Star of David, another display a Crucifix, another = completely=20 cover her face - and as we age, the original suggestions enter the = Limbic=20 system of our brains and become deeply ingrained habits that feel=20 comfortable and natural to us. So natural in fact, that it never = occurs to=20 us we may be following a form of post-hypnotic suggestion. This = does not=20 imply that we walk around in a trance, only that our beliefs are=20 unconsciously re-enforced on a daily basis.

_________________________________________________________= ____

File//b

As our small world widens and society becomes = more=20 meaningful, we discover that most folks share this "suggested = -=20 religiosity". That discovery condones the practice and adds a = strong sense=20 of legitimacy to the state we=EF=BF=BDre in. But the final = realization sets in=20 when we learn that highly respected individuals like government = officials,=20 Priests, Rabbis, our Presidents and even the Pope himself, all = agree that=20 the information fed to us with mother=EF=BF=BDs milk is valid. The = original=20 Parental=20 Suggestions become a = tenacious=20 habit that lasts for most, if not all, of our lives. "Habit" may = seem a=20 strange word to describe a person=EF=BF=BDs faith but = that=EF=BF=BDs what it is - a=20 post-hypnotic habit! Perhaps that may explain why each religion = believes=20 with equal fervor in a different god.

_________________________________________________

<= B>

File//c

Let=EF=BF=BDs take a close look at a person = that is hypnotized.=20 He or she will behave in almost any manner that the hypnotist = suggests to=20 her. While she sincerely believes that the suggestions are her own = thoughts, she will accept ideas for which there is no sensory = evidence of=20 reality. In other words, she can be made to believe that something = exists=20 which she cannot see, touch, smell, hear or taste. Conversely, she = can=20 also be made to "see" and "hear" things that do not exist.=20 "Happenings" that are frequently reported as religious experiences = meet=20 these criteria. The "belief" is genuine even if the event is not. = Tests=20 have shown that certain suggestions are short lived while others = have been=20 known to last for years. Religion is of the long lasting type, = often=20 persisting for a lifetime.

_____________________________________________________________= _File//d

If we examine several different religions we = would have=20 to concede that all of them could not be true, yet the adherent of = each=20 would insist that only his was valid. He is convinced that his god = is the=20 only true god - while all the rest are false. And he might often = defend=20 his belief with his very life, as many have done in the past. What = is it=20 that makes religion so delicate an issue hat it can seldom be = discussed=20 without powerful emotions surfacing? What puts people on the = defensive=20 about the subject? And lastly, exactly what are they defending? = Most of=20 the time it turns out to be the values of mom and dad. In essence, = criticizing the cherished beliefs of someone=EF=BF=BDs parents = feels like=20 criticizing his parents. Pleasing one=EF=BF=BDs folks is almost a = universal=20 phenomenon, which many continue even after the parents are no = longer=20 alive. The hypnotic process therefore, may explain the tenacity = and=20 persistence of faith.

_________________________________________________________= ____

File//e

"Parental suggestion" is a two-edged sword that can stimulate one=EF=BF=BDs = curiosity or even=20 create a state of indifference. Some parents are too stringent in = their=20 beliefs and can unintentionally create problems for their = offspring.=20 Suggestions containing threats like those of Hell and Damnation = imprint=20 the mind with such powerful stimuli that later adult reasoning = often fails=20 to expunge them. Only the use of common sense and compelling new=20 information can alter a belief system.

_________________________________________________________= ____

File//f

Most religions feel that because they represent = The=20 Almighty they are favored in His eyes. Then why do they install = lightning=20 rods on the highest steeples?

Insert a floppy disk and save in drive:=20 a

Click here:----to move to the next = folder=EF=BF=BDDefend The=20 Son

 

Folder Three

Defend the Son.com

The aim of the = previous=20 Folders was to=20 defend the reputation of "The Father". This Folder will render equal protection for the "Son".

Throughout the Ages every religion offered its = believers=20 the same reward; to "live on after death". In ancient Egypt = priests=20 initiated "Mummification" as a passport to the "Afterlife". Hindu = prelates=20 promised "Nirvana" as a way for piety to escape the tedium of=20 re-incarnation. In short, each faith pledges to cheat death by = giving the=20 faithful the prize of living on forever, and Christianity is no = exception.=20 This premise has become one of the most tenacious and unsettling = concepts=20 ever invented by man. The fear of death is so pervasive in the = human mind=20 that men will believe almost anything to deny the reality of = ceasing to=20 exist. Faith=EF=BF=BDs objective is achieved by postulating that a = Spiritual=20 essence exists in the heavens above and a demonic phantom resides = in the=20 earth below. This fantasy is heightened by the promise of being = "saved" in=20 Paradise or the threat of being "damned" in Hell and each culture = achieves=20 its end with the aid of a book written by men who claimed = they=20 "knew" all about God. Fortunately, we live in America where = freedom of=20 religion gives us choices and if one chooses to believe this myth = it is=20 this prerogative. But if we invest a good deal of ourselves in a = book,=20 shouldn=EF=BF=BDt we be certain that it represents God, as = we believe God=20 to be? Shouldn=EF=BF=BDt that book portray a Being of the most = pure moral and=20 ethical qualities for man to worship? It should but as = we=EF=BF=BDve seen, our=20 Bible fails to meet that objective. Instead, it presents a = punitive god=20 who is quick to anger, filled with terrible rage and showing = little=20 compassion for human fallibility.

I have done my duty to God, as He is portrayed = in the Old=20 Testament, by refuting the accusations of biblical authors who = falsely=20 accuse Him and I feel satisfied that He has received due process. = However,=20 defending the deity of the New Testament will require a = different=20 presentation because the gospels depict a Personality that is the=20 antithesis of Jehovah in compassion, love and tenderness. Still, I = feel a=20 defense is necessary in light of certain disturbing precepts that = are=20 incompatible with the sweet and forgiving nature of Jesus. I have=20 therefore chosen to defend the "Son of God" by creating an = imaginary trial=20 held in ancient Rome after the Crucifixion. All of the testimony = presented=20 can be verified by a careful analysis of the four gospels.

The Trial of the = Apostles
Copyright Dr. Paul = Winchell=20 2003

[Two years have passed since the Crucifixion. = Four of=20 Christ=EF=BF=BDs Apostles have written gospels, which surfaced in = Rome and caused=20 a furor. The four were arrested and taken to the Forum to stand = trial. All=20 Rome fears the possibility of more crucifixions]

____________________________________

Clerk: The Honorable Senators, Cassius, = Marcus,=20 Dimitrius and Augustus presiding. Be seated.

[Cassius bangs his gavel and calls for order. = The=20 spectators become hushed. The Prosecutor Libus and defense council = Marcellus are seated in their respective places]

Cassius: Good morning Libus.

Libus: Good morning Senator.

Cassius: Good morning Marcellus.

Marcellus: Good morning, Senator.

Dimitrius: The Tribunal will hear opening=20 statements.

Libus: The State is ready Your = Honor.

Marcus: Is the defense ready?

Marcellus: Senator, before we begin we must = settle a=20 matter of the oath.

Augustus: The oath Marcellus? We have a=20 problem?

Marcellus: My clients are not Romans, Sire = and in all=20 good conscience they cannot swear an oath to Jupiter. They=20 recognize Jehovah as God of the Jews.

Cassius: Hmm. They are heretics. = Then have=20 them swear an oath to their god and let=EF=BF=BDs get on = with it.

Marcellus: Thank you Senator. The defense = can=20 proceed.

Marcus: The clerk will administer the oath. =

Clerk: "Do you swear to your god = that the=20 testimony you give this court shall be the whole truth?

All:) We swear in the name of the = Father, the Son=20 and the Holy Ghost.

Dimitrius: We=EF=BF=BDll hear opening = statements now.

Libus: Citizens of Gaul, the State will = prove that=20 the prisoners are traitors to Rome. They committed treason by = trying to=20 place the Jew, whom our Emperor Tiberius crucified two years ago, = on the=20 throne of the Roman Empire. These four men wrote gospels claiming = that he=20 was the Son of God, which raised a furor among the faithful. In = addition,=20 they claimed to be eyewitnesses to all the events they = reported. In=20 the interest of brevity, the State requests that the four = prisoners=20 testify together.

Marcellus: Objection! The request = challenges=20 protocol.

Augustus: Overruled Marcellus, = we=EF=BF=BDll decide that.=20 Request granted. Escort the prisoners into the witness box. =

[The spectators murmur as soldiers herd Mark, = Matthew,=20 Luke and John into the witness box. Their feet are shackled making = it=20 difficult for them to walk]

Dimitrius: Let=EF=BF=BDs have your = opening statement=20 now Marcellus.

Marcellus: Noblemen and good citizens of = Rome. The=20 charges presented by the State are false. No witnesses have come = forward=20 to corroborate the allegations. The defense will prove that the = prisoners=20 acted in good faith as Apostles of the man from Nazareth.

[As Marcellus concludes, Libus approaches the = witness=20 box]

Libus: State your names and = occupations.

Mark: Mark. Fisherman.

Matthew: Matthew. Tax collector.

Luke: Luke. Fisherman.

John: John. We are fishers of men, = Sire.=20

Libus: Fishers of men, how quaint. Let me = start with=20 Luke whose gospel claims that from the beginning you all were=20 eyewitnesses. He goes on to report that in the sixth month - let = me quote:=20 Chapter 1=20 verse 26: = "The Angel=20 Gabriel was sent from God to a virgin espoused to a man whose name = was=20 Joseph". In Verse 32:=20 the angel tells Mary she will bring forth a holy son "and his name = shall=20 be Jesus". You say she was espoused to this Joseph and = still a=20 virgin?

Luke: = Gabriel appeared=20 to Mary before she and Joseph came together.

Libus: Really? Just how long had the two = been -=20 espoused?

Marcellus: Objection to the snide = innuendo=20 Your Honors.

Cassius: Sustained.

Libus: Who else reports this Angel Gabriel = visiting=20 Mary? (No reply) Only you make this report Luke? None of = your=20 colleagues mentions this visit?

Luke: No Sire. I alone reported = Gabriel=20 telling Mary.

Libus: Your Honors, please notice that = Matthew=20 remains silent yet he too reported the incident.

Matthew: Yes, but I stated the angel told=20 Joseph not Mary.

Libus: Told Joseph? Hmmm. Allow me to quote = from=20 Matthew Chapter=20 1-verse 20:=20 "Behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream saying=20 Joseph--".(stops) Joseph was not awake at the time?

Matthew: No sire. He was asleep.

Libus: This angelic visit that you report, = occurred=20 in a dream?

Matt: That is correct, Sire.

Libus: How can one man know the content of = another=20 man=EF=BF=BDs dream?

Marcellus: Objection. That calls for=20 speculation.

Marcus: Sustained.

Libus: But Senator, my question has great = relevance.=20 This event is the very cornerstone of Christianity. = If, as=20 Matthew claims, Mary did not receive the angel=EF=BF=BDs = visit and Joseph=20 was asleep, can Matthew=EF=BF=BDs report be considered = viable=20 evidence?

Marcus: Dreams do not qualify as evidence = Libus.=20 Therefore, Matthew=EF=BF=BDs report is considered = "Hearsay". Only Luke=EF=BF=BDs=20 testimony is deemed relevant.

Libus: Then I ask the tribunal to note = we=EF=BF=BDve only=20 just begun and already we have discrepancies.

Cassius: So noted. Continue please.

Libus: Which gospel reports the birth of = Christ in=20 the manger?

Luke: I report that glorious event, = Sire.

Libus: Only you again Luke?

Matthew: Excuse me Sire. I report the star = of=20 Bethlehem and the wise men called the Magi.

Libus: Yes Matthew, but you state that = Jesus was born=20 in their house not in the manger and Luke makes no mention = of a=20 house or of this - Magi. Now which version is correct?

Luke: Mine Sire. As God is my judge, it was = in the=20 manger.

Matthew: I disagree, Sire, Jesus was born = in their=20 house.

Libus: Senators, another discrepancy for = the record?=20

Dimitrius: So noted, Libus. = Continue.

Libus: Were either of you present at the = time?

Matthew: I was not present.

Luke: And I was not born yet, Sire.

Libus: Then, Your Honors, is this not also = considered=20 hearsay?

Marcus: If neither man were present, I = would say yes.=20

Libus: But, neither man was present at the = angel=EF=BF=BDs=20 visit either.

Augustus: Then "Hearsay" would also apply = in that=20 case Libus, unless - substantiated by another witness.

Libus: I see. John, does your gospel = report these=20 events?

John: No Sire, mine does not.

Libus: Mark, does yours?

Mark: No Sire.

Libus: May I ask why not? Aren=EF=BF=BDt = they crucial to=20 Christianity?

Mark&John: Oh, most certainly, Sire = Very=20 important indeed.

Libus: Then why have you two failed = to mention=20 them?

Mark & John: (Silence)

Libus: We=EF=BF=BDll come back to this. = Matthew, I=EF=BF=BDm=20 fascinated by your report. You write that the moment Jesus died, = wait -=20 let me quote this exactly: Matthew verse 50: "And the graves were opened: and many = bodies of the=20 saints which slept arose, and came out of their graves and went = into the=20 holy city, and appeared unto many". Extremely powerful images you = have=20 described. Who else witnessed what Matthew reports? Luke? Mark? =

Luke: Not I Sire.

Mark: Nor I Sire.

Libus: Come, come gentlemen, corpses = strolling=20 through the city? These are no everyday occurrences. (Silence) = Senators,=20 surely they must have noticed these walking cadavers.

Marcus: You=EF=BF=BDve made your point = Libus. Now move it=20 along.

Libus: Mark. Tell us your = recollections of=20 these amazing events that Matthew describes.

Mark: I recall seeing nothing like that = Sire.

Libus: You=EF=BF=BDre testifying under oath = that you recall=20 no dead saints walking about the city? But Matthew claims they = were "seen=20 by many". Were you watching something else, Mark?

Marcellus: Objection, he=EF=BF=BDs = badgering the=20 witness.

Dimitrius: Sustained Marcellus.

Marcellus: Thank you Senator.

Libus: But Senators, none of the witnesses=20 corroborates Matthew=EF=BF=BDs claims.

Dimitrius: John has not testified to that = effect.

Libus: John, tell us what you recall = about=20 these unusual happenings.

John: ( Silence)

Libus: John? Senators, instruct the witness = to=20 respond.

Cassius: The witness will answer the = question.

John: I say unto thee Senators, if what = Matthew=20 describes had occurred, I most certainly would have reported = it.

Libus: Then none of you corroborate = Matthew=EF=BF=BDs=20 claims?

John: Who knows Sire? Perhaps it did = happen, perhaps=20 not. I simply do not recall.

Libus: Really? John, do you know your Ten=20 Commandments?

John: Verily I do.

Libus: What is the ninth?

John: Thou shalt not bear false wit--- =

Marcellus: Objection! Libus implies my = client is=20 lying.

Marcus: Overruled Marcellus. The question = is valid.=20 The prisoner will answer.

John: Thou shalt not bear false witness. =

Libus: I=EF=BF=BDm pleased your memory has = returned John.=20

Can anyone tell me the fifth = commandment?

ALL: Honor thy father and thy = mother.

Libus: Then let me read how Matthew quotes = Jesus:=20 10-37, "He=20 that loveth father and mother more than me is not worthy of me". = Does=20 that sound like honoring father and mother?

Matthew: But Sire. What the master meant by = that --=20

Libus: A simple yes or mo will = suffice.

ALL: But the master was only=EF=BF=BD

Libus: Yes or no!

Marcellus: Objection! He=EF=BF=BDs being = hostile.

Marcus: Sustained.

Libus: Did Jesus ever write a word himself = for his=20 followers?

ALL: No Sire. // The master wrote nothing = himself. //=20 He instructed us to do so//We wrote everything that he = said.

Libus: Then we have no alternative but to = accept=20 your words do we?

Luke: But we wrote what he taught.

Libus: Perhaps you wrote what you = thought he=20 taught.

Marcellus: Objection! They have already=20 responded.

Augustus: Objection sustained! Libus, our = patience is=20 being strained.

Libus: Mine as well Your Honors. Just = listen to=20 Mark=EF=BF=BDs report that Jesus rebuked a fig tree for being bare = out of season -=20 then cursed the tree for having no figs. Are we to believe that an = intelligent being acted in that manner - toward a tree?

Mark: Tis the truth Sire. We all were = present and=20 observed it.

Libus: You then write, "The tree withered = away and=20 died".

Mark: It, it did, Sire. We watched it = happen.

Libus: What did your master say after that? =

Mark: He said, "Have faith in God".

Libus: Hmm, perhaps it was only a fig-ment = of your=20 imagination Mark?

(The spectators laugh)

Marcellus: Objection! Senators, this is a = court of=20 law not a theater for amusement. The prosecution is making a = mockery of=20 this trial.

Cassius: Sustained!

( Libus: Senators, he says I make a = mockery? Then=20 listen to this one. When the Apostles needed money to pay the tax=20 collector, Jesus instructed Matthew in: 17-27: Here Matthew, since you wrote this you read it = to the=20 Tribunal.

Matthew: (reads) "Lest we offend them, go = thou to the=20 sea and cast a hook and take up the fish that first cometh up; and = when=20 thou hast opened its mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money: Take = that=20 and give it unto them for thee and me".

Libus; Do you expect this learned body to = accept such=20 an inane story? Are we to believe a wise teacher that Christ was = supposed=20 to be, actually told you to do that?

Matthew: T=EF=BF=BDis the God=EF=BF=BDs = truth Sire. I swear it!=20

Libus: Of course, you swear it. You also = swear he was=20 the Son of God don=EF=BF=BDt you? And John, you state that while = Jesus was on the=20 cross, one of our soldiers thrust a spear into his side and blood = and=20 water gushed out.

John: Thou art correct Sire. That is what I = wrote.=20

Libus: I notice your three colleagues make = no mention=20 of that. Anyone care to substantiate John=EF=BF=BDs = testimony?

All Three: Sire, I recall no spear // = neither do I.=20 // Nor I Sire.

Libus: The three of you stood right next to = John and=20 neither of you saw blood and water spurting from the wound?

Matthew, Mark and Luke: I saw no wound // = Nor a=20 soldier thrust a spear, Sire// I saw no blood or water.

John: On my honor Senators, I saw it. God = knows I do=20 not lie.

Libus: Your friends don=EF=BF=BDt seem to = agree, John.

Marcellus: Objection. My client has implied = no=20 falsehood.

Cassius: Sustained. Libus, it might be wise = to leave=20 this now.

Libus: But Senators, this event cries out = for=20 confirmation.

Marcus: Abandon it!!

Libus: Yes Sire. Matthew and John, both of = you report=20 that eight days after the Crucifixion, Jesus walked through your=20 closed door - and asked for food?

Matthew: Verily Sire. Thou art = correct.

Libus: You=EF=BF=BDre testifying that you = actually saw him?=20

John: Yes Sire. He came to us in = Galilee.

Libus: Then why have Mark and Luke failed = to mention=20 such an amazing happening?

Luke and Mark: er, Our only concern Sire, = was with=20 his hunger.

Libus: And that=EF=BF=BDs why you = didn=EF=BF=BDt mention it? (They=20 nod) Did you feed him?

Matthew and John: That we did Sire He = brought us a=20 fish // We had some honeycomb and a bit of meat. He was famished=20 Sire.

Libus: Are these Senators to believe that = after being=20 dead for eight days he re-appeared and craved real = food?

John: Tis true, Sire. He said unto us = "Handle me and=20 ye shall see I am flesh not spirit".

Libus: Wait. Let me understand this. He was = flesh yet he walked through a closed door? He ate=20 real food and Matthew says after eating he vanished = right=20 before your eyes. Was this the "Ascension" that you speak of? =

Mark: Not right then Sire. But both Luke = and I=20 reported the Ascension of Christ.

Libus: The Ascension is a crucial tenet of=20 Christianity isn=EF=BF=BDt that so Matthew?

Matthew: Oh yes, verily Sire. = Verily.

Libus: Do you agree John?

John: Indeed I do Sire. Indeed.

Libus: Then please explain why both you and = Matthew=20 didn=EF=BF=BDt mention it?

Matt & John: Oh, I believe we mentioned = the=20 Ascension. // Did we not, Sire?

Libus: No. Not one word from either of you. = Luke and=20 Mark are the only two that reported the Ascension. Senators, = isn=EF=BF=BDt it=20 amazing that that Luke and Mark continue to report issues vital to = Christendom while John and Matthew fail to even mention the = Ascension of=20 Christ? John claims that Jesus bore his own cross while Matthew, = Mark and=20 Luke all identify Simon the Cyrenian as the bearer. We continue to = hear=20 one conflicting report after another. Whose testimony can the = Court=20 possibly believe?

Cassius: That is for us to decide Libus. = You know=20 your role.. Now move on.

Libus: Yes Your Honor. John and Matthew, = I=EF=BF=BDve read=20 and re-read your manuscripts with great care and noticed that = both=20 of you constantly talk about Hell and damnation.

John: T=EF=BF=BDis true Sire! For God so = loved the world that=20 He gave His only begotten son to save man from going to = Hell.=20

Matthew: And he that believeth on Him that=20 sent Christ shall not be condemned to Hell but shall = receive=20 everlasting life.

Libus: That=EF=BF=BDs precisely what = I mean! You two=20 go on and on allegedly quoting Jesus about Hellfire and = Damnation.=20 For example, (flipping through the pages) here! "If your right eye = offend=20 thee, pluck it out (mumbles) whole body be cast into Hell" = And here=20 again "Hell" again "Hell", "Hell". (stops) You men are = Jews, in=20 fact all the Apostles are Jews and your master was too. You = were=20 raised with the Mosaic Code so where would Jesus have learned = about Hell?=20 There=EF=BF=BDs no mention of Hell in the five books of Moses. = These aren=EF=BF=BDt=20 Christ=EF=BF=BDs words they=EF=BF=BDre yours=EF=BF=BD = aren=EF=BF=BDt they? Be honest; he=EF=BF=BDs not here=20 to defend himself.

Both: Sire, we simply report what the=20 master-------

Libus: Yes of course you do. And here again you = make him=20 say (reads) "Hell, Damnation, Hellfire, Hell where the worm dieth = not.=20 Again Hell, Damnation, and again! (he stops) Both you and John = quote=20 Jesus, constantly dwelling upon Hell and Damnation. You make him = seem=20 obsessed by it, consumed with it. (pause) It hardly seems=20 reasonable that one who loved and sought only to do good would = want to=20 frighten those who believed in him. You said he wrote no = word of=20 his own so we only have your gospels to rely upon. These = are=20 your words aren=EF=BF=BDt they? There=EF=BF=BDs still time = to recant your=20 testimony.

Marcellus Objection! This is despicable! I = have never=20 seen such intimidation.

Libus: Senators, hear me out. When Pontius = Pilate=20 handled the Christ matter, I assumed the problem was resolved but = when=20 theses gospels surfaced in Rome their blasphemy created such a = firestorm I=20 had the prisoners arrested and brought this trial to the Forum. I = was=20 convinced they were heretics and traitors to our Emperor, Tiberius = Claudius Nero. But now I feel impelled to uncover the truth before = we act=20 too hastily once again. The whole purpose of this trial is to = separate=20 fact from fiction and to be frank I am finding it hard to believe = that a=20 Being of such love and compassion could have this duel side to his = nature.=20 A man who forgave Sinners during life does not = become a=20 tyrant after death and pursue them beyond the grave to damn = them to=20 Hell. I reject the notion that Jesus was the author of Hell and = Damnation=20 and suggest that John and Matthew are the ones that created the = concept.=20 Senators, grant me a moment more and listen to the words of the = man we=20 crucified. (He reads)

"Love your enemies. Bless them that curse you, = do good to=20 them that hate you. Blessed be them that mourn for they shall be=20 comforted. Blessed be the weak for they shall inherit the earth. = If I, thy=20 Lord and master, wash your feet ye ought to wash one = another=EF=BF=BDs feet. Take=20 my yoke upon you and learn from me for I am meek and lowly of = heart and in=20 me ye shall find rest unto your souls. The son of man came not to = be=20 ministered unto, but to minister and give his life as a ransom for = many.=20 Resist not evil but whosoever shall smite thee on the right cheek = turn to=20 him the other also and if a man will sue thee at the law and take = away thy=20 coat, let him have thy cloak also. Judge not and ye shall not be = judged,=20 condemn not and ye shall not be condemned, forgive and ye shall be = forgiven. Whosoever shall speak a word against the son of man, it = shall be=20 forgiven him. Love one another as I have loved you".

Libus: Senators, there have been so many=20 inconsistencies in the testimony we=EF=BF=BDve heard today that we = don=EF=BF=BDt seem to=20 be talking about the same man. Matthew and John depict Jesus as a = split=20 personality, which I find completely inconsistent with the words = I=EF=BF=BDve just=20 read. I may be Rome=EF=BF=BDs Prosecutor but my concern is with = the truth and I=20 intend to uncover it before we act too hastily and make another = mistake!=20 Can any of the prisoners name the original twelve Apostles = of=20 Christ?

Mark: Oh, yes, Sire, with the greatest of = pleasure.=20

(Alternating as they help each other)

All four: Let=EF=BF=BDs see, there was: =

Simon known as Peter Bartholomew

James, brother of John Simon the Canaanite

James, or Jude Andrew son of Alpheus

Philip John

Matthew Simon called Zeloites

Thomas and Judas Iscariot

Libus: Each one of your gospels contains = a list of=20 the twelve names you=EF=BF=BDve just mentioned and one other = gospel called "Acts"=20 also lists those twelve.

ALL: True, Sire true.

Libus: Do the names Luke or Mark appear on = any=20 of those lists?

John and Matthew: (startled) Why no, Sire = they do=20 not.

Libus: In the gospels that Luke and Mark=20 themselves wrote, do their names appear on those = lists?

Matthew and John: No Sire. They do = not.

Libus: I ask the Tribunal to take judicial = notice of=20 this crucial evidence.

(The four Senators rise) "The Tribunal takes = judicial=20 notice.

Libus: Then would it be fair to say that = both Mark=20 and Luke were not members of the original twelve = Apostles=20 and therefore could not have been eyewitnesses to the = events they=20 reported?

Matthew & John: (reluctantly) Yes Sire. = That is=20 true.

Libus: Members of the tribunal. In light of = this=20 incontrovertible evidence, the State moves that all the testimony = of Mark=20 and Luke be stricken from the record and declared to be "Hearsay". = Now,=20 only the testimony of Matthew and John is relevant in this trial = and they=20 scarcely agree on anything. John reports Jesus bleeding on the = cross and=20 Matthew sees no blood; Matthew reports dead saints walking and = John sees=20 none. There can be only one resolution to this matter and that is = for Your=20 Honors to decide.

Cassius: The Tribunal revues these = proceedings and=20 will render its decision tomorrow morning. Take the prisoners = away.

[Everyone is shocked into silence as the = soldiers lead=20 the four men out of the witness box].

The End

I need not defend Jesus now since Libus did it = so=20 eloquently - but let me repeat his words:

"A Being of such love and compassion who = forgave=20 Sinners during life does not become a tyrant after = death and=20 pursue them beyond the grave to damn them to = Hell".

A Final Word

Over the years the Bible has gone through = numerous=20 revisions yet each time the anger and threats of the deities have = never=20 been mollified. Religion would remain just as effective if the = offensive=20 portions of Scripture were expunged and no harm would befall the = faithful=20 if gods were portrayed with greater tolerance of man=EF=BF=BDs = weakness by=20 transcending the pettiness of their own too human emotions.

Depicting the Jews as "God=EF=BF=BDs chosen = people" offends the=20 sensibilities of other ethnic groups and we know in our hearts = that the=20 Lord is not biased for we are all His children. And I believe we = would=20 feel more kindly towards one another if the violence and cruelty = were=20 culled from the text. We protest over violence in television, = violence in=20 movies and even violence in computer games but does religion = really need a=20 god that commits mass murder, destroys a country, kills Egyptian = babies,=20 sends plagues that torment thousands, betrays Hebrews and drowns = their=20 pursuers? And that=EF=BF=BDs mild compared to drowning the entire = world because He=20 was sorry He made man. How can man be happy feeling that God = believed he=20 was evil? To make matters worse the Creator of the Universe is = portrayed=20 as an insecure, almost paranoid Being who believes in witches and = is=20 obsessed with other gods. At the very least, isn=EF=BF=BDt = some of that=20 text expendable?

I=EF=BF=BDm past eighty now and fairly certain = I won=EF=BF=BDt see ninety=20 but I=EF=BF=BDd like more of a choice than Hell or Paradise when I = go. Now that we=20 now know the Bible was created by a vote of Emperor = Constantine=EF=BF=BDs=20 Cardinals, wouldn=EF=BF=BDt we all be better off if other options = were offered -=20 or is fear of what happens after death the glue that holds = it all=20 together? I hope not because I believe better of God.