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the_ill_buck_fifty t1_j613tch wrote

I don't know if I'd call a bible thought-provoking and frustrating; it's just nonsense.

That said you have a lot of accusations of sloppiness and no counter evidence, not to mention whatever the hell this is:

> I take my life in my hands by mentioning racism, I know.

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Cars3onBluRay t1_j66z375 wrote

Really? I don’t think the foundational text of the western world and its philosophy, history, literature, etc. is “just nonsense”. The Bible seems like nonsense in isolate and from the viewpoints of extremists, but as a whole it well encapsulates the world views of various schools of thought in Hebrew society. Even if you’re a hardcore atheist, the Bible does portray a cohesive view into the peoples of this time, and is largely consistent to its own logic system. Saying the Bible is just nonsense is like saying The Odyssey, Beowulf, and the Veda are worthless drivel just because their worldview seems silly

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[deleted] t1_j672yv0 wrote

[deleted]

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Lixlace t1_j67pke0 wrote

I'm an atheist, and I have to say the Bible is super cool as a literary work. It deals with big-ticket philosophical ideas that we still grapple with today, and it's done them powerfully enough to influence almost all of the West's philosophy.

Job, for instance, is a superior piece when viewed through the lens of existential works. Despite being supremely pious, Job suffers dearly from God's divine argument of vanity with Satan, and he doesn't even know why. Worse yet, if he did know why, it would likely make him even worse off. Job grapples with the near-disdain the universe has for him despite being morally righteous, and he is essentially punished for being just.

The book of Job nailed this theme so well-- as head-scratching as it still is for many-- that it has subsisted in the canon for millennia, and has for just as long influenced the West's philosophy.

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jimmy_the_turtle_ t1_j67rnb7 wrote

There's a reason that text is still popular at funerals, even secular ones without any church service. It's just very human.

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