Quote Originally Posted by Sir Terrence the Terrible
There are also many who think they know the bible(and the way) when they really don't. If you let bible scholars tell it, many so called christrians haven't a clue of what they are reading, taking loads of things out of context, and using the bible as a weapon of control. And many of the same people that accuse others of cherry picking, and doing a fair amount themselves. Christrians have gotten judgemental, very unloving, as as of late have all but declaired war on other religions.

Many so called christrians are nothing more than hypocrites, and they do the same things as non-christrians do - like attempting to smear someone in a post when they don't like what a person says. Where is the love in that...right there isn't because their christianity is like a coat that you pull on and off at will.

Some folks talk a wonderful game, but the walk is much like a empty wagon rolling down a bumpy road.
Well said Mr T. Even if people knew what they were reading, it is still just a put-together-as -they - wanted it to read book and all the other texts were burned. The Dead Sea Scrolls, written many years before the bible contain several books that are in the bible but are very different because the texts were altered to read the way they do.

As far as taking things out of context, the bible is merely a story using all correspondences as a way of getting a message across. Back then, there were so many sects all writing in code so the others didn't quite understand what they were saying. The book was in no way intended to be taken literal word for word. If that were true, the gospels of Matt Mark Luke and John would not all totally contradict each other as they do.

If you really want to read something interesting, check out the writings of Emanual Swedenborg called Arcana Celestia, where he interprets the first several books of the old testament word by word - sentence by sentence explaining the correspondence and giving several other locations in the bible where the same phrase is used so you then get more of a clue as to what it was meant to be saying.

See this link:
http://www.sacred-texts.com/swd/ac/index.htm

Then read his most popular book called Heaven and Hell which he explains what he felt were the relationships between the two and how he saw the physical structure.

After reading Heaven and Hell, watch the movie What Dreams May Come where you will see in vivid detail the book come to life as Robin Williams travels the depths of hell to find and bring his wife back to a better place.

From AC:
"And the Spirit of God moved upon the faces of the waters."

Then in the movie there is a scene where RW and his guide are paddling a boat through waters with all faces looking up out of it.

Now as far as wearing the coat as needed goes, I have a favorite little thing I like to say as I drive past churches on sunday mornings, especially the local catholic church in my neighborhood as they all exit after mass.....

"Peace be with you, now get the F out of my way!"

These people think that they are speacial because they go to church once a week but as soon as they exit the doors, it's all me, me, me until next sunday.