tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37507520.post6085514356299157804..comments2023-09-26T08:20:15.098-05:00Comments on Criss writes...: Response to @bekahferguson: Abortion and the Bible, part 1Criss L. Coxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04664903417376487387noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37507520.post-17442212094585683722009-12-23T02:14:22.650-06:002009-12-23T02:14:22.650-06:00Well said miss cox.
Though you and I worship dif...Well said miss cox. <br /><br />Though you and I worship different deitys, I fully agree with you that the way our reality has been set up is proof positive that there is a great spirit behind it all.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37507520.post-24437895666237874432009-12-18T17:33:00.243-06:002009-12-18T17:33:00.243-06:00Holly, I have not heard of or read "The God D...Holly, I have not heard of or read "The God Delusion;" don't think I'll be reading it, though, since I will probably take anything presented there and view it through my own tinted lenses and still come out believing what I want to believe.<br /><br />I see what you mean about scripture, the Christian Bible specifically, and I agree: the stuff in the Old Testament is pretty barbaric. If I may defend my own :P , one pastor pointed out that *people* were barbaric then, so God had to talk to them on that level, "in that language," so to speak, to get through to them. He couldn't come in saying, "turn the other cheek" when he was talking to people who believed the proper restitution for stealing an apple was killing the perpetrator: God had to take these people through baby steps. Going from "an eye for I KILL YOU" to "an eye for an eye" was progress back then; once He got them used to that idea, He could begin to introduce the whole "turn the other cheek" thing.<br /><br />(Not that I'm trying to change your mind or say you're wrong. I like to blab, and this is my blog, SO THERE!)<br /><br />I also agree that there is more than ONE scripture. I only address the Christian Bible here because that's the only one I know enough to talk about. And I WHOLEHEATEDLY agree that Scripture does not need to play any part in the abortion debate -- unfortunately, it does, and that's what the vast majority of anti-choicers use as their "proof." This is why I felt the need to address the Christian Bible. (Also, because I am a Christian, and I see no conflict or contradiction whatsoever between my Christian faith and my pro-choice views. And I'm tired of people telling me there is.)<br /><br />Thanks for reading!Criss L. Coxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04664903417376487387noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37507520.post-22018301466769365572009-12-18T16:45:26.528-06:002009-12-18T16:45:26.528-06:00I'd be really curious to hear your thoughts on...I'd be really curious to hear your thoughts on Dawkin's "The God Delusion" - particularly the parts about the idea of an original creator setting up the evolution and other natural processes in the world. <br /><br />Having spent years in a religious group/cult {members of this religion will always deny it's a cult} and seeing how scripture was used and looking back on it now...I can't take scripture seriously. At all. I find it especially reprehensible that so many people hold it up as some sort of moral guide post. Have they read the Old Testament? I'm sorry. But I have no interest in getting my morals from a book in which the main player tells his chosen people to commit genocide, or let them murder their children as sacrifices so they can win a battle, or offer their daughters to be gang raped.<br /><br />All people pick and choose which parts of scripture to follow {AJ Jacobs aside ;P). I think the abortion debate needs to continue without appeals to scripture, especially because there's the issue of WHICH scriptures, The Bible, the Koran, the Book of Mormon, the Gita? <br /><br />Anyway, I'm rambling now. But I think I'll be back to read more of your thoughts. I don't share your belief in God. But I share your belief that women deserve respect. :)Holly @ Domestic Dorkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05588020192381538681noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37507520.post-57232967945675612912009-12-16T14:56:24.708-06:002009-12-16T14:56:24.708-06:00Danine: Yeah, we need to do something about those ...Danine: Yeah, we need to do something about those old men in bathrobes. They're getting on my nerves, too.<br /><br />I've been lucky; I had my mom there when I was growing up, to tell me what the right thing was when those old men told me things that didn't make sense with the other stuff (mainly, the "God loves you" part), and I've found good church homes where the pastors have been relaxed, loving, (liberal-minded) people. So I've had good leaders and role models and examples to follow. Because my mom told me early on that sometimes those priests got it wrong, I was able to trust myself and focus on what made sense to me, and it's been easier to ignore the voices of the misguided leaders of the Church.Criss L. Coxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04664903417376487387noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37507520.post-53808559927841555202009-12-16T14:50:19.976-06:002009-12-16T14:50:19.976-06:00Joyce: I don't blame you for not responding to...Joyce: I don't blame you for not responding to her "rebuttal." I found it humorous that she took the time to write had you submitted your article as a paper in a freshman English course, you would have failed... yet her article was in dire need of proofreading (several sentences were missing a verb or had other glaring syntax issues). Suzanne's rebuttal comes across as a petty child's angry response, using big words to sound grown-up and intelligent. But I digress...<br /><br />I also found the "out of context" claims to be humorous, since you DID provide context, as well as resources at the end of your article. Your explanation of the Exodus passage shows the amount of research you have done to arrive at those conclusions. Suzanne, on the other hand, just wanted us to understand that she knew all this so much better than you did, and she just KNEW the context, so there. But she didn't really provide any "missing pieces" of context...<br /><br />While I found the latter part of your article to have taken the issue a bit too far for my liking (analyzing the "value" of life), I agree with the points you made. And no need to "apologize" for the snark (especially not to me) -- that was the tone you chose for that article, which was not, as you stated, meant to be a serious academic article. It's not like you resorted to calling the other side names, like "pro-aborts" or "poor-choice."<br /><br />Thanks for reading, and thanks for writing that article. :)Criss L. Coxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04664903417376487387noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37507520.post-81377216176473302092009-12-15T23:01:58.909-06:002009-12-15T23:01:58.909-06:00Actually, I've read the entire Bible several t...Actually, I've read the entire Bible several times in my life (I was raised as a devout Christian), and all those quotes in my article were not taken out of context at all. When writing that article, I was always careful to read the surrounding text, plus I have a pretty good understanding of the historical context in which the Bible was written, when the books were likely written, and by and for whom etc., since I've done a lot of research on the origins of Judaism and Christianity (an interest of mine).<br /><br />"Out of context" is just the excuse many Christians use to bash any interpretation of the Bible they don't like, so they don't have to refute the interpretation. And you're right that the Bible is full of contradictions and disparate themes. So the "out of context" charge is unfair because so much in the Bible is itself "out of context".<br /><br />Btw, I remember seeing Suzanne's rebuttal before, but concluded it wasn't worth responding to. Of course, my article was never meant to be a serious academic article, and I make no apology for the snark and sarcasm. It is, however, the result of a complete review of every single passage in the Bible to do with pregnant women, fetuses, and infants.choice joycehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18218868792770666771noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37507520.post-29337864549249543052009-12-15T19:51:10.479-06:002009-12-15T19:51:10.479-06:00Every time I read one of your posts, I always want...Every time I read one of your posts, I always want to say, "Hey now, STOP WITH THE LOGIC TALK." <br /><br />Bravo.<br /><br />I envy you your faith. Mine has been shattered in the last several years and I am trying to figure out how to get it back. Unfortunately, old men in bathrobes are making it really hard.xhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07708038776840345609noreply@blogger.com