[Ezekiel Bathfire]

I am strangely mystified by this article

Biblical verses apparently endorsing sexism, genocide, slavery and the slaughter of sorceresses have been identified by readers of a Christian website as the least endearing parts of the holy book.

The article continues as if there is something wrong with a God who hates homers, sees women as lesser creations, supports slavery, realizes foreigners are godless heathens and deserve death and opposes the work of Satan.

It is as if none of the readers knew that the God they allegedly worship not only supports these things but insists they are carried out and that, if we are to follow Him and His Word, we should follow His Every Word.

Anyhoo, here’s the article:

The online survey by shipoffools.com, a humorous online magazine, lists the ten verses people would rather had been left out of the Bible, in an attempt to show the dangers of quoting scripture selectively.

St Paul’s advice about whether women are allowed to teach men in church came top of the “Worst Verse” poll, which received more than 1,000 responses.

The results were discussed last night by a panel of theologians at the Greenbelt Festival in Cheltenham. In 1 Timothy ii, 12, St Paul is quoted thus: “I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent.”

The verse has been used by some conservative Christians to justify opposition to women priests.

In second place is the order by Samuel, one of the early leaders of the Israelites, for his people to commit genocide: “This is what the Lord Almighty says ... ‘Now go and strike Amalek and devote to destruction all that they have. Do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’” (1 Samuel xv, 3).

Moses’s indictment of witchcraft, in Exodus xxii, 18 came third: “Do not allow a sorceress to live.” Other disliked verses include Psalm 137, which features a line that is rarely spoken in church: “Happy is he who repays you for what you have done to us / He who seizes your infants and dashes them against the rocks.”

Another distasteful set of verses features in Judges xix, 20-25, when a man is trapped in his house by a hostile crowd and sends out his concubine to placate them. She is raped “throughout the night” and eventually returns to the house to collapse in the doorway. His response is simply to tell her to get up. “But there was no answer. Then the man put her on his donkey and set out for home.”

St Paul’s condemnation of homosexuality in Romans i, 27 is highlighted: “In the same way also the men, giving up natural intercourse with women, were consumed with passion for one another. Men committed shameless acts with men and received in their own persons the due penalty for their error.”

The list also includes stories of parents, such as Abraham, undertaking to sacrifice their children in the name of God, along with the endorsement of female subservience in Ephesians v, 22 which states, “Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord,” and questionable advice to slaves in 1 Peter ii, 18: “Slaves, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the cruel.”

The Godless editor now confesses his deep pride in his ignorance of God's Word and atheistic disbelief in God

Simon Jenkins, editor of shipoffools.com, said: “It doesn’t have to be a textbook of infallible information and unbreakable laws to be God’s book. And it doesn’t have to be one big pile of lies because of its dodgy bits. In Chapter and Worse we are attempting to rescue it from rival takeover bids.”

Simon Jenkins is a hellbound sinner, a liar, and an enemy of God.

PS I apologize to readers for the author of the article failing to use KJV 1611 - another sign of his hypocrisy!

[Mrs. Mary Whitford]

Frankly, the lack of the KJV1611 seems to be the problem. When I read MY Bible, I don't have a problem with any of it. However, every passage of a false, Satanic translation is offensive and I've no doubt the people who responded felt the same way.
In the end, their conclusion is faulty. It's like giving people strawberry ice cream mixed with acid, and when they spit it out, concluding people don't like strawberry ice cream.

[Oakland "Reb" Griner]

That is perplexing indeed.

We all rejoice in the Word of the Lord, every Word !!


Why anyone would seek to rank the popularity of verses is just disordered.

[eliot mayfield]

They're not Christians, they're pretenders. They pretend they're Christians.
God hates them worse than atheists.

[Oakland "Reb" Griner]

The article is practically an invitation to pick and choose which verses to observe.

It is blasphemy, yes, in fact, an astonishing blasphemy !!

[Professor Bessemer]

While not to diminish the threat of people like this, the godless author only managed to get 1,000 responses to his heretical questions. By definition, those that responded are hellbound anyway, simply for questioning the word of God. Who cares what 1000 sinners think?

[David Goldman]

The arrogance is astounding -- as if mere humans are fit to be literary critics of God's Holy Word. I can see it now:

"This Novel is a rip-roaring tale of a young man (Adam) and his subsequent generations' quest to navigate the complexities of a new and confusing world. Beset by sly deceivers, beguiling seductresses, barbarian hordes, and evil spirits, he and their only defense is his somewhat fickle and usually invisible friend called "God". It is a poignant tale of innocence lost, redemption gained, and paradise sought. Packed with swords and sorcery, heroes and villains, love, lust, and hate, it is sure to get the blood pounding!

The novel does suffers from some heavy handed moralization and extremely boring and tedious scene descriptions (especially the genealogies), and some of the settings are anachronistic and antiquated. Clearly the author would have benefited by using a professional editing firm, but one can still skip through the slow parts to get full enjoyment of the book.

This reviewer gives it 2 1/2 out of 4 stars. Readers should know that this book is rated "M" for mature due to excessive and gratuitous violence, brief nudity, some sex and rape, mildly offensive language, and misanthropic portrayal of minorities."

When will mankind ever learn? I guess for most of them, only after being sent to Hell.

[Pastor Isaac Peters]

Will the touchy-feely Christians-lite ever explain why, when God's Word contradicts modern liberal notions of morality, it's God's Word that's wrong?

[Nobar King]

We should let pastor Anderson have a go at these fools.

[Pastor Ezekiel]

Originally Posted by Nobar King

We should let pastor Anderson have a go at these fools.

I couldn't agree more!

Frankly I am getting tired of the namby-pamby attitude of some of the allegedly True Christian™ Pastors around here these days. Pastor Steve is a genuine warrior for Christ! We could use a few good men like him at Landover Baptist!