Robin Artisson a.k.a. Pendragon, has posed a list of questions for Christians. As no Christian has yet answered any of them honestly, I thought I'd answer them from an ex-Christian perspective. Permission, as of July 28, 2005 was granted by Robin to use his work.

142 Questions for Christians Part 1

Part 2 | Part 3

1. Have you ever read the entire Bible, cover to cover? Why not? If you haven't read the whole thing, why do you claim to believe that every word of it is true?

Yes, unlike many Christians, I've read it cover to cover. In order to claim that every word of it is true evangelical christians are either lying and/or deluded because it's such a hodge-podge of adapted pagan myths, conflicting stories, fabrications, contradictions, inconsistencies and historical and scientific inaccuracies.

One of the criteria of Truth is that it not be self-contradictory. To say that the contradictory is true is definitively absurd. The bible is self-contradictory and therefore must be false. To say that the bible is true is absurd.

2. The Bible orders you to kill witches; it is the explicit, unequivocal commandment of your God (Exodus 22:18; Leviticus 20:27). And no, I'm not "taking those verses out of context;" go ahead and look them up. I'll wait.

I am a witch ... a card-carrying pentagram-wearing circle-casting Tarot-card-reading Sabbat-celebrating witch (Merry meet!). If we met, and I assured you that I am in fact a witch (I'll swear to it on your Bible if you like), would you kill me? If not, why not? You should obey God rather than men (Acts 5:29). Are there any other parts of the Bible that you routinely disobey? Does this mean that you have a rebellious spirit, and need to repent?

Or does it perhaps mean that you obey only the easy commandments of God ("Love thy neighbor") and ignore the commandments that might get you into trouble?

How would you like it if MY holy book ordered me to kill Christians? Would it make you a little bit nervous if we got into the same elevator?

Merry meet indeed! We're obviously on diferent paths and I wish you well on yours

Unfortunately, the persecution and execution of witches was not just a Christian phenomenon, spawned by a malicious and intolerant book of hate literature.

Whilst it did directly, and indirectly, incite the "burning times" when Christians, in their zeal for biblical commands, tortured and killed anyone accused of being a witch, fear, ignorance and paranoia about witches was not confined to ancient Israel or medieval Europe, but has been, and in some areas still is, a common trait of some societies around the world, including cultures untouched by Biblical monotheism.

Would it make you a little bit nervous if we got into the same elevator? Depends...
If you look like this, I'd happily share a ride...	However, if you look like this, I'd take the stairs...

3. In Genesis 22, God ordered Abraham to kill his own child. If God ordered you to kill your own child, would you obey Him? If not, why not? Surely you don't think you're smarter than Abraham, do you?

Damn right I'm smarter than Abraham!

It doesn't matter that God let Abraham out of murdering Isaac. To put a knife to any child’s throat is child abuse. Although he didn't kill his son, it is still an incredibly cruel and evil thing to do. If Abraham did that today he would be in jail serving a long sentence as someone's prison-bitch. It's difficult to see how anyone can see this story, as a sign of God's love, or find any uplifting moral lesson in it.

Why do so many Christians still revere people like Abraham, Moses, Joshua, and David and regard them as honourable, heroic ancestors, worshipers of the god Yahweh, who commanded that so many atrocities be committed. No doubt those were uncivilized times and no one ethnic group had a monopoly on barbarism. However, why practice or preach a religion that glorifies the ancestors who engaged in so much dispicable conduct?

4. Do you believe that rabbits chew cud (Leviticus 11:6, Deuteronomy 14:6-7)? Your God does.

It's fun to watch the the inerrantist try to explan this passage and many try to equate rabbit refection - reingesting their soft fecal pellets - with rumination - the regurgitation of food stored in the first chamber of a multichambered stomach, so that the food can be further broken down mechanically by chewing before it goes on to the next chamber of the stomach, where it continues to be broken down by chemical processes.

From the American Heritage Dictionary definition of ruminant: "Any of various hoofed, even-toed, usually horned mammals of the suborder Ruminantia, such as cattle, sheep, goats, deer, and giraffes, characteristically having a stomach divided into four compartments and chewing a cud consisting of regurgitated, partially digested food." Thus, the rabbit does not fit this definition, and trying to classify it as a ruminant is a misuse of the English language.

5. Are you aware that the Old Testament contains absolutely no descriptions of the afterlife — either heaven OR hell? Why do you think this is?

It's part of the Christian carrot and stick routine and, unfortunatly for hard-line evangelical Christians the entire fabrication is exclusive to the New Testament and cannot be based on any factial evidence in any of the Old Testament scriptures.

In the Old Testament, there was no "place of eternal damnation." There was Sheol, where everybody, good or bad went after they died.

When the Hebrew text was translated into Greek, "Sheol" was replaced by "Hades." Then, when evolving Jewish and Christian beliefs began to emphasize resurrection, Hades became a place where only the "unsaved" went.

The word "Sheol" does not occur in the King James Version. Instead, words like: grave, pit,or hell are used, however, is used extensively in both the American Standard Version and the New World Translation.

Christianity is based on fear. Throughout almost its entire history, the driving force behind Christianity has been the fear of death, fear of the devil and fear of hell.

6. Mark 16:18 says that if a Christian drinks deadly poison, it won't hurt him at all. Are you a Christian? If I gave you some poison, would you drink it? Ready to put your money where your mouth is? Ready to "step out in faith?"

"Who Wants To Be A Christian Millionaire?"

Forget about answering 15 questions, just chug down a pint of deadly poison and, if you're still standing at the end of the show you go home with a million in cash.

Think it will catch on?

16:18 "They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover"

Some try to spin this verse by saying that it only applied to the original Apostles even though that interpretation has no support in scripture. Reading verses 16 and 17 it becomes clear that Jesus was speaking about "these that believe", those that are baptized and saved. It does not say anything about the original Apostles being the only ones who can drink poison and handle snakes.

Faith-healing charlatans have no compunction about taking money from off the gullable by pretending to heal their sicknesses.

Why then should the first half of the verse Mark 16:18 be applied only to the eleven but the second half of it be taken literally by anyone who falls for a good line of patter and a slick stage show?

7. Do you believe that God creates evil (Isaiah 45:7, KJV)? If you believe this, why do you worship Him?

Standard Christian dogma states that God is the creator of all things. He began with nothingness and out of His sheer will, wisdom, and power created time, space and matter.

If they accept this, no matter how much they try to pin the blame on the victims i.e. Humanity, they can't escape the fact that their God created evil.

8. I read in Matthew 2:23 that it was spoken by the prophets that "He [Jesus] shall be called a Nazarene." Can you find this prophecy in the Old Testament for me, please, or in any other writing that existed prior to 31 AD?

Nazareth is not mentioned even once in the entire Old Testament. The Book of Joshua (19.10,16) – in what it claims is the process of settlement by the tribe of Zebulon in the area – records twelve towns and six villages and yet omits any 'Nazareth' from its list.

This is very odd considering that the most important event in the history of humanity - the birth of the Son of God, a third of the God Trinity and mankind's Saviour - happened there.

The evidence for a 1st century town of Nazareth does not exist – not literary, not archaeological, and not historical. It is an imaginary city for an imaginary god-man.

9. Joshua 10:12ff tells a story about God making the sun "stand still" overhead for about a day. This would certainly have been noticed by every human being on earth. Do you ever wonder why there are no other accounts of this event, anywhere, in non-Biblical historical writings?

Because it didn't happen. Joshua merely adapted an existing sun-myth

10. Ecclesiastes 1:4 says that the earth will last forever; II Peter 3:10 says that it won't. Which do you believe?

Looks like Peter was right because the best estimate for the upper limit on the lifetime of Earth is about 5 billion years. In about 5 billion years, the Sun will have used up its hydrogen reserves and will expland to become a Red Giant, with a radius of about Earth's orbital distance. The Earth will most likely be swallowed up when this occurs.

11. Genesis 6:19 tells us that God ordered Noah to take one pair of each animal into the ark. Genesis 7:2 tells us that God ordered Noah to take seven of every clean beast and two of every unclean beast. Which do you believe?

"Of all the legends of a Great Flood recorded in literature, by far the oldest is the Babylonian or rather the Sumerian ; for we now know that, ancient as was the Babylonian version of the story, it was derived by the Babylonians from their still more ancient predecessors, the Sumerians, from whom the Semitic inhabitants of Babylonia appear to have derived the principal elements of their civilization."

In other words: the ancient hebrews pinched just about all their myths, legends and folk heros from earier cultures. The reason there are two creation accounts, two flood accounts, three Ten Commandments, etc. is because the were passed down verbally and different versions evolved in different clans. When the fables were eventually written down, the redacter just recorded the different accounts.

Two thousand years on and the apologists are doing the Fundy Shuffle trying to prove that all the conflicting stories don't actually conflict...

12. Ecclesiastes 1:18 says that wisdom brings grief; Ecclesiastes 8:1 says that wisdom causes one's face to shine. Which statement do you believe?

"Reason is the Devil's greatest whore; by nature and manner of being she is a noxious whore; she is a prostitute, the Devil's appointed whore; whore eaten by scab and leprosy who ought to be trodden under foot and destroyed, she and her wisdom ... Throw dung in her face to make her ugly. She is and she ought to be drowned in baptism ... She would deserve, the wretch, to be banished to the filthiest place in the house, to the closets." -- Martin Luther

I think that answers that

13. II Kings 2:11 says that Elijah ascended to heaven in a whirlwind. John 3:13 says that nobody before Jesus ever ascended into heaven. Which statement do you believe?

John was wrong:

Genesis 5:24 "And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; For God took him."

2 Kings 2:11 "And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven."

Hebrews 11:5 "Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him."

14. Do you believe that a stubborn and rebellious son should be executed in public? Your God does (Deuteronomy 21:18ff).

I often feel like strangling mine but thrashing him with a rod or executing him in public seems rather an overreaction.

15. Do you believe that a medium or spiritist should be killed? Your God does (Leviticus 20:27).

16. Do you believe that people who commit adultery deserve to die? Your God does (Leviticus 20:10).

17. Do you support the death penalty for homosexuality? Your God does (Leviticus 20:13).

The Good Book tells us that shrimps, lobsters, crabs and mussels are all an abomination before the Lord. So, if you consider that gays are an abomination and protest against gay marriage, same sex unions or the gay lifestyle in general, why are you not also part of the Christian crusade aimed at restaurants that oppose God's law by selling 'abominable' seafood?

Why is there no groundswell of Christians calling for the picketing of stores such as Woolworths, Debenhams or Walmart, all of which sell clothing made from mixed fibers?

Leviticus 19:19 : Ye shall keep my statutes. Thou shalt not let thy cattle gender with a diverse kind: thou shalt not sow thy field with mingled seed: neither shall a garment mingled of linen and woollen come upon thee.

Leviticus 20:10 If a man commits Adultery: both the adulterer and adulteress shall be put to death.
21:7 "you shall not marry a woman divorced from her husband.

Did you know that eating lobster is as big a sin as sex between two men in the eyes of the Christian God?

In fact you have no right to call yourself a Christian if you eat lobster, shrimp, etc.

Ask a Christian how they would feel if they found out that Jesus was gay.

18. The Bible is an extremely bloodthirsty book. It specifies, over and over, whole categories of people who should be killed (including children who "curse their parents" ... Exodus 21:17). Are you aware that Silver Ravenwolf has written many books on Wicca, and that none of them recommends the killing of anyone?

According to the sacred Vatican Council no higher authority can be invoked for the inerrant truth and the utter unity of that truth than the spirit-illumined Bible:

"These books are sacred and canonical because they contain revelation without error, and because, written by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, they have God for their author."

Perhaps Silver Ravenwolf should tell all her readers to convert their ploughshares into swords...

19. Do you hate your mother and father? Jesus said that if you don't, you can't be his disciple (Luke 14:26). Are you disqualified from being a Christian? Isn't it time for you to repent of your sin of being a mother-lover?

For some strange reason, modern Christians don't push this idea very much. Instead, they push some very strange Family Values From The Bible.

20. Do you believe that anyone has ever seen God? Isaiah said he did (Isaiah 6:1); John said (twice) that nobody has ever seen God at any time (I John 4:12; John 1:18). Who's lying, John or Isaiah?

They were probably both engaged in pseudographic penmanship:

"It must be confessed," admits the Catholic Encyclopedia, "that the early Fathers and the Church, during the first three centuries, were more indulgent towards Jewish pseudograph [i.e. forged writings] circulating under venerable Old Testament, names. The Book of Henoch [Enoch] and the Assumption of Moses had been cited by the canonical Epistle of Jude. Many Fathers admitted the inspiration of Fourth Esdras. Not to mention the Shepherd of Hermas, the Acts of St. Paul (at least in the Thecla portion) and the Apocalypse of St. Peter were highly revered at this and later periods. ... In the Middle Ages ... many pseudographic [i.e. forged] writings enjoyed a high degree of favor among both clerics and laity." (CE. i, 615.)

Also consider Genesis 32:24 where Jacob wrestled with God (God cheated, by the way).

21. Exodus 20:5 says that God will punish a child for his father's sin (see also Jeremiah 16:10-11); Ezekiel 18:20 says he won't. Which do you believe?

It is conradictions like this that make it impossible to consruct a sensible, working moral code using the Bible.

22. Do you believe that you can be saved (go to heaven after you die) if you don't believe in the virgin birth of Jesus? Did you know that two of the four gospels [i.e., Mark and John] don't mention the virgin birth at all? Are you aware that (a) there is good reason to believe that the word translated "virgin" in Isaiah 7:14 doesn't mean "virgin," and (b) this is the only Old Testament verse that "prophesies" the virgin birth of anybody?

The Bible is unclear about what it means to be saved, or to be saved from what? Certainly not from ignorance, superstition, mysticism, falsehoods and the illusions.

Remember that there is no Hell: that's just part of Christian propaganda.

[The Hebrew word in Isaiah 7:14 that's mistranslated "virgin" is almah, which means "young woman." It carries with it no indication, either way, about the young woman's sexual experience. The Hebrew word that specifically means "virgin" is bethulah, a word that we know Isaiah was familiar with, since he used it four different times - (a) Isaiah 23:12, (b) Isaiah 37:22, (c) Isaiah 47:1, and (d) Isaiah 62:5.]

23. Do you have faith in God? Does your faith express itself in love? Are you aware that the Bible says that the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love (Galatians 5:6)?

Having faith means you can stop yourself asking such questions as "who made God", "why did an omni-everything to the max being need to create a universe in the first place. Was He bored?"

To critically examine their religion and faith would lead them to places where they would rather not go and they may end up asking increasingly uneasy questions, the answers to which they would rather not hear.

They may pay lip service to a relationship with God and Christ but tend to see their faith as a safety net, refuge, provider of warm fuzziness or a magician-in-the-sky, to be called on as and when required.

24. Do you believe that a snake can talk (Genesis 3:1)? It doesn't have lips. How does it make the "w" sound?

Snakes and snake myths are to be found in a great many pre and post Hebrew cultures: respected in some parts of the world and despised in others. The way that people feel about snakes is heavily influenced by cultural beliefs and mythology.

The apple and snake are two traditional Pagan symbols. When the apple is cut through its "equator", the seed core is in the shape of a pentagram (a symbol long associated with the Goddess). The snake, because it periodically sheds its skin, is a Pagan symbol of immortality. By associating Pagan, polytheistic symbols with the downfall of humanity, the writers of Genesis may be attempting to bring disrepute upon other religions.

25. Are you aware that Jesus threatened to murder children (Revelation 2:23)? Does this change your opinion about him? If not, what would it take to change your opinion about Jesus?

Of course, his Father also threatened to kill children. See Hosea 9:16.

Here's what Jehovah God Almighty (the deity to whom your child prays his bedtime prayers each night) says in Psalm 137:9: "Happy shall he be, that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones." Do you, like God, ever want to throw human babies against rocks? Would doing so make you happy, as God predicts? Would you want this hideous Bible verse taught to your child in Sunday School? In a children's Bible, how do you think this verse should be illustrated? Please take a minute and do a quick sketch to illustrate Psalm 137:9 for my son.

And please explain to me your theory of how the mysterious omniscient almightiness of God could transform this detestable verse into anything other than what it is (i.e., an absolute obscenity).

What else does the Bible say about the care and protection of children?

"O daughter of Babylon, who art to be destroyed; happy shall he be, that rewardeth thee as thou hast served us. Happy shall he be, that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones." Psalm 137:8-9

2 King.15:16 "Then Menahem smote Tiphsah, and all that were therein, and the coasts thereof from Tirzah: because they opened not to him, therefore he smote it; and all the women therein that were with child he ripped up."

Is this "pro-life"? No, this is one of numerous examples of god-ordained genocide. Even if you feel there is justice in killing the innocent infants of people deemed "evil" by your religion, would you be happy to do it, as the bible declares? If this is not evil and against any sort of civilised values, then what is?

26. Do you believe that there's any Bible verse that applies to abortion? Which verse(s)? Do you believe that "abortion is murder?" If so, would you kill a doctor who was about to perform an abortion, in order to defend the "life" of the fetus? Do you think that would be justifiable homicide? Do you believe there are any circumstances where abortion is permissible? What circumstances? Rape? Incest? To save the life of the mother? If abortion is murder, why would these special circumstances make any difference — why would they make it okay to kill a helpless fetus? And please give a specific Bible verse to justify your position that abortion is permissible if it causes the death of an innocent baby who is the result of a rape.

Let's suppose it's 1888, and we're all living in Austria. Adolf Hitler's mother has just found out she's pregnant, and she's on her way to the (secret) abortion clinic. You and your foaming-at-the-mouth anti-abortion folks have two options: (1) hold a huge rally, block her path, and prevent her from getting an abortion; or (2) do nothing (i.e., mind your own business) — and the birth of a mass-murdering monster will be prevented (and you'll save the lives of six million innocent Jews). What would you do?

What does the Bible really say about being pro-life and against abortion?
Nothing, as it turns out. However, Numbers 5:20-31 gives instuctions on how to carry out an abortion. It says that if a woman cheats on her husband, he is to take her to the priest and he will give her "bitter water". If the woman didn't cheat on her husband her pregnancy will continue as it should. But if she did cheat on him, then her belly will swell, her thigh will rot, the baby will be lost and she will be a curse among her people. No value is placed on the fetus.

The anti abortion hypocrites are quick to quote the sixth commandment, "Thou shalt not kill" and claim that this commandment of god shows that god is pro-life and anti abortion. Oddly enough, this doesn't stop some anti-abortionist from killing medical staff.

Exodus 21:22-25 states clearly that a fetus is not a living breathing human being.

27. Can you show me a single Bible verse that condemns the practice of slavery? If you were God, would you have written the Bible to include a commandment against slavery? If not, why not? Do you believe that slavery is an acceptable institution? Your God obviously does. He wrote an entire book of picky little rules (including a prohibition against boiling a goat in its mother's milk - Exodus 23:19), but never condemned slavery!

In fact, in Exodus 21:7ff, God gives instructions on how a father can sell his own daughter into slavery. If I followed this Biblical teaching, would you want to be friends with me? Would you let your children come over to my house to play with my children?

The best-selling book in history ... authored by the creator of the universe ... and it never condemns pedophilia, child abuse, animal abuse, or domestic violence. In fact, Biblegod endorses the beating of children (Proverbs 22:15). Here's his chance to make things right, to give us a definitive moral guide for living, to tell us not to beat up children, to tell us that men and women should have equal rights ... but he says the exact opposite. Women are second-class citizens in God's eyes. Isn't the Bible out of step with (a) modern times and (b) common-sense morality ... you know, the kind that comes instinctively to a mentally-retarded seven-year-old?

And while the Infinite All-Knowing Mind of God was dispensing wisdom ... couldn't he have told those guys back in 950 BC some really useful stuff? Like what causes tooth decay? How about the germ theory of disease? Maybe a warning about cholesterol? Some rudimentary instructions on the manufacture of penicillin? Couldn't he have told them that the earth revolves around the sun ... that it's not flat? Maybe some clear guidance about abortion ... when (if ever) is it okay? When is it NOT okay? What's the age of consent for sexual activity? What are the exceptions to the hearsay rule?

Until recently, slavery was practiced world wide for millenia. Now, slavery occurs in only a few countries and on the black market (especially the sex/slave trade).

Actually, human knowledge offers far more. 1500 years of Christianity produced nothing of value, and science was at a virtual standstill until the resurgence of "heretical" scientific thought a few centuries ago, starting with men such as Galileo. In ancient Rome they had aquaducts, but in 17th century England they threw faeces out their windows into the streets. That's Christian advancement for you.

Since the rise of secularism, we have made more scientific discoveries and technological advancements than we made throughout the rest of human history. It has been estimated that more than half of the scientists throughout all of human history lived in the last century.

After one last gasp from Christian fundamentalism (Hitler's Nazi regime) and dictatorial monarchism (Stalin's communist regime), the rise of the secular humanist state has produced living conditions far superior to those enjoyed by human beings at any other time in history.

28. And are you aware that not only does the Bible NOT condemn slavery, it specifically allows it — even giving rules on how to buy slaves, and how they should be treated? See Leviticus 25:44, Exodus 21:2, and Ephesians 6:5. Would you vote for a President who stated publicly that he agrees with this clear, unequivocal doctrine of the Bible (the acceptability of slavery)?

The writers of the Old Testament didn't condemn it because they saw no reason to - it was a common and accepted practice.

Incidentally, if the Dominionists succeed in converting the laws of United States so that they match those of the Hebrew Scriptures then it's very possible that slavery will be re-introduced and regulated according to Biblical laws. Fathers could sell their daughters into slavery. Female slaves would retain that status for life. Slave owners would be allowed to physically abuse them, as long as the slaves lived for at least a day before dying of the beating.

Something to look forward to...

29. James 2:20 says that faith without works is dead; Ephesians 2:8-9 says that we are saved by faith without works. Which do you believe? Is FWOW dead, or does it save us?

And by the way ... can one be saved by works without faith? The Bible clearly says that one can (Ezekiel 18:21-22) ... and clearly says that one can't (Ephesians 2:8-9). Which do you believe?

How's a godless atheist suppossed to answer that? They can't even agree amongst themselves.

30. James 2:21 says that Abraham was righteous because of his works; Genesis 15:6 says that Abraham was righteous because he believed God. Which do you think is true?

See answer 29 above and make up your own mind.

31. We know for a fact that Lot was a righteous man, because the Bible says so (II Peter 2:7). We also know for a fact that Lot got drunk, screwed his own daughters (Genesis 19:31ff), and got them both pregnant. If I did this to my daughters, would you tell people that I was a righteous man?

You have to bear in mind that women were devalued in the Old Testament and that the OT's target audience was Jewish men. The Jewish religion deals only with Jewish men on a first-class-basis. Others, women, children, slaves of Jewish men, and gentiles are all second-class people and their thoughts, feelings or fate are unimportant.

Watership Down - You've seen the film. you've read the book, now eat the pie!

What if I ate rabbit meat (Deuteronomy 14:7)? We know damn well that's a sin !!!

32. Have you ever prayed to your God and not gotten what you asked for? Have you ever prayed to your God and asked for something worthwhile (such as healing for a sick relative), but still didn't get what you asked for? Are you aware that the Bible says this is evidence of your lack of faith (Matthew 7:7-8, 21:22)? Why haven't you ever asked your all-powerful God to eradicate cancer or AIDS? Do you think he'd do it? Why haven't you asked him to stop the genocide in Darfur? Or to strike George Bush dead?

If Christians actually studied their faith's dogma they would understand why prayer can not possibly work: does it make sense to believe that an all-knowing, all-powerful and all benevolent God has to be reminded that their followers need help? And does God pay more attention to the situation when they pray?

If God has a divine plan for everyone then praying is pointless. This means that if God has everything planned out then things are going to happen the way God planned it, whether you pray or not.

In fact, when Christians pray, they are paving their own way to hell.

If God has a plan for us all and has our best interests at heart when they pray to Him they are, in effect, saying "hey God, I don't like the way you are running things and this is what I want you to do..." which is a violation of one of the Big Ten - they are not honouring their Father.

Apart from being sacrilegious, and probably blasphemous, they are demonstrating a lack of faith and trust in their Lord - a big no-no and a sure-fire way of having the Pearly Gates slammed in their faces.

Besides, He just doesn't have the time to deal with every piddling little prayer request; don't they know that He's got a couple of bijillion cubic light-years of universe to run? He's tried delegation, both inside and outside the family firm - JC, Mohammed, etc. but we all know the trouble they've caused.

33. II Thessalonians 2:11-12 says that God sends a powerful delusion to certain people, causing them to believe a lie, so that they will be condemned (i.e., spend eternity suffering in hell). Isn't this, frankly, immoral? Isn't this what Christians accuse Satan (the father of lies - John 8:44) of doing? If you were God, would you cause people to believe a lie? Why?

It would be difficult to find a more absurd, immoral and downright unpleasant being than the Old Testament God with His endorsement of lying, stealing, subversion, torture, slavery, murder, rape, incest, oppression, anti-learning and bias against women.

Most Christians don't seem to have a problem believing in two contradictory concepts: God is love and if you follow His will and obey His rules He will reward you by allowing you to spend eternity basking in His Glory and singing His praises. They also seem able to believe that if you use your "God given" free-will, logic and reason to not accept Him this loving Father will make you spend eternity in a burning lake of fire, weeping and wailing, complete with wall-to-wall teeth knashing.

34. Do you believe that prayer should be allowed in public schools? Are you aware that Jesus specifically commanded people not to pray in public (Matthew 6:5-6)?

Why would any parent want to send their child into a public school classroom and have a teacher of unknown religious leanings lead their impressionable child in prayer.

I suppose if you dwelt in a completely homogeneous community in which everyone shared the same religious values, I might be more comfortable with the idea.

But then, isn’t that what religious schools are for? Providing a religiously homogeneous community in which children can be formed according to consciously shared values?

35. Are you aware that the Bible unequivocally states — twice — that women are not allowed to speak in church
(I Corinthians 14:34, I Timothy 2:12)? Has your pastor ever preached a sermon on this obviously important Scriptural principle? Does the pastor of your church enforce this commandment? Are there any other areas of your life in which you are rebelling against the Lord? If you are a female, are you ready to repent of your sin of speaking in church, and turn back to the Lord?

If you were the pastor of a church, and it was Sunday morning, and you caught a woman in your church violating this commandment, how would you handle it? What would you say to her?

By the way, Christians are famous for engaging in the most amazing, dishonest acrobatics/contortions of logic in trying to avoid the clear, plain, obvious meaning of the "women-have-to-shut-up-in-church" verses (and other verses that show that Biblegod is really some male chauvinist non-deity like Moses in disguise). The "standard" apologetics are: (a) not meant for modern times; (b) there are other verses that indicate that women taught and/or were actually apostles in the early church; (c) you're taking it out of context. Some of the greatest entertainment in the world is watching Christians do furious backflips trying to explain these embarrassing "non-PC" Bible passages.

For most of recorded history, and throughout the Bible, women have been treated as chattels and considered the property of and inferior to men. This, of course, is reflected by the writers of the various bible books.

The Bible's decree of male supremacy, in I Corinthians, has kept woman inferior to men for centuries. For the religious, it comes as a sad fact that a human must have a penis to receive any respect or power within the Church.

Such phrases in the Bible have justified for many men, not only their supremacy but a reason to sexually abuse women.

36. Deuteronomy 13:1-5 states that anyone who preaches a God other than your God should be put to death. PLEASE tell me that you disagree with your God on this point.

And if you agree with our Heavenly Father about Deuteronomy 13:1-5 (and I already know that you do, since you're a Bible-believing Christian), please send me an email so that I can give you the names and addresses of some people that your God wants you to kill. And let me know if you need to borrow a gun (and specify the caliber, please. Currently available are a .357 revolver and a nice bolt-action 8mm Mauser with a scope).

And Deuteronomy 13:6-10 orders an ancient Israelite to rat out his brother — his daughter — his wife — his friend — if one of them advocates worshipping another god. If you were an ancient Israelite, and your eight-year-old son casually suggested following a different religion (don't tell me this thought hasn't occurred to YOU once or twice), would you turn him in to the authorities, knowing that he would be sentenced to death? Is God starting to remind you of Adolf Hitler? Are you starting to notice that your Holy Bible contains a large number of "death orders?"

The vast majotity are not real Christians, just cultural Christians who have absorbed their faith osmotically while growing up. With their pride and arrogance, borrowed wisdom and false promises, they may claim to be real Christians but have little or no interest or concern about its history, teachings or the meanings of its practices.

Although the Church likes to downplay it,Hitler's efforts were endorsed and blessed by the Roman Catholic Church. It just turned out that they backed the wrong horse.

To critically examine their religion and faith would lead them to places where they would rather not go and they may end up asking increasingly uneasy questions, the answers to which they would rather not hear.

They may pay lip service to a relationship with God and Christ but tend to see their faith as a safety net, refuge, provider of warm fuzziness or a magician-in-the-sky, to be called on as and when required.

37. The Bible tells us that the Israelites wandered in the Sinai desert for 40 years, and that most of them died there (Numbers 14:20-24). Using the census numbers from Exodus and Numbers, that means that approximately two million people died in 40 years in a relatively small area (and we know where it is). Are you aware that there is absolutely no archaeological evidence of those people having been in this part of the world? How do you explain this?

It's easy to explain: it never happened.

The findings of unbiased archaeologists digging in and around Israel over the last half century have revealed that Abraham, the Jewish patriarch, probably never existed. Nor did Moses and the entire Exodus story in the Bible probably never occurred. The same is true of the tumbling of the walls of Jericho. King David, far from being the fearless king who built Jerusalem into a mighty capital, was more likely a provincial leader whose reputation grew with the telling to provide a rallying point for a fledgling nation.

38. The Bible promises that God will meet ALL your needs (Philippians 4:19). Do you carry insurance? Why do you think you need it? Don't you believe what the Bible says?

No, and neither do this lot:

39. Do you believe in evolution? Are you aware that the DNA of a bonobo (a primate) is 98.4% identical to yours (hell, in some states, that's high enough to establish paternity)? If God created everything, why do you think he created you almost exactly like a hairy jungle primate? Are you aware that your skeletal system is pretty much identical to that of a bird, or a dog, or a cat, or a rat — an arm that has a radius and an ulna; carpal and metacarpal bones; a scapula; ribs; a sternum; a pelvis; tibia and fibula bones in the legs; the whole framework covered by a system of muscles and skin tissues; bilateral symmetry; a blood/circulatory system that's powered by a heart? Is your God simply lacking in imagination, that he created most of the warm-blooded animals using exactly the same basic design? Or is there perhaps the tiniest possibility that we all evolved from a lower life form?

Fundie mode on:

Ok.. let me get this straight. The Word of God says we were created with Human bodies that are designed to live forever. Science has recently proven that if we were to learn something new every second, we would take well over 3 millions years to exhaust the memory capacity of our "post flood" brains. (Pre-flood brains were 3 times larger) On the other hand... Evolutionists say things evolve after there is a need for change.

Question... How is it possible for us to have a brain that could hold enough info to last over 3 millions years, when all we can live up to is 90 years?

Finally, the Scientists have decided enough's enough. They are sick of the sheer stupidity running rampant regarding evolution. It's simply not good Science and preaching this lie in movies and all over the media as well as in Schools is making the Scientists look bad. Sad thing is, it wasn't until MEN saw their FLESH being threatened with a bad name that anyone decided to say, "Hey! This Evolution theory is a joke! Open your eyes already! We actually have the technology today to prove it!"

Fundie mode off

40. John 7:38 quotes Jesus as saying, "Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." In 31 AD, the Scripture (being the OT only ... the NT hadn't been written, of course) said no such thing. What exactly was Jesus talking about?

And did you know that Jesus contradicted himself ... in two statements that are recorded in the same book of the Bible?

1. (1) "Jesus answered and said unto them, though I bear record [marturia] of myself, yet my record [marturia] is true." (John 8:14)
2. Marturia means "bear witness" (NAS) or "testify" (NIV, NRSV), and it's the same word used in John 5:31, where Jesus says,
   (2) "If I bear witness [marturia] of myself, my witness [marturia] is not true."

So tell me, based on the statements of Jesus himself ... if he bears witness of himself, is it true, or not true?

Do you mean the biblical Jesus who comes across as a borderline schizophrenic, given to bouts of violence, delusional, a liar and a thief. Hardly a sign of honesty, moral purity and dignity, is it?

41. Genesis 5:27 says that Methuselah lived 969 years. Honestly now ... do you believe this? What do you think his family gave him for his 762nd birthday? Surely he had enough neckties and cologne.

Viagra and a 704 year old woman.