When Bible Stories Are Illustrated, They Reveal Some Huge Problems

[LostOne4Ever]

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By Scott Bixby February 24, 2015

"Bears will maul you, this I know, for the Bible tells me so ..."

Christian holy scripture contains more than a foundational template for leading a spiritual life — it also features sex, accidental crotch-touching, the summoning of bears with curses and a host of other topics and prescriptions that seem downright un-Christian.

The gap between more kid-friendly passages and Biblical verses that describe the market price for a rape victim's virginity are the topic of the illustrated book, The Bible Said What!? by Evan Mascagni and illustrated by Nick Sirotich. Mascagni used his decadelong experience as a Catholic school student in Kentucky as a primary resource to highlight the Bible's discrepancies.

"Christianity was not only the right way, but the only way," Mascagni told Mic. "Schoolteachers and priests constantly cherry-picked verses from the Bible to justify whatever lessons were in store for the day, and I developed a very narrow understanding of Christianity. This book explores some of the stories that were overlooked throughout my education and have ultimately led me to take the Bible for what it is."

And what is the Bible, according to Mascagni? "The longest book most Christians have never read." Mascagni may be on to something: Although 88% of American households own at least one Bible, only 37% read it once a week or more, according to a 2014 survey by the American Bible Society. The same survey shows that only 35% of millennials agree with the statement that "the Bible contains everything a person needs to know to lead a meaningful life," and 39% of millennials have never read the Bible at all.

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[beam me up scottie]

1. I LOVE these!!!

Equal rights for women are a little underdeveloped:



"Women should remain silent in churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the law says. If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church." — Corinthians 14:34-35

Jesus didn't say anything about same-sex relations:



"Get behind me, Satan!" — Matthew 16:23

Thank you, LO4E, this is just what I needed today!

[LostOne4Ever]

2. Anytime!

[Cartoonist]

3. But Jeb says . . .

As well as some posters here . . .
---

I've said it before, I'll say it again, the Bible is a hate manual. Spare me the good parts. When something contains so much misogyny, racism, and homophobia, what little good there is in it is worthless. Those who can only see the good stuff are blind and part of the problem.

Either clean up the Bible, or throw it on the trash heap of history.

[PeaceNikki]

4. Great find. I love it and the final paragraph...

The message of his book is simple, according to Mascagni: "Let's stop using the Bible to justify denying a woman control over her own reproductive choices. Let's stop using the Bible to deny other human beings the same rights and dignity that we all deserve. Let's stop taking this book so damn seriously."

[onager]

5. We're supposed to look over here...

Galatians 3:28 - There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

I've seen that one posted countless times in Another DU Group. Not so much the "women stay silent" from Corinthians, or the nearly identical version of it in 1 Timothy.

All three were supposedly written by the same guy, Paul.

AFAIK, the idea of Paul as a solid feminist and fan of equality seems to be an idea peculiar to liberal Xians. At least the Fundie sites I've read say that verse in Galatians has nothing to do with sexual equality. Well, no shit. To a man of Paul's time and place, the whole idea of sexual equality would have been as alien as the idea of a cell phone.

Which, I guess, is a long-winded way of saying it's equally fun to watch liberals and Fundies cherry-pick the Buy-bull.

[RussBLib]

6. WTF?

I don't remember this passage, but there it is:

"If two men are fighting and the wife of one of them comes to rescue her husband from his assailant and she reaches out and seizes him by his private parts, you shall cut off her hand. Show her no pity." — Deuteronomy 25:11-12

I guess the times I read the Bible I was already so disgusted that one more sick verse didn't really stand out.