Gypsy & Willy - The Original Libertarian Bloggers
How Can You Laugh at a Time Like This?
Gypsy & Willy
No. 375
The Secular Solution
March 25, 2002
As Israelis and Palestinians slaughter one another and the Mideast crisis threatens to overwhelm the Bush administrations efforts to crank up world support for whacking Saddam Hussein, we thought it would be good to point out the obvious once again. That is, there will be NO SOLUTION to the conflict in the Holy Land until both Israelis and Palestinians realize that there no room for religious based nation states in the twenty-first century. To date, ALL religious based states have either failed or are engaged in political struggle to become secular...separating religion from politics. Even the Islamic nations...with all the talk of jihad and war with the "West"...are gradually moving into the modern world. The struggle may be long and difficult, but, in the end, there can be no doubt of the outcome.
Why?
It's really quite simple. The "Holy" books...the Bible and the Quran...which are touted by religious fundamentalists as the literal, unfailing, unending word of God...never to be questioned by any mortal...reflect the reality of long gone eras and have almost no relevance to the modern world, especially in the matter of instruction on how to lead one's life. Lately, as Islam moves into focus, long simmering controversies are surfacing among Islamic religious scholars. The much trumpeted...mostly by late night comics...six dozen "virgins" destined to tweak the cranks of suicidal martyrs may in fact be only a large handful of white raisins, the alternate translation of the passage in the Quran!
But, there are Biblical writings that pre-date the Quran...and "accepted" by the true believers of Judaism, Christianity AND Islam...in the Old Testament. For example, homosexuality is called an "abomination" in Leviticus 18:22 and this passage is often parroted by religious fundamentalists as the "last word" on this life-style choice. God said it, so it MUST be true! Period.
Well, a reader passed on to us an email circulating around the Internet...addressed as an open letter to that well known bigot, Dr. Laura Schlesinger...who, like Demidupe Vice Presidential candidate Senator Lieberman is an "observant" Orthodox Jew who insists on the literal truth of the Bible. We would like to share with you some of the observations therein concerning the Word. They are posed as questions to Dr. Laura, but are good fodder for discussion with any true believer.
When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a pleasing odor for the Lord (Lev. 1:9). The problem is my neighbors. They claim the odor is not pleasing to them. How should I deal with this? Should I smite them?
I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair price for her? She's 18 and starting University. Will the slave buyer continue to pay for her education by law?
I know that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is in her period of menstrual uncleanliness (Lev. 15:19-24). The problem is, how do I tell? I have tried asking, but most women take offence.
Leviticus 25:44 states that I may indeed possess slaves, both male and female, provided they are purchased from neighboring nations. A friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans, but not Canadians. Can you clarify? Why can't I own Canadians?
I have a neighbor who insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2 clearly states he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself?
A friend of mine feels that even though eating shellfish is an Abomination (Lev. 11:10), it is a lesser Abomination than homosexuality. I don't agree. Can you settle this?
Lev. 21:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if I have a defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear reading glasses. Does my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle room here?
Most of my male friends get their hair trimmed, including the hair around their temples, even though this is expressly forbidden by Leviticus 19:27. How should they die?
I know from Leviticus 11:6-8 that touching the skin of a dead pig makes me unclean, but may I still play football if I wear gloves?
My uncle has a farm. He violates Leviticus 19:19 by planting two different crops in the same field, as does his wife by wearing garments made of two different kinds of thread (cotton/polyester blend). He also tends to curse and blaspheme a lot. Is it really necessary that we go to all the trouble of getting the whole town together to stone them? (Lev. 24:10-16) Couldn't we just burn them to death at a private family affair like we do with people who sleep with their in-laws? (Lev. 20:14)
Do we really want our nations and the world run on the basis of what is written in this book? Can ANY government truly function if it can't leave the telling of fairy tales to its priests? What do you all think?
Talk to you later...
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