quote:
Originally posted by Pig Iron:

I really dislike when people pick and choose religion like eating from a buffet. If it's just a lifestyle choice, a way of living fine. But if you honestly believe some of this and some of that...don't believe any of it... It's insane and schizophrenic.
It's not about 'some of this and some of that' (I assume you're reffering to me here). It's a matter of looking at the theme of the bible and questoning the merits of some of the included works therein. The bible is a big book, and there are plenty of admonitions within it that don't seem to flow with the overall picture...as well as many that modern people wouldn't dream of employing (do we still murder our children when they don't obey?).

My point was that despite all of the conflicting messages that the bible contains, the most predominant and reocurring theme is that of love and compassion. I mean, yes the word of God is the end of any argument, but Jesus himself clearly outlined his principles for those who would follow him. His message stands in opposition to several statments that were uttered by his diciples in letters after his passing. I will not dispute the words of Christ, but I will dispute the presence of certain writings being included as biblical cannon. Does that make sense? As I said, I may be in eror in this evaluation, but I know I am not alone in this view. Bible cannon is a constant source of theological debate. There are books refered to by biblical scribes that have not been included...are they any less relevant than say "Song of Solomon" (a lengthy love poem by a king to a woman)?