NONSENSE FROM THE BIBLE Read online

  24 . Moses

  Moses supposedly lived in the (circa) 13th century BCE. He was believed to have been a Hebrew lawgiver and judge who led the Israelites out of Egypt to the promised land of Canaan. He claimed to have received from Jehovah on Mount Sinai the Jewish written Law, the Ten Commandments, engraved on tablets of stone. The first five books of the Old Testament – in Judaism, the Torah – are ascribed to him. According to Norman Cantor (1926-2004) - A historian who specialized in the medieval period, stated in his book - The Sacred Chain - A History of the Jews that outside the Old Testament itself there is no evidence Moses (and others) ever existed and that the Exodus from Egypt was fiction.

  25. Lucifer - The Devil

  Revelation 12:9

  And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

  Isaiah 14:12

  How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!

  Job 1:6-7

  Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them. And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, from going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.

  Chapter Seven

  26. Rainbow

  Chambers Dictionary defines a rainbow as:

  An arch in the sky displaying the colors of the spectrum formed by the refraction and reflection of the sun’s rays through rain or mist. It’s cause was discovered by Theodoric of Freiberg in the 14th century.

  Chapter Nine

  27. Apocrypha books.

  The general Apocrypha consists of these seventeen books.

  The First Book of Esdras

  Tobit

  Judith

  Additions to the Book of Esther

  The Wisdom of Solomon

  Ecclesiasticus or the Wisdom of Jesus Son of Sirach

  Baruch

  The Epistle of Jeremiah

  The Song of the Three children

  The story of Susanna

  Bel, and the Dragon

  The Prayer of Manasseh

  The First Book of the Maccabees

  The Second Book of the Maccabees

  The Third Book of Maccabees

  The Fourth Book of Maccabees

  Psalm 151

  Protestant Christians reject the Apocrypha books as a collection of uninspired history written by men without the aid of God writings during the ‘silent centuries’ (400BCE - 27CE).

  The contents noted as ‘unscriptural’ include the doctrine of Purgatory, salvation by almsgiving, the justification of suicide, slavery and cruelty, reincarnation, lying, assassination and magical incantations - all of which are approved within the writings of the Apocrypha.

  The protestant Bible contains none of the Apocrypha books. The Greek Orthodox Bible contains all of the books and the Roman Catholic Bible contains 13 of the books but not Esdras, the third and fourth books of Maccabees or Psalm 151.

  28. Purgatory

  The claimed description of Purgatory according to Roman Catholic doctrine based on the Apocryphal texts is the condition or temporary punishment by which those who die in a state of grace are believed to be made ready for Heaven. This theological notion has ancient roots and is well-attested in early Christian literature, but the conception of purgatory as a geographically situated place is largely the creation of medieval Christian piety and imagination.

  Chapter Ten

  29. Other Tongues

  The ‘Biblical’ experience of speaking with ‘other tongues’ originates from the Book of Acts of the Apostles:

  Acts 2:1-4

  And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

  The experience of ‘speaking with other tongues’ is known as Glossolalia - meaning: Unintelligible utterances, thought to form part of unknown languages, spoken while under the influence of religious excitement, and believed by Christian groups of various periods to be a sign of grace.

  From Greek glossa tongue + lalia speech (Chambers Dictionary)

  Pentecostal and Charismatic Christians practice ‘Baptism with the Holy Spirit’ and believe that the ability of speaking with other tongues as described in the Bible is the evidence of the ‘indwelling’ of the Holy Spirit. They believe the language is a special prayer language which is only know to the Holy Spirit.

  BY THE SAME AUTHOR

  FROM FAITH TO REASON

  Second Edition 2011

  Having spent some seventeen years as a ‘Born Again’ Christian fundamentalist and for ten of those years as the founding Pastor of one of Australia’s largest churches, Brian Baker resigned from the ministry in 1989 following the failure of his marriage. During the course of the next few years he spent much time questioning his faith and seeking evidence concerning the validity of the Bible which he had accepted literally as ‘The Word of God.’

  In his book ‘From Faith to Reason’ – Brian boldly questions the existence of God and uses the Bible to provide evidence that God is NOT the ‘Intelligent Designer – creator God’ as creationists have claimed in recent times. Brian, again using the Bible as evidence provides serious questions concerning the validity of Jesus, including his birth, ministry, crucifixion and resurrection. Another Chapter under the heading of ‘Crimes against humanity’ – includes many examples from the Bible which clearly reveal on numerous occasions the ‘dark side’ of God. The Bible, which Christians believe contains good and dependable teaching on family values, comes under close scrutiny which opens many parts of the Bible which are usually overlooked by Christians.

  Brian’s conversion from fundamentalist Christian to Atheist was a gradual process over a period of several years after he had effectively left the influence of the church. Brian believes that it is extremely difficult for a Christian who is seriously involved in a church or Christian group to be ‘open’ to knowledge or evidence which is in conflict with the Bible and Christian teaching. Brian states in his book that one has to be ‘outside’ the Christian ‘bubble of faith’ in order to see clearly and to consider rationally the evidence and validity of theocratic religions of any persuasion.

  Chapters include: How did we get here - did God do it? - The good the bad and the ugly influence of religion - Intelligent designer or schizophrenic sadist? - Crimes against humanity - Five good reasons to doubt the existence of God - Jesus fact or fiction? - Family values and the Bible - Faith, fatalism and destiny - Angels, demons and he human spirit - Visions, dreams and other delusions -Why do intelligent, sensible, down to earth people seek a religious experience? - What is the meaning of life.

  259 Pages - Published Paperback & eBook download from fastpencil.com/amazon.com/barnes & noble/nook/iBooks & others on line.

  REST IN PEACE & LIVE!

  PERSONAL PEACE WITHOUT GOD

  Published March 2012

  Contrary to widespread belief, to be peace is not a condition only applicable to those who have died. Personal peace is, in fact, available to everyone according to Brian Baker the author of this book. This is not in any sense a spiritual or mystical experience but is based entirely on a program of practical personal adjustments to one’s own attitudes and lifestyle. Brian was the founding Pastor of one of the largest churches in Australia (1979-1989). After he resigned from the ministry he began to examine his own faith and seek evidence for the veracity of the Bible and Christian belief. He finally came to the conclusion that his Christian beliefs had been entirely, but sincerely, wrong as they had been based on myth
and stories handed down over hundreds, and in some cases thousands, of years. He concluded that it is virtually impossible to find any factual, historical or scientific evidence to validate the contents of the Bible or the existence of God.

  When he had come to terms with his transformation from believer to atheist he also realized that for the very first time in his life he began to live day by day in peace. During all those years when he was totally immersed in Christian life and ministry – he had been surprised and disappointed that he was never able to experience the level of personal peace he had desired and expected. – At last, the personal peace which had been so elusive was a reality.

  The contents of this book are the result of Brian’s experience and discoveries which he believes will assist anyone to find their own personal peace by applying the practical principles and self examination to their life which will enable them to live in peace.

  In the first chapter – Peace without God – Brian explains his reasons why Christian or religious peace is a false or temporary peace which ultimately cannot provide the high level of personal peace we all desire.

  Other Chapters include: Know yourself - Hindrances to Peace - Contentment, the peace maker - Peace through equality and tolerance - Love and patience - Peace in old age - Peace in bereavement or divorce - Peace in sickness and death - Assistance to peace.

  169 Pages - Published Paperback & eBook download from fastpencil.com/amazon.com/barnes & noble/nook/iBooks & others on line.