I'm Getting my Masters in Technical Communication

Well, it's back to school for me. I've been accepted into Metro State's graduate program (in Minnesota) for Technical Communication. Hopefully, I'll encounter fellow freethinkers.

Is There Freewill in Christianity?

This is a video a made a few months back. It asks - Is there freewill in Christianity? I propose that the doctrine of torment in hell is not only emotionally damaging, but the doctrine also removes freewill from Christians. You cannot freely choose to love God if the threat is - love God or be tortured. This threat makes loving God a commandment - Their God says love me or else. That's not free.

Yesterday (Aug. 5th), one of my four brother-in-laws sent an email out asking us to look at this guys website (the link will follow). It basically was recounting this guy's idea of history as it applies to the Bible, which is something I've very interested in.

On the email are a couple of brother-in-laws of varying beliefs, one a fundamentalist and another a moderate.

I took the opportunity to expound what I believe on the matter in the text you'll see below. I've not heard back yet.

The email contents:
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Dave,

You asked me to look at the link (by Geerts): http://www.earth-history.com/Preface.htm

While he doesn't give enough details to critique his theories, I whole-heartedly agree with much of what he writes. This topic is something that I'm very interested in studying. From time to time, I return to it. I think I’ve mentioned to you that I’ve been working on a timeline of world history for the last few years. It’s really helped me to get a handle on some of these issues. At the bottom of this email I’ve linked to my timeline. I hope you’ll take a look at it.

I agree with these points he makes:

1. The Pentateuch was written much, much later than traditional date for Moses.
2. The Pentateuch is an eclectic collection of stories from several different ancient cultures, especially Sumerian.
3. The history of Israelite Egyptian slavery, the Exodus and Joshua’s conquest are completely fabricated to engender a sense of national identity.

I hope you won’t mind if I take this opportunity to say what I believe to be true. I apologize in advance if I say things that you probably know- but I say it as if I’m explaining it. I know that you’re very well read. That said…

He says, "At that time, the Pentateuch consisted of stories that had been composed for the most part from older stories that had been written on clay tablets and papyri from Mesopotamia, Assyria and Egypt, including names and places, and in most cases these stories were thousands of years older."

I’m sure the main one he's referring to is the Epic of Gilamesh, which were probably written between 1700 and 2400 BCE. You can read the 11th cuneiform tablet, which talks about the mythological deluge, here:

http://www.ancienttexts.org/library/mesopotamian/gilgamesh/tab11.htm

It shows that the Genesis mythology of the flood is echoed in this ancient story including aspects of the gods wanting to destroy mankind, building an elaborate ark, ark dimensions listed, loading it with animals, releasing a dove to check for land, etc.

The story of the Tree of Life could be partially borrowed from the Sumerian tale called “Gilgamesh and the Huluppu Tree”. The tree is placed in the middle of a garden by a divine being and a snake lives at its base. Many have also drawn associations between Lilith, in the story, and Eve.

From the Sumerians we also get the stories of the ziggurats, which turned into the Genesis story of the Tower of Babel and the creation of multiple languages. According to Christian timelines, the Tower of Babel was constructed by and cursed in 2242 BCE. The ziggurats were built by Ur-Nammu (king of Ur), who started his reign around 2065 BCE. So, the story occurred a couple of centuries before the event existed, but this example is one of many that happen when you write historical fiction without access to precise historical data. You get historical anachronisms like mentioning the Philistines before these people had migrated into Canaan or mention things made of iron before the iron age.

It’s true that there are flood stories in many ancient cultures, but there is no reason to believe that these were anything other than local events that happened at various times throughout history.

Some go so far as to say that the Epic of Gilgamesh copied the Bible. However, there is absolutely zero evidence that the Pentateuch was written before Babylonian exile. It was probably collected from various sources for years orally and then combined with stories from other cultures to create a national identity when on was needed.

We have hard evidence of the existence of the real cultures written in stone and dated to around 2000 BCE. The earliest OT manuscript in existence is dated to around 200 BCE, and it’s generous to say the Pentateuch began to be redacted after the Babylonian exile.

Here is someone who has articulated Geerts ideas a little more:

http://www.geocities.com/paulntobin/babylonian.html

If you want to read the most honest book on current archaeology that shows what we really know the history of Israel, I highly recommend the following (From a Jewish archaeologist):

The Bible Unearthed, Finkelstein and Silberman.

Here’s the Amazon link:

http://www.amazon.com/Bible-Unearthed-Archaeologys-Vision-Ancient/dp/0684869136/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/105-2621066-7274042?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1186353347&sr=8-1

This $10 book is a must have.

Like Geerts points out, most of the archaeologist of the 19th and early to mid 20th century were Christian archaeologist who set out to find evidence of Biblical events – instead of looking at the archaeological record and just reporting what is showed. It’s the old -Start with the facts and go looking for the proofs- to which many enthusiasts fall victim.

There was and is a lot of money to be made in this. Just look at the infamous Ron Wyatt, who claimed to have found Noah’s ark, the Ark of the Covenant and chariot wheels in the Red Sea. It’s so bad that there are more Christian sites that decry him as a charlatan than atheists.

A lot of people want to argue the viability of a global flood and whether or not Genesis reports the real way in which humans came into existence. They are pulling on the wrong end of the rope.

What they really should look at is the overwhelming evidence that the Pentateuch is a complete fabrication. It’s a mixture of the histories of other ancient cultures in an attempt to create a long-standing history for Israel. If there are any real people mentioned in the Pentateuch, they have been so heavily mythologized that their real identity and merit has been lost in the attempt to create a national novel.

I think one of the most telling non-events is the Exodus and Conquest of Canaan. The idea is setup with Gen. 46:2, where we’re told that God told Jacob not to be afraid to go into Egypt because He would make of them a great nation. They would go into Egypt as 70 people and come out a nation.

When the Exodus occurs, Num 1:6 leads us to conclude that Moses brought approximately 3 million people out of Egypt. Think about that for a minute. Rome made it to 1 million people in 133 BCE. This is 3 times the occupancy of Rome marching through Kadesh-barnia. Three Million people! Can you imagine the resources needed to manage a roaming city of 3 million people? -The amount of corpses, dead animals, discarded broken pottery, human refuse, campfire remains, discarded tools, drinking water, living quarters, etc. It’s Rome times three.

Yet, even though archaeologist can see where a gathering of goat herders camped thousands of years ago, archaeologist find absolutely no evidence that a large group of Israelites wondered the Kadesh-barnia for 40 years. It would have left a massive impact on the archaeological record. There is nothing. There is devastatingly nothing.

Not only is there no evidence in Egyptian history that an enormous number of Semitic slaves of occupied Egypt (let alone plagues and the death of every first born), but none of the histories of the other nations they supposedly encountered record their existence- and we do have written records of their correspondence.

It’s a tough pill to swallow to think that plagues and death of every first born in Egypt would never leave a mark in Egyptian history. Not even in the writing of Egyptian poets or in the scribbling of graffiti of some mourning brother.

During the time that the Exodus was to have occurred, all of Canaan was under Egyptian control. The roads were under Egyptian control. Trade routes were under Egyptian military guard, including check points and guard posts. The area where the Israelites are thought to have wondered for 40 years was literally dotted with Egyptian military outposts during the alleged time of the wondering and conquests.

All of the kings (or city mayors) of Canaan were vassals of Egypt during this time. Egypt maintained control, and there is no historical record to support that Egypt’s military strength was weakened during this time. There is ample historical evidence that Egypt maintained control of Canaan long after the time of the conquest.

In fact, the time period just after Joshua conquest is very well documented by the Amarna Letters.

In 1887, the Amarna Letters were found east of the Nile. There were over 300 cuneiform tablets. Many described communication between Canaanite city leaders and the Pharaoh in the Late Bronze Age. These letters show that Egypt still controlled Canaan. The kings (and mayors) of Canaan paid tribute to and expected help from Egypt. I say “mayors” because –it’s the Pentateuch that indicates that there are large cities to conquer in Canaan at this time, but archaeologist now report that large cities did not develop in Canaan until later. Cities said to have Kings were, in fact, insignificant rural villages until about the 8th century.

You have to wonder why the accounts of Judges never mention that Egypt controlled the major cities and roads through the areas mentioned in the stories.

The Amarna Letters show that Egypt was in charge of the Canaanite cities, and that the leaders of the cities were all vassals of Egypt. If Joshua would have controlled the cities, it would have been mentioned in the Amarna Letters. The Israelites are never mentioned in any of the Amarna Letters - yet many cities in Canaan are represented in communication with Egypt in the Amarna Letters. I have a copy of the English translations of all of these letters. It’s a fascinating read for those interested in the history of this time.

Massive cultures - that are real - leave behind evidence. There is no evidence that the Exodus happened. There is no evidence that 3 million people wondered in the desert for 40 years. There is no evidence that Joshua’s conquest happened.

It does seem to be true that by the 13th century BCE, Israel began to develop into a tribe of people, but archaeologists believe they were Canaanites of the hill county who began to unit culturally and religiously. This, it is believed, was the beginning of the documentary hypothesis. The northern Canaanite people with their oral traditions of Elohim introduce the legendary Abraham to El Shaddai to provide author “E”. The people of the south bring their oral traditions of Yahweh and this is author “J”. Together, they form the beginnings of the Israelite tribe united under the same monotheistic banner.

Here is a link to the Excel spreadsheet I mentioned. I’ve been working on this on and off for a couple of years. It’s still barely scratches the surface of the historical events that have shaped Christianity, but I’ve never seen a more detailed timeline than mine online.

http://www.TalkingTimeline.com/timeline.htm

Best regards,

Kenny

Atheists Suck!

Atheist Suck! Yikes, that's insulting isn't it?

I was googling some topic yesterday and it took me to a blog of this title: Atheist Suck! It turns out, this band of young Christians were "fighting back" and "re-claiming YouTube" (good luck with that).

Apparently, one of their chief gripes is that when they engage in conversation with Atheists, they are invariable "cussed out." This blog took time to quote examples of such cussing, including asterisk and pound sign replacements for the middle characters of the curse words, which, apparently, reduces the sin of typing such morally charged ASCII.

I think one thing this young band of Christians over looks is that their name calling "Atheists Suck!" or using terms meant to demean the intelligence of the atheists, is right on the same level - just without the agreed upon curse words. It's just insults with the same purpose as being "cussed out."

This brought to mind a couple of points might escape the online neophytes.

When people believe something strongly, but they cannot articulate why, it causes frustration. When poked, the inarticulate must say something, so out comes an insult or some other enthusiastic ad hominem remark. I've seen it in my own children.

It's easy to hope and ask atheists and Christians to converse with more civility, but actually, we need to educate them. Address the root of the issue. Educate them to want to change minds with more knowledge and less force.

Militant Atheism

With the popularity of Atheism on the rise, so is the occurrence of Atheist actively trying to convince religious people that they are wrong. Christian's and sympathetic atheists are starting to point fingers at this phenomenon with a "shame on you" disgust.

Here's my take on it. I completely support freedom of religion. One thing that freedom of religion does is allow you to proselytize. In other words, it allows you to try and change minds. To convince others that your view is more correct, and others should "see the light". When I was a Christian, I was a master at debating the details of salvation according to the Bible with other Christians of differing faiths.

How can Christians be so opposed to my trying to change their minds regarding their view of religion? Isn't that the highest form of hypocrisy you've ever heard of? In one breath, they want to convert me to their ideas and in the other condemn me for my wanting to convince them that my ideas are true.

I'm sure there are a few atheists who call Christians "stupid" and other names. I don't do this because I'm trying to change minds.

Why am I trying to change minds? I'm doing this because our educational system is under attack. I'm doing this because I can't buy beer on Sunday. Actually, I rarely drink beer, but damn it anyways. I'm doing this because some aspects of fundamentalist religion are emotionally damaging- especially to children (and women, for the holiness movement). I'm doing it to avert the next war.

So, what about all my moderate Christian friends and relatives? They aren't hurting anyone are they? They support the framework out of which radical views can come. They indoctrinate their children to believe that it is noble to believe without proof. So, I will try and change their minds when possible.

So, I'll try and keep Atheists civil. One thing is for sure. I doubt any of us will be flying planes into buildings. However, we might try to get Christians to think about why they believe Christianity is true.

Arguing