“Oh, I read my Bible every day. I’ve read it through more than once.”

As an atheist how many times have you heard the faithful make this claim? More than once, I imagine. As a moral and law-abiding atheist shouldn’t you ask the claimant if he/she, after reading their Bibles “more than once” clear through, still believes it fit to be a moral guide? If they claim that it is a model upon which morality should be based after they have made the claim to have read it, there are only two possibilities:

• They are liars and have not actually read it.
• They are monsters to assert that the Bible is a moral book.

In defense of their “holy” book they will claim that you simply do not understand or that the passages of horror that you cite are taken out of context. The plea that you simply do not understand is a ploy used to impart a supernatural or mysterious quality to the scriptures. If someone tells you that you take scripture out of context what it really means is they have no means of explaining its repugnance away.

How can support for slavery be moral?

However, you may purchase male or female slaves from among the foreigners who live among you. You may also purchase the children of such resident foreigners, including those who have been born in your land. You may treat them as your property, passing them on to your children as a permanent inheritance. You may treat your slaves like this, but the people of Israel, your relatives, must never be treated this way. (Leviticus 25:44-46 NLT)

If you buy a Hebrew slave, he is to serve for only six years. Set him free in the seventh year, and he will owe you nothing for his freedom. If he was single when he became your slave and then married afterward, only he will go free in the seventh year. But if he was married before he became a slave, then his wife will be freed with him. If his master gave him a wife while he was a slave, and they had sons or daughters, then the man will be free in the seventh year, but his wife and children will still belong to his master. But the slave may plainly declare, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children. I would rather not go free.’ If he does this, his master must present him before God. Then his master must take him to the door and publicly pierce his ear with an awl. After that, the slave will belong to his master forever. (Exodus 21:2-6 NLT)

Slaves, obey your earthly masters with deep respect and fear. Serve them sincerely as you would serve Christ. (Ephesians 6:5 NLT)

Christians who are slaves should give their masters full respect so that the name of God and his teaching will not be shamed. If your master is a Christian, that is no excuse for being disrespectful. You should work all the harder because you are helping another believer by your efforts. Teach these truths, Timothy, and encourage everyone to obey them. (1 Timothy 6:1-2 NLT)

And Jesus said:

The servant will be severely punished, for though he knew his duty, he refused to do it. “But people who are not aware that they are doing wrong will be punished only lightly. Much is required from those to whom much is given, and much more is required from those to whom much more is given.” (Luke 12:47-48 NLT)

Should we stone children?

If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son, which will not obey the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother, and that, when they have chastened him, will not hearken unto them: Then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him, and bring him out unto the elders of his city, and unto the gate of his place; And they shall say unto the elders of his city, This our son is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton, and a drunkard. And all the men of his city shall stone him with stones, that he die: so shalt thou put evil away from among you; and all Israel shall hear, and fear. — Deuteronomy 21:18-21

The Bible is full of atrocities committed by both God and man. It is clear that those that fabricated the Bible were a warrior people bent on conquering or destroying anyone they could. A barbarous people full of hatred and bigotry for all who did not mirror their beliefs.  War, murder,genocide, and mayhem are glorified throughout the Old Testament, the foundation of the New Testament. If God was not doing the killing, men were doing the killing at God’s behest.

Christians, really, read your Bible! We need more atheists.