Quantact Wrote:It's not the book, it's how people interpret it. Any pimento can go to church and call himself a Christian, that doesn't mean the bible had any actual impact on him. I am not really religiously educated, I just practice the Ten Commandments. I don't murder, steal, have sex with married women, etc. If you take those basic things, the Bible is VERY effective as a guide for life.
If you want to argue that atheists are better people, Hitler, Stalin, Mao and Pol Pot were all atheists. They didn't believe in the "racist, sexist and violent" book, and their policies were more unfair and murderous than anything Christians have ever done in the name of God.
There are some atheists who;d never do that kind of stuff. And there are some religious people that would never condone the Crusades. Don't blame religion for the assholes that used it as an excuse to murder other people.
I wasn't referring to the portions of the bible that are vague and left up for interpretation, but the facts that are stated in it as actual history, that show not only christians, but also the christian god, as sexist and violent. I also don't think that the bible or religion are to blame for the actions carried out by the church in the name of the christian god, i was just saying that the bible in itself is too violent and prejudiced for my taste.
I agree with you, in part: i think theoretically, the rules in the bible could work as a basic guideline for life. However, these commandments are reduced to a simple black/white. Killing is a sin, period. Same with stealing or adultery. You're telling me you wouldn't kill protecting someone you love, or that you wouldn't steal a loaf of bread if your life depended on it? I know i probably would.
I don't think atheists (or people of any particular religion/belief for that matter) are better or worse. I have friends with various different beliefs, and we like talking about these things because we are constantly learning from each other. I think you can evolve much faster as a person if you keep an open mind to other people's ideas, than if you close up and hold your beliefs as the absolute truth.