I think that anybody who is not suffering from delusions can readily agree that:
- The Bible often contradicts itself
- The Bible contains plenty of immoral instruction
- Whilst historical names and places are sometimes mentioned, the Bible is not a great resource for historical accuracy
Sometimes, though, despite these failings (often even acknowledging them), individuals rush to defend the Bible as a valuable book of instructional tales…
So… I invite you all to propose the most valuable aspect of the Bible; what is the Bible at its best? What moral guidance can be wisely followed?
I suggest that just about the peak value (and it’s not perfect) can be found in the phrase “love your neighbour as yourself”… so I’m going to pre-empt that particular response with the following observations: many people will think that this is one of Jesus’ commands… and they’re not entirely wrong… but before anybody was telling tales of Jesus the phrase was already well worn (Leviticus 19:18)… notice that this instruction is found in a the Torah which also instructs genocide, race-based slave farming and torture-to-death frenzies… so either the Bible is inconsistent or the instruction to love your neighbour is compatible with these obviously immoral actions.
And so I throw the discussion open: OTHER THAN “love your neighbour as yourself (allowing for genocide, race-based slave farming and torture to death)”, what moral guidance can be gleaned from the Bible that makes it all that and a bag of chips?