"Where's this from?" Topic

Interesting one from link

Basically a neat, if sneaky, look at cherry picking ideas and making assumptions/decisions as a result… but there are lots of other examples in the book that some people accept without question…

Hey, double entry via the bug!

The example is good in the general sense of illustrating the cherry picking/jump to conclusion point, but it does not extend beyond that. One is a case of obscure script that is in the reference, but upon which no actions are being taken. The counter side is an example of die hard believers who base their actions and loudly proclaim the source as justification.

That same dynamic extends to other examples outside of this specific instance.

I think there are plenty of people who take the bible literally, quite a few cults have taken action, and as far as things are written, not a lot of difference. In the past the bible justified things like the Spanish Inquisition – it hasn't been rewritten since then, just reinterpreted and the emphasis changed a bit.

Did a couple of Googles – human sacrifice and genocide – these are just examples:

link

link

Not saying these are 'good' examples, just using them to illustrate a point, basically that it isn't the religion that is causing all the problems, it's the way certain subsets of it's 'believers' choose to emphasise and/or interpret things.

Had that discussion in the Fez.

As noted there, in one case the older more 'violent' passages are superseded be newer more 'pacific verses.

The opposite is true for the other.

Apples and oranges.

P.S. Rather similar to asking CAGW activists to sign the petition to ban dihydrogen oxide because it is the primary greenhouse gas. Although that is even more amusing as obscure passages from a religious text aren't basic chemistry taught in public school science classes.