Is the bible used to justify prejudice?

[marco]

People have their prejudices but what a blessing it must be if the bible encourages them. Jews killed Christ - let us hate Jews. Suffer not a witch to live - let us kill witches. If man lies down with another man, let them both perish - let us kill gays!

If we read enough into what is written biblically I suppose we can find a justification of any prejudice. There's a good passage that justifies hurting people, even family members, by shunning them. Matthew 10:14 tells us: "And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet." So if you have your own religious views and somebody doesn't agree, then God tells you to shun them. What a bonus!

Does the bible pander to prejudice?
How can we tell that biblical interpretation is not just a reflection of our own hates and prejudices?

[Divine Insight]

Is it bigotry to be intolerant of crime or wrongdoing?

It is if you are the one defining what constitutes "crime" ...

And under what circumstances is it not bigotry to be intolerant of crime or wrongdoing?

Since crime and wrongdoing are always subjective opinions that humans construct it's probably always bigotry to insist that everyone agrees with what your culture has decided to be crime and wrongdoing.

Where you're problem lies is in being a theist in the first place. You have been convinced that crime and wrongdoing are absolutes, or could be absolutes.

But your own religion should reveal the fallacy of that ideal. Your own religion defines crime and wrongdoing relative to the subjective opinions of the God of your relidiong.

If you fail to worship and obey Yahweh, or Jehovah, or whatever you want to call your God, that a "sin" (i.e. a crime)

If you're also a Christian and believe in the Gospel rumors then to fail to recognize and Jesus as the only begotten Son of God is also a "sin" (i.e. a crime).

To disobey the commandments of Yahweh, or Jesus is also a "sin" (i.e. a crime).

So crime and wrongdoing are not absolutes. They are only meaningful relative to your religion.

So yes, this amounts to religious bigotry. There can be no question about it.

And besides, you seem to be totally refusing to acknowledge that your Holy Book has your God commanding that men must kill the entire villages of anyone who was teaching of Gods other than him.

So the Bible gives itself away as being a religiously bigoted dogma that teaches people to be religious bigots. Including commanding them to kill other people in the name of their God.

Let's look at what you had said earlier:

Sadly the bible is no exception, which is tragic as it doesn't support prejudice of any kind.

But it does!

It supports extreme religious bigotry. That you are now trying to justify by twisting it into something else (i.e. being against crime and wrongdoing).

That doesn't fly.

The Holy Book that you are attempting to defend, teaches and demands religious bigotry in the name of its God.

It's not a book about crime and wrongdoing. It simply defines crime and wrongdoing as anyone who refuses to worship its God. That's religious bigotry. Bigotry against all other religions.

To not worship your God is only "crime and wrongdoing" according to the Holy Books of your religion. That's religious bigotry.

[JehovahsWitness]

Since crime and wrongdoing are always subjective opinions that humans construct it's probably always bigotry ...

And how do you feel about the "bigotry" of law enforcement?

Are you for or against a policeman that arrests a child abuser? Would you label him a bigot? Are you supportive or opposed to such actions? He is after all, being completely uncompromising in his intolerance of certain actions because the law deems some behaviours (actions) as intolerable. So, are you for or against tolerating child abuse? If against, why?



JW

BIGOT

A person who is obstinately or intolerantly devoted to his or her own opinions and prejudices
especially : one who regards or treats the members of a group (such as a racial or ethnic group) with hatred and intolerance

source: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bigot

BIGOTRY

1: obstinate or intolerant devotion to one's own opinions and prejudices

[Clownboat]

Also how can you deny that the Bible doesn't preach extreme religious bigotry?

Is it bigotry to be intolerant of crime or wrongdoing?



RELATED POSTS

Does the bible support hatred?
http://debatingchristianity.com/forum/v ... 650#993650

Should law and law enforcement be seen as evidence of hate or prejudice?
http://debatingchristianity.com/forum/v ... 684#993684

Not necessarily.

I would argue however that is is immoral to be intolerant of things that cannot be shown to be immoral though. Especially when it is something a person holds dear for themselves (marriage for example) yet would attempt to restrict the very same activity from their fellow humans for reasons like race, sexuality, religion etc...

The Abrahamic religions are a mechanism for being a bigot as they provide justification for bigotry. Being religious does not make someone a bigot though obviously. It just provides an easy opportunity and one that can be justified because of the gods.

[JehovahsWitness]

BIGOT

A person who is obstinately or intolerantly devoted to his or her own opinions and prejudices
especially : one who regards or treats the members of a group (such as a racial or ethnic group) with hatred and intolerance
source: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bigot

BIGOTRY

1: obstinate or intolerant devotion to one's own opinions and prejudices

Is it bigotry to be intolerant of crime or wrongdoing?

Not necessarily ...I would argue however that is is immoral to be intolerant of things that cannot be shown to be immoral though.

So would it be fair to say you feel it is NOT evidence of hate or prejudice ( or "bigotry") to be intolerant of things that immoral ?

[Red Wolf]

Leviticus 21:16-20 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
16 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 17 “Speak to Aaron, saying, ‘No man of your offspring throughout their generations who has a defect shall approach to offer the food of his God. 18 For no one who has a defect shall approach: a blind man, or a lame man, or he who has a disfigured face, or any deformed limb, 19 or a man who has a broken foot or broken hand, 20 or a hunchback or a dwarf, or one who has a defect in his eye or eczema or scabs or crushed testicles.

In the USA we try to accommodate the needs of the handicapped....God shuns them.

[marco]

Yes, certainly. Human nature seems capable of twisting anything (atheism, nationalism, belief in evolution... ) to justify malicious aims with or without a valid basis. Sadly the bible is no exception, which is tragic as it doesn't support prejudice of any kind.

Some passages in the Bible do seem to support bigotry. But we can make excuses for them by saying they were the old Mosaic Law which Jesus replaced. Paul seems bigoted against women but I guess there may be an excuse for him as well.

[Red Wolf]

Leviticus 27: 3-4 If your valuation is of the male from twenty years even to sixty years old, then your valuation shall be fifty shekels of silver, after the shekel of the sanctuary. 4 Or if it is a female, then your valuation shall be thirty shekels.

Are women worth less than men? What about equality of the sexes?

[marco]

Is it bigotry to be intolerant of crime or wrongdoing?

No - you must be working on a wrong definition. Opposing crime has nothing to do with bigotry or intolerance. Opposing certain life-styles that are not criminal might be intolerance.

I thought I'd explained the meaning of prejudice in the bible by the examples.

[marco]

Leviticus 27: 3-4 If your valuation is of the male from twenty years even to sixty years old, then your valuation shall be fifty shekels of silver, after the shekel of the sanctuary. 4 Or if it is a female, then your valuation shall be thirty shekels.

Are women worth less than men? What about equality of the sexes?

Perhaps they were seen as machines for carrying things, in which case a donkey might be worth more than a woman. Of course if the woman sinned sexually she would lose all her value by being stoned to death.

Isn't it wonderful that this book still offers instruction in the 21st century.

[marco]

I say that it does far more than just pander to prejudice. It actually teaches it and incites it.

The passage about the Jews ALL shouting crucify, and stupidly cursing their own children generated centuries of hatred. Take Shakespeare's play The Merchant of Venice for instance.

I quickly realized that we could easily create a puppet show with two marionette dolls of Jesus and have them arguing against each other using nothing more than passages from the New Testament that have been attributed to Jesus.

Very good. Jesus 1: Love your neighbour
Jesus 2: Hate your mum
Jesus 1: Don't call people names.
Jesus two: Whited sepulchre!
Jesus 1: Forgive. Don't react!
Jesus 2: Get me a whip.

Why they prefer a hateful Jesus I'll never know.

God is a useful threat. Those that understand the translation of baa, baa-baa, baa will be in God's favour. Those that don't will be thrown into the pit of fire that never goes out. So the answer is to learn sheep-talk. Here people learn to discriminate between the Elite, those as know sheep-talk, and the rest of humanity.

"He hath put down the Einsteins from their seat and hath exalted the sheep."