What is This Blog, and How to Use It

(edit: 11-26-2013 I have edited this post to include a link to the sister site I mention in the rules below.  If you have already read this post and want to find the other blog just click HERE .  Thanks, Ron)

It is very important that readers of this blog read this post first, so he or she knows what to expect elsewhere.  I will explain what this blog is for, why I am doing it, the sources for the material in it, and the rules governing interaction with it.

THE WHATS OF THIS BLOG

First of all, you will notice that the blog claims to be a Bible for atheists blog, and not an atheist’s bible.  The intention here is to supply a resource for atheists who want to know what the Bible says.  It is not intended to be some sort of guide-book to atheistic believes, or set of values or beliefs.  I will leave those things to the individual.  This is not to say that I won’t on occasion state or imply what my personal opinions and beliefs are; it would be hard to do a blog like this and not do so.  However, sharing my opinions and/or beliefs is not the primary goal of this blog.  My intention here is to give people a place where the Bible can be searched and understood at completely face value.

In order to accomplish this goal, I will take the Bible book by book, chapter by chapter and lay out what it says in varying degrees of detail, as well as supply a grouping of various passages according to subject matter.

As this is a new idea for me, I am sure that the format and setup will evolve over time as I find out what things are useful, what things are useless, and what things work better than others.  Along the way I welcome honest, constructive suggestions, but these suggestions must conform to the rules and conditions I will lay out later on.

THE WHYS OF THIS BLOGS

If it’s not already apparent, I am doing this blog to help other atheists, as well as those who are drifting that way.

My path to Atheism was long and quite a struggle as is the case for many.  For me, it started in the mid-seventies when I was still a child, and didn’t become a solid reality until the late eighties when I was a young man.  I won’t go into detail here about my journey, as that is not within the parameters of this blog, however, I will say that aside from fear, my biggest problem was obtaining information that hadn’t been filtered through my father.

For many religions, especially the three Biblical ones, the primary reasons for their survival are fear and ignorance.  When a person doesn’t know any better, the World can be a scary place, full of dangers, mysteries, and the ever-present specter of death.  Religion has always been a way for people to cope with these fears.  But, as time goes on, and humanity’s knowledge of the World around them increases religion’s hold over them grows weaker.  In order for any religion to survive, its adherents must remain ignorant of anything that will cause the beliefs to turn to doubt, and/or rejection.

Modern Christianity is the epitome of a system of thought, and some would say control, which relies heavily on fear and ignorance e.g. if you don’t believe and obey you will spend eternity in a horrible place known as Hell, and you must not dig to deep into science or the Bible (eat of the Tree of Knowledge) because this will put you at risk of the aforementioned Hell.  What I want to do here is help people escape from this spiral of fear and ignorance.

I want to make a very important distinction here, and that is a distinction between what I call scientific atheism, and theological atheism.  In the former you have atheism that is arrived at due to the overwhelming scientific evidence showing that the universe and everything in it arrived by natural means with no supernatural cause or design.  By theological atheism I mean atheism that is arrived at by a realization that the theology and its source is flawed and cannot therefore be a byproduct of an all-powerful, all-knowing, perfect divine being.  While most atheists develop opinions and opinions due to both of these lines of reason, one of them is usually the starting point.  For me it was the latter.  Also, it is the latter issue which some atheists seem to have the most problems with when confronted by a theist.

When I was a child, it was virtually impossible to find anyone who wasn’t religious, much less an atheist.  Oh, they were out there, but they stayed in the shadows for the most part out of fear.  It was also more common for a child to have the Bible drummed into their heads than it is today.  But now, with the internet, and an increasingly irreligious population, it is easier to admit to being an atheist (not much easier, but easier none the less), and much easier to find out about it.  As a result, the demographic of atheists is getting younger and is less educated in the Bible.  This makes it easier for theists to confuse and scare someone who may be drifting toward unbelief.

Enter this blog.  As I said before, this will be a place where someone can safely look up passages that have been thrown at them, as well as search for related passages, so that they may be better equipped to make a decision based on information and not on fear and ignorance.  It is my hope that I can help someone travel their path with less pain, and emotional turmoil than I had to suffer while on that same path.

THE RULES AND GUIDELINES

The following is a list of rules and guidelines that I will follow and enforce for the purposes of this blog.  Make no mistake:  this is my blog.  I will run it the way that I feel is best for its intended purpose and will adhere to these rules and guidelines at all times.

• I will always give an accurate accounting of my sources.  If I quote something I will tell you where I got that quote and how you can find it yourself.
• I will always give a link to any and all passages, chapters, books, and Bible versions that I use on this blog, so you can see them in their original form and context.
• If, for any reason, I edit a post after it has been initially posted, I will make it clear that I have done so and clearly show what was edited and why.  I foresee instances where I will skip through passages that will seem insignificant at the time i.e ‘begat lists’, but then later discover that something in such a passage is being used as a point of debate.  When and if this occurs I will go back, and supply relevant information on those passages.
• I will read and filter all comments on this blog.  This will be done as a way to ensure that all comments, whether pro or con, conform to these rules.
• I will not reply to anonymous comments: if your comment is not important enough to put a name on then it is not important enough for me to waste my time on.  Exception: if you can show that putting your name on something you want to say would cause you problems then we can discuss it and I will make a decision about it, but you must include such information with your comment, and I will, if I publish it, remove your identity from it and state that I have done so.
• I will not address hateful comments-period.  If I address your comments I will be respectful, and expect the same.
• Comments with foul, racist, or derogatory terms or words will not be addressed.  They may, however, be compiled for use on the site mentioned below, as examples of ignorance and hate-you have been warned.
• Any comments that want to debate context, meaning, or validity will be redirected to the sister blog of this one which I have set up for that purpose.  This blog is for information and not debate.  I will happily debate, but not here.  For issues outside of this blog’s scope you may go HERE
• If you want to link to anything I have to say then you may, I just ask that it only be linked to somewhere that I have the ability to defend my position or statement.  To do otherwise will be considered an act of cowardice, and I will make it a point to expose that.

So there it is, my explanation of what’s going on here.

I hope that those seeking information and help will find this blog useful. And, always feel free to contact me with honest and/or constructive questions or comments.