The Bible – A Moral Standard for Today?

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(A video version of this post can be found at: https://www.instagram.com/p/DcQ9HdvOLrS/?hl=en)

The Bible, a term derived from the Greek ta biblia meaning “the books”, is often claimed as the world’s all-time bestseller. It’s become noun for any reference material that supports Christian ideals. The Old Testament portion is generally a collection of four genres: law or the Pentateuch, history, wisdom, and the prophets – both major and minor. Did Moses write the Pentateuch? Doubtful. The Documentary Hypothesis suggests the Pentateuch is actually a blending of four different sources of material written over a five hundred year period starting about a thousand years before Christ. Many of the other books are attributed to the Minor Prophets who claimed either inspiration from God or hearing his words directly. Today, if an author claimed to have written something as dictated directly from God, he’d be branded a lunatic, so I’m curious how the Bible gets a free pass. The bible we reference today has chapters and verses (that which foments the ease of quotability of passages), but they are only editorial additions that date back to the 13th and 16th centuries. To fully understand the evolution of the Bible we have today from the early collections of the Tanakh (to the Septuagint to the Torah, one would need to combine the talents of a scholar, a detective, and a puzzlist.

But the issue which concerns me is the staunch reliance on using it as the standard by which we measure our moral code. Certainly, the world has no lack of poor moralistic behavior, but to be guided by a series of texts that were drafted by unknown authors from thousands of years ago doesn’t strongly support much credibility especially if we acknowledge how heavily male-centric the documents are. More to the point, the moral fabric of our society is more complicated and diverse thant it was in past millennia, and it fluctuates. For example: there has always been homosexuality, at various points in history it was more acceptable than at other times, but it’s been around. Several hundred years ago it was acceptable for an older man to marry a girl just past puberty as she was now physically able to provide heirs. Today, that same man would be recognized as a pedophile. People surely had issues with gender identification, but probably just had to live with it. Psychology dates to the ancient Greeks and Egyptians, but it didn’t become a science until the 19th century. Our greater understanding of human complexity because of it alone should antiquate the Bible as a governing source of moral standards.

Still, the most egregious use of the Bible is the cherry-picking of quotes as a basis for taking the upper hand in an argument. You know what I mean – all those people who open a sentence by saying: the Bible says…or according to the Bible…I love the scene from season 2, episode 3 of The West Wing in which President Bartlet demonstrates how ridiculous it is to cherry-pick by displaying the inconsistencies of the Old Testament that systematically condemns our modern way of life. Check it out on Netflix.

Then we have the New Testament, the Gospels attributed (doubtfully) to the words of the apostles and the letters (epistles) from Paul, James, Peter, and John. These are given nearly divine significance because of their personal association with Jesus, well, except Paul, he never met him. If anything from the bible should be used as the foundation for moralistic behavior, it might be the teachings credited to Jesus, or more appropriately Yeshua; at least he taught acceptance and love toward ALL. In fact, if you even ignore the belief that Jesus was incarnate from God and just listen to what he had to say, the teachings offer an amazing amount of guidance. All the Christian mutterings in the news today seem to fly in the face of everything Jesus stood for just as Republican policies regarding immigration, DEI, ICE operations, and being anti-WOKE do. Most Christians wouldn’t relate to what Jesus stood for if they were slapped in the head with a copy of the Beatitudes.

As for the bible itself, as far as I’m concerned you can toss it in the garbage along with the Torah and the Koran.

Simply replace it all with the Golden Rule – that covers a lot of ground all by itself because it transcends all religions, civilizations, and societies.

From Yeshua – Peace I leave with you, my peace I give you… John 14:27

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Atheism – A Religious Irony

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(A video version of this post can be found at: https://www.instagram.com/p/DcEktecpZsp/)

Growing up, social etiquette dictated a rule – never speak of religion or politics in social settings. Up to about ten years ago, I was a good boy, but after turning 60, I discovered I didn’t really much care if people liked what I decided to write or post about.

Yes, as a storyteller, my hope is that the books I write offer a few hours of escape and enjoyment just as I was the thankful recipient of the stories from my favorite authors.

But one thing that was drilled into my head while studying for my Master of Fine Arts Degree was that writers observe and then package what we observe into our writing. We become the spokesmen for the human condition. It’s why books like 1984, Fahrenheit 451, Of Mice and Men, and The Brothers Karamazov are such amazing classics.

Given the times in which we live, I, like many of my fellow writers, feel compelled to weigh in on the taboo topics of religion and politics. I posted a politically themed reel the other day, and as I suspected would happen, robust commentary from the questionably intelligent thoughts of some MAGA patriots began to flow.

See what I mean?

But religion is another focus of mine. Why? Because it was a central part of the first half of my life.

When I was eight years old, my parents informed me that my father was taking steps to answer his “calling” to enter the priesthood. Sure enough, he disappeared from my life for several years as he worked by day and went to Mercer School of Theology at night with the goal of being ordained in the Episcopal Church (that’s catholic-lite to the R.C.s amongst you or catholic with less guilt). Three years later, I rose from my bed with the flu to witness our bishops administer the laying on of hands at the Cathedral of the Incarnation in Garden City, NY (yes, Episcopalians do retain the ‘authority’ of Apostolic Succession). From that day forward I became a PK. Shortly thereafter, we moved into a rectory and began a life that was heavily infused with religion – it was our daily existence.

And I did my part. I trained the acolytes, became a Sunday school teacher, joined the vestry when I was eighteen, and passed the requirements to become licensed as a Lay Reader and a Chalice Administrator. On rare occasions, when my father was sick, I even led the congregation in Morning Prayer. This continued well into my adult years.

One day, while showering, I had an epiphany (not to be confused with the Christian celebration) and answered a nagging question: why did I have so much trouble holding my faith? Answer: I never had it in the first place. It was stunning in its simplicity. Something clicked into place at that moment. I realized that most of the teachings of the church didn’t make sense, never did, but I was now free to explore alternatives, and not to stubbornly try for the forced acknowledgment of a faith I didn’t have. I embraced agnosticism for about a month. The exploration ultimately led to atheism.

Now, here’s the irony. Forty years of religious life, going to church weekly, if not semi-weekly, reciting and memorizing countless prayers and creeds, none of that ever came close to the profound realization I gained from becoming an atheist. Atheism is what provided me with an enhanced sense of morality.

Imagine, just for a moment that there is no God, that there is no life after death, that your time on earth is truly the only shot you have at living – just picture this for a second. Now imagine how much more the value of a life increases. How much more heinous is a murder, or a war, or neglect of our fellow man given that this is all we will ever have? It increases the magnitude of those transgressions beyond understanding. You would no longer be able to suffer life with the thought that – it’s alright, your reward will come after you die. You can no longer take solace in the concept that evildoers will suffer an indescribable fate when the Day of Judgment comes. It knocks the system of justice off its well-oiled tracks and trashes thousands of years of assumption. When you free yourself from the constraints that teach against the idea that it’s possible to have evolved into sentient creatures without benefit of divine influence, it liberates your thought process to imagine so many other insightful and meaningful truths.

Atheism taught me this. Atheism, not religion, taught me to honor the life of every deserving human being. It taught me restraint. It created in me a painful sensitivity to injustice – something which hurts more every day as I look at the news both here and abroad – from people being murdered by ICE to the arbitrary hanging of protesters in Iran, from the renditions of harmless immigrants to living in a society which creates more and more opportunity for the wealthy to obtain an obscene amount of riches.

Take a good hard look at our world – it’s insane and it’s getting worse. A fair share has to do with religion, that little thing which has been the root cause of more death, destruction, and misery over these many millennia. Religion, nationalism, and inequality are the dynamic forces driving humanity to the brink. Add to that a thriving cancel culture, unparalleled greed, and the narcissistic personalities of those in leadership positions and it’s a wonder if it is even possible to steer a course that might avoid an ultimate dystopia.

Just think about it…

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United States of America – Where Are We?

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If you scan social media like Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok you’ll encounter a seemingly endless feed of meme’s and videos spewing hatred or content aimed at Donald Trump or any number of his cabinet members and right-leaning congressmen/women. I know I’ve personally shared many of them rather than write more of the same thing. After all, my voice and input isn’t going to add anything new to the narrative or become the magic pill that effects change.

But here’s the thing that puzzles me about that. Given the steadily increasing amount of vitriol, one might think that in the aggregate, the senators and representatives in Congress would have taken the measure of it all and dealt with the Trump administration by dismantling it. But that hasn’t happened. Yes, some Federal Judges temporarily put a stop to his schemes, but the truly damaging aspects of his actions: the war in Iran, the insane tariffs, the defunding of programs that are actually hurting people, and his undeniably inane propaganda continue unchecked. Of course, the King Kong sized gorilla in the room – the Epstein Files – is still there despite MAGA’s attempts to foment diversions.

Bill Clinton was subjected to impeachment hearings stemming from having had an illicit affair. Richard Nixon faced the same thanks to Watergate and only escaped an ignominious exit due to his resignation and ultimate pardon by Gerald Ford. Put both of those things on one side of the scales of justice and the deeds of Trump on the other. The latter would create a resounding thud as it hit the floor. What does that tell you about where we stand as a country?

Republican lawmakers have clearly demonstrated bold-faced cowardice in allowing our country to spiral out of control, reducing our stature on the world stage from the leading nation of the free world to a circus staffed by evil-minded clowns. The math doesn’t quite add up either. According to estimates posted by the University of Florida, as of 2024, there were roughly 224.7  million eligible voters in the United States. Trump received 77.3 million votes and Kamala Harris 75 million. That leaves 72.4 million voters who remained silent in the last presidential election. It’s interesting to consider the direction the election might have taken had that missing element actually voiced their opinion. If you believe in the goodness of the American people, you’d have to think that within that body of non-voters, the result would have skewed in favor of Harris. To think the opposite would be to realize that as a country, we’ve stepped onto a very dark path.

Republican Senators hold 53 of the 100 seats, and Republican Congressmen hold 218 of the 435 – those are not overwhelming imbalances. If even a small number of people angry with the way the Trump administration is operating made the time and effort to prevail upon their elected Republican officials then it’s possible to think something proactive might have taken place since January 2025. This has not happened, and all I hear now is “let’s see what happens with the mid-terms.” If, after November, the balance changes in favor of the Democratic party and still nothing changes, then I’d say it’s case closed for the United States.

As for how we’re operating now, you have to think MAGA adherents are the driving force of our political machinery. If you took the number of non-voters and distributed them evenly between Republican and Democrat you could still say the total MAGA population would constitute less than 50% of the party. After all, it’s safe to say that every MAGA is a Republican, but not every Republican is MAGA, which means the tail is wagging the dog.

I hate to think our future is bleak. If the Republicans somehow manage to maintain their strangle hold on American politics and foreign relations, then we face being sucked into a black hole. If the Democrats regain control, it will take years if not decades to rebuild what’s been dismantled or destroyed and to restore our credibility with our allies and trading partners.

Doing a deeper dive into the 2024 election’s non-voters, statistics posted by Pew Research show that 30% of the non-voters or 21.6 million people were aged from 18 to 29, mostly Gen Z youths who remained silent. The next 26 million comprised the tail end of Gen X but mostly Millennials. About half of non-voters were white, from lower income families with only a high school education or less. In fact, 23 of the 31 states Trump carried rank in the lowest half of the most and least educated states. Only two of the lower half states voted for Harris. It’s not hard to understand how the Trump administration’s colossally successful propaganda campaigns have taken root. Something not really seen since Hitler’s 1930s rise to power with Joseph Goebbels leading the way. I’m not suggesting that people with less education are stupid – that’s not measured by what degree you have, but less education will result in the likelihood of not grasping the finer points of a situation and be more easily convinced by targeted rhetoric and outright lies. Say a lie often enough and less educated people will start to believe it as truth.

Well, as I mentioned earlier, the mid-terms are around the corner. If you were one of the voters who failed to turn out – DON’T DO THAT AGAIN! If you think America will somehow survive as the country you grew up enjoying, then you’re ignoring how it can just as easily go the other way. Take a look at past empires: The Roman Empire, the Mongol Empire, The Ottoman Empire, the British Empire, and Tsarist Russia, all once formidable and now gone.

It’s time to wake up. Tik tock…

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