Disturbing Passages in Holy Books

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One of the things that initially made me abandon my faith was reading the Bible. What are some passages in the Bible, Quran, or any other holy book that especially stand out to you?

Obviously, concerning passages, especially in ancient texts, aren’t that unusual, but they can pose problems when they are a basis for faith.

I’ll start: the passage in Numbers 31:14-18 says: “14 Moses became angry with the officers of the army, the commanders of thousands and the commanders of hundreds, who had come from service in the war. 15 Moses said to them, “Have you allowed all the women to live? 16 These women here, on Balaam’s advice, made the Israelites act treacherously against the Lord in the affair of Peor, so that the plague came among the congregation of the Lord. 17 Now therefore, kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known a man by sleeping with him. 18 But all the young girls who have not known a man by sleeping with him, keep alive for yourselves.”

1 Samuel 15:1-3 says: “Samuel said to Saul, ‘The Lord sent me to anoint you king over his people Israel; now therefore listen to the words of the Lord. 2 Thus says the Lord of hosts: I will punish the Amalekites for what they did in opposing the Israelites when they came up out of Egypt. 3 Now go and attack Amalek and utterly destroy all that they have; do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’”

I find the New Testament less problematic, but it’s not without its issues. I’ll mention them in a separate post.

Those passages are what make the Bible good reading.

The Koran is dull and derivative.

The Book of Mormon is stupid.

The Bible keeps a reader engaged.

I can't say that I found the Bible good reading. In my opinion, it's often either dull, horrifying, or triggering in some way. Of course, we all like different things.

When I played football in my youth I had a cup match coming up and I knew the opponents were a Christian religious team (and a very good team). I painted on my football top in huge white lettering before that game "Mark 13: No Flesh Shall Be Spared"

Virginity and stoning in Deuteronomy 22:13-21:

13 “Suppose a man marries a woman but after going in to her dislikes her 14 and makes up charges against her, slandering her by saying, ‘I married this woman, but when I lay with her, I did not find evidence of her virginity.’ 15 The father of the young woman and her mother shall then submit the evidence of the young woman’s virginity to the elders of the city at the gate. 16 The father of the young woman shall say to the elders: ‘I gave my daughter in marriage to this man, but he dislikes her, 17 and now he has made up charges against her, saying, “I did not find evidence of your daughter’s virginity.” But here is the evidence of my daughter’s virginity.’ Then they shall spread out the cloth before the elders of the town. 18 The elders of that town shall take the man and punish him; 19 they shall fine him one hundred shekels of silver (which they shall give to the young woman’s father) because he has slandered a virgin of Israel. She shall remain his wife; he shall not be permitted to divorce her as long as he lives.

20 “If, however, this charge is true, that evidence of the young woman’s virginity was not found, 21 then they shall bring the young woman out to the entrance of her father’s house, and the men of her town shall stone her to death, because she committed a disgraceful act in Israel by prostituting herself in her father’s house. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.

Rape in Deuteronomy 22: 23 “If there is a young woman, a virgin already engaged to be married, and a man meets her in the town and lies with her, 24 you shall bring both of them to the gate of that town and stone them to death, the young woman because she did not cry for help in the town and the man because he violated his neighbor’s wife. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.

28 “If a man meets a virgin who is not engaged and seizes her and lies with her, and they are discovered, 29 the man who lay with her shall give fifty shekels of silver to the young woman’s father, and she shall become his wife. Because he violated her, he shall not be permitted to divorce her as long as he lives.

I can't decide which is worse - being stoned or marrying one's rapist.

The former seems worse to me as the latter can be rectified with poisoning his food

Oh you mean stoned to death.

Was trying to work out why being stoned would be the worst choice

Sometimes I quote this and similar passages on anti-abortion facebook pages.

Good point! That's one plus about ancient times: it would be impossible to prove. You could blame it on "that bug that's going around."

Jesus is one of the least offensive Bible characters, but he’s not without his issues. My issues with Jesus:

1) He upheld the Old Testament and often quoted from it. He did not rectify the harmful passages.

“Think not that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfill them.” - Matthew 5:17

2) He believed in thought crimes.

“But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” - Matthew 5:28

3) He urged people to put following him above their families.

“And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold, and will inherit eternal life.” - Matthew 19:29

4) He wanted to be followed to the point of fanaticism.

Luke 9:59-62:

59 He said to another man, “Follow me.” But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” 60 Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” 61 Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.” 62 Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”

Also, Matthew 10:34-36:

“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and one’s foes will be members of one’s own household.”

5) There are various contradictions in the Gospels.

6) The Golden Rule did not originate with Jesus.

https://www.languagehumanities.org/what ... _article=1

7) In my opinion, the ransom sacrifice does not make any sense. Certainly, God could’ve thought of something that would not cause an innocent person to experience pain.

8 ) There’s no evidence outside of the Gospels which were written decades after Jesus’s death surrounding Jesus and his supposed exploits.

9) Jesus seems to have had anger issues.

Mark 10:15-17:

15 On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple courts and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, 16 and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. 17 And as he taught them, he said, “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’”

Certainly, he could’ve handled this situation in a more peaceable, less confrontational way. Galatians 5:19,20 forbids “fits of rage” after all.

10) Most people won’t be saved according to Jesus. I believe that most people are good, so that seems extraordinarily unfair and harsh.

Matthew 7:13,14 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”

Luke 18:25 “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

11) Some things in the Jesus myth already existed in local legends, literature, and cults, so he may have been an amalgamation rather than a distinct entity.

Last edited by TwilightPrincess on 19 Oct 2023, 1:46 pm, edited 4 times in total.

Women in the New Testament:

1 Corinthians 14:34-35 “Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law. And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.”

Ephesians 5:22,23 “Wives, be submissive to your own husbands as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, just as Christ is the head and Savior of the church, which is His body. But as the church submits to Christ, so also let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.”

I think I’m going to be sick.

If I had to do the latter, I'd need to be nicely stoned.

And I'd expect more than 50 shekels.

“Men are the maintainers of women because Allah has made some of them to excel others and because they spend out of their property; the good women are therefore obedient, guarding the unseen as Allah has guarded; and (as to) those on whose part you fear desertion, admonish them, and leave them alone in the sleeping-places and beat them; then if they obey you, do not seek a way against them; surely Allah is High, Great." - Quran 4:34

It sounds like something that’d be in the Old Testament.