Genesis 16-21

So still haven't given Abram kids, dude is nearly 100 and God just keeps being like "Patience young padawan." His wife talks him into knocking up the servant but then she treats the servant badly after seeing how she reacted to realizing she was pregnant. The servant runs off but some angels tell her to go back, so she does.

God tells him that his son and basically everyone else needs to be circumcised from day 8. So there is a circumcision party and the entire city showed up... THE SAME DAY. He must have some clout to invite all the males over one day. "Hey Bob, we're having a circumcision party this afternoon, hope to see you there."

God plans on destroying some city's but Abraham talks him into only doing it if there was less than 10 good people in the city. Apparently there wasn't because some angels show up and nearly get gang raped so they blind a bunch of people and tell Lor (Who tried to protect the angels by whoring his daughters) to take his loved ones far away and don't look back. His daughters boyfriends don't believe Lor and so Lor, his wife, and daughters leave. But alas his wife looks back and is smited. His daughters are worried about the family dieing off and so they get their dad black out drunk on wine and get themselves knocked up. (I didn't think alcohol worked that way, but whatev)

Abraham is back to his old "My wife is my sister" self and rips off another leader.

Abraham finally has a son with his wife and she has the servant thrown out.

Lastly there are two stories about a well, but I think they are talking about the same well. Yet I am not sure because I am tired and can't read chapter 21 again.

Bible Critical

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Genesis 12-15

Strange Rituals

So apparently in ancient times, you cut some animals in half and walk between them and that is as good as a pinky swear. I almost wish I could know the origin of that ritual, because I am drawing a blank on what it could be. The icing on the cake is that God is a "smoking firepot," who knew. Though if I saw a smoking firepot appear and pass between animals I just cut in half, I would be stunned (And would check myself into the ER).

Bible critical

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Other news

I think I have spread myself too thin. Today at church I had a reminder that I am in an environment that is foreign, strange, and I don't feel like one of the rest of "us". It felt a bit like I was in the movie iRobot, peoples shit malfunctioning around me (I seriously don't know how to use a mac). But it made me think about my interactions with many of the members. The things they think are funny and fun; I don't think that of those things. I am there because I have made some friends there and they ask me to be there. But I think the honeymoon phase is fading and I don't share their motivations. I give 110% when it comes to the quality of their image, but I often feel like we are on different pages and they change what they are doing so much and fill me in at the last second. I am tired, I can't do everything despite how much I try. It used to make me happy making others happy, but I don't know I can say that anymore and that is scary.

Genesis 8 - 11 (AKA. Where were we.)

On with it

Honestly, over this last week I have been super busy. The pressure is piling on at work. I have not been sleeping well for some unknown reason. I've been contemplating the meaning of many things. Through all that, I felt really down about religion today. I was standing during the opening worship today and had this overwhelming feeling of "this is all bullshit." Then sitting through the rest of the service didn't get any better, I found myself questioning the interpretation of the words of the bible at every turn.

So with that, I suppose, on with the questioning...

Genesis 8

After 40 days, God stopped the floods. Noah sent out birds to know if the water had dried up. I find this distinctly odd, supposedly at this point the ark is resting on a mountain, he should be able to simply look outside the ark and see if there is water. The only window was supposedly on top, but I would expect one to be able to climb out onto the top of the ark. This also makes me think that family nearly went batshit crazy after those 40+ days of being in that dark ark. It would make more sense to me if he looked out and saw nothing but devastation, so he sent out the birds to see if they could find plant life (Eve probe, a la Wall-E).

I still find it hard to palete the idea of "unquestioning obedience" that some use Noah as an example of.

Genesis 9

The animals are food for the humans, but the blood must be removed for that is for God. Then something about Noah getting drunk and cursing Caanan, his grandson. Why? Because Caanan's father saw Noah naked and told his brothers. His brothers took Noah a garment and walked backwards so they would not see him. Why seeing his father naked was so horrible, who knows. It doesn't even say they he intentionally did.

Genesis 10

Genealogy, boring.

Genesis 11

Apparently the descendants began work on a city. God claimed they could do anything and so he spread them across the earth and made them speak differing languages. Why? Cuz he is God.

And... more genealogy.

Bible critical

He is a bit sour about these chapters. Though he raises an entertaining point about the Tower of Babel, did God feel threatened? I also find it interesting that it uses "we", who else is going down to confuse the language of the people and spread them out? Angels?

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God and what we talk about

The reverence humming within us. The traditional way to talk about god, are there other ways?

A pastor is expected to talk about god, be inspiring, and tell people how to live their lives under the hand of God. What if that is outdated. Maybe they should be walking through a discussion.

People are gullible. I grew up on the trailing edge of the revolution that is the internet. I was raised to be aware that people do want to take advantage of you, they will deceive you. I am paranoid about physical security and I am paranoid about digital security. I even am paranoid about emotional security. Trust, in both directions, was a recurring theme in my first long term relationship. Even after being together for over a year it would sometimes rear its ugly head. So, to have people try and tell me there is this God thing and I am a sinner, maybe you can understand why I am unsure who the gullible one is. My career is dominated with the mindset of "Trust no one". I still am skeptic about high velocity creating lower pressure, though planes stay in the air so who am I to judge.

"[God] does not play dice" - Albert Einstein

Animals and plants are giant (in terms of atoms) replicating machines. One of our primary functions is to make another one of ourselves. It is a complex process that is not fully understood. Part of that replication adds consciousness, what exactly makes that possible is a mystery. For all we know, quantum state is important to this and our body through evolution has developed the ability to place many quantum components into the correct state.

There is also a lot of weird stuff that happens in the world. A lot of coincidences. No one can explain them all.

God is the sum of the unknown. It is what is left over after we explain everything we can.

I am still waiting for my eyes to open, waiting to see how God makes is important in my life.

God is the connection in us, between us.

I guess my biggest issue is not whether there is a God. It is whether God is how the people of the world describe him (Which this book somewhat is not about, yet it is because it is what we talk about).

God is a convenient theory, if there is no God then it doesn't matter. If there might be a God, you may as well mind your P's and Q's.

God and what we talk about - Epilog

Don't worry yourself about the heresy of others, in that regard you need only worry about yourself. Any way you slice the Bible, someone will disagree with you and how "pure" your take is on it will always be in question.

We are obsessed with conflict and being "right", which in the end is completely meaningless.

Lastly:
"the ability of infinity to be boosted in magnitude and yet still remain the same size"

God and what we talk about - Ch7 So

This chapter reminds me of Star Trek Voyager: Blink of an Eye where the "Earth Shaker" does not want their existing god to have the fire fruit and therefor build a new alter so their new God may have the fire fruit.

We need someone to communicate our deepest feelings with.

What is our motivation?

I need to research yoga and its ideals.

THe chapter divisions in this book suck. He has unfortunately picked the structure and then tried to cram in the chapters. It works well for the first half of the book but then breaks down in the second half.

So god is bringing us together.

People watching.

While I was reading today from the comforts of Burger King, I was observing people in the dining area. A young couple came in and sat on the same side of table. They stared blankly as they waited for their food. When they got their food they ate quietly, still staring straight ahead. In the one instance I heard the women speak about some plans they still did not look at each other except for a glance.

Then later a family came in that I had seen elsewhere in the past. Previously it was part of a large group and they seemed to function as any other family, polite and proper. Here though, getting food, it became apparent how dysfunctional and passive aggressive they were. Most disturbing of all, was how calmed they all seemed about it. The dysfunctionality has become common they were desensitized from it.

The biggest lie you can tell yourself is that you don't care.

God and what we talk about - Ch6 Ahead

Moving forward. A to B.

The Plan

God has a plan for all of us. That is something we are often told. Sometimes we ponder that plan, possibly in regard to ourselves and sometimes in regard to someone else.

There are those who believe the world was wonderful back in the day. They spend their lives trying to get back to there. I don't mean to say that some things should not be restored, but we should generally be moving forward. What kind of plan would it be if we were supposed to be undoing everything. Plans go forward and we may all be at a different step. I am still trying to get to B. Unfortunately I left the map in my other life.

Despite some peoples dedication to moving forward it often appears that they are moving backwards. Though I have to say, if there were no protesters, what would motivate us to do anything?