Why is it that many Christians make the invalid claim that today’s morality and ethics comes from the Bible? This is simply not true.
While there might be some good ideas concerning how to treat others scattered throughout the Bible, there is a slew of immoral and unethical practices in the Bible.
I know what you are thinking. Prove it. Thanks for asking, I will.
It is easy to prove today’s modern society has surpassed the morals of the Bible. All one has to do is look at history, after the Bible was written.
• 1095 – 1291 Crusades. "The Crusades were a series of religiously-sanctioned military campaigns waged by much of Latin Christian Europe. The specific crusades to regain control of the Holy Land were fought over a period of nearly 200 years, between 1095 and 1291. Other campaigns in Spain and Eastern Europe continued into the 15th century. The Crusades were fought mainly against Muslims, although campaigns were also waged against pagan Slavs, Jews, Russian and Greek Orthodox Christians, Mongols, Cathars, Hussites, Waldensians, Old Prussians, and political enemies of the popes." Quote from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crusades
Even though current religious leaders denounce the Crusades and the average person agrees that wars should not be fought based on religious beliefs, unfortunately, this is one lesson modern civilization has not learned on a whole that religious war is morally wrong.
However, today’s modern civilization is trying to surpass religious wars based on the morality of the Bible.
• 1481 Spanish Inquisition. "The Spanish Inquisition was an ecclesiastical tribunal started in 1478 by Catholic Monarchs Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile.
At first, the activity of the Inquisition was limited to the dioceses of Seville and Cordoba, where Alonso de Hojeda had detected the center of converso activity. The first auto de fe was celebrated in Seville on February 6, 1481: six people were burned alive. The sermon was given by the same Alonso de Hojeda whose suspicions had given birth to the Inquisition." Quote from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_Inquisition
Today’s modern society prohibits religious beliefs to kill people for not believing in their faith. Today’s modern civilization has surpassed the morality of the Bible.
• Middle Ages note:
"Montague Summers, in his translation of the Malleus Maleficarum,[49] notes that red hair and green eyes were thought to be the sign of a witch, a werewolf or a vampire during the Middle Ages;
'Those whose hair is red, of a certain peculiar shade, are unmistakably vampires. It is significant that in ancient Egypt, as Manetho tells us, human sacrifices were offered at the grave of Osiris, and the victims were red-haired men who were burned, their ashes being scattered far and wide by winnowing-fans. It is held by some authorities that this was done to fertilize the fields and produce a bounteous harvest, red-hair symbolizing the golden wealth of the corn. But these men were called Typhonians, and were representatives not of Osiris but of his evil rival Typhon, whose hair was red.'" Quote from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_hair
• Late 1600s – Salem Witch Trials. "Despite reverence for the Bible, the Puritans had established a type of theocracy, in which the church ruled in all civil matters, including that of administering capital punishment for violations of a spiritual nature." Quote from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salem_witch_trials#Religious_context
(Note: The civilized world no longer approves of religious organizations administering capital punishment.)
Today’s modern society prohibits religious beliefs to kill people for not believing in their faith. Today’s modern civilization has surpassed the morality of the Bible.
• 1865 – "Thirteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution officially abolished and continues to prohibit slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime. (Note: The Southern Baptist Convention formed the premise that the Bible sanctions slavery and that it was acceptable for Christians to own slaves.)" Quoted from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavery_in_the_United_States
Today’s modern society prohibits slavery. Note: Slavery was acceptable in the Old and New Testament. Today’s modern civilization has surpassed the morality of the Bible.
• 1920 – Women in all states could vote. Women’s suffrage. (Note: There was an organization called, “National Association Against Woman Suffrage.”) See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women%27s_suffrage
The New Testament does not consider a woman to be equal with a man. A woman could not speak in the church and a woman has to follow her husband in all family decisions.
Today’s modern society has made into law: Equality for all genders. Today’s modern civilization has surpassed the morality of the Bible.
• 1954 – Brown vs Board of Education – Rejected separate white and colored school systems.
Prior to 1954, U.S. citizens and government officials used the Bible to justify the inequality between black and white people. See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_v._Board_of_Education
Today’s modern society has made into law: Equality for all races. Today’s modern civilization has surpassed the morality of the Bible.
• 1964 – "The Civil Rights act of 1964 was a landmark piece of legislation in the United States that outlawed racial segregation in schools, public places, and employment." Quoted from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_Rights_Act_of_1964
Prior to 1964, U.S. citizens and government officials use the Bible to justify the inequality between black and white people.
Today’s modern society has made into law: Equality for all races. Today’s modern civilization has surpassed the morality of the Bible.
• 1965 – Repeal of the criminalization of birth control nationwide. 1873 – U.S. criminalizes birth control. (Note: This law was spearheaded by a Christian believer named Anthony Comstock [1844-1915].) See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Comstock and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birth_control
Modern society knows that birth control is not immoral. Today’s modern civilization has surpassed the morality of the Bible. (Oops, don't remember? The criminalization of birth control was spearheaded by the Christian Anthony Comstock.)
• 1967 -- – The banning of interracial marriage was lifted by this Supreme Court ruling. See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loving_v._Virginia
Prior to 1967, It was a felony crime for two people of different races to marry in the United States. U.S. citizens and government officials use the Bible to justify the inequality between people of different races.
Today’s modern society has made into law: Marriage legal for all races, off the opposite sex. Today’s modern civilization has surpassed the morality of the Bible.
Marriage Equality between any gender or race is around the corner. Once Marriage Equality becomes law, Marriage Equality will surpass the morality of bigotry and the morality of intolerance as written in the Bible.
Summary:
Today's modern society does **not** get it's high moral standards and high ethics from the Bible.
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