Question165

What do you think is the worst passage in the Bible? What do you think is the most beautiful?

• Worst - too many to choose among the horrible commands to kill babies, enslave people, force rape victims to marry their rapists etc.

  Most beautiful - "Whither thou goest I will go. Thy people shall be my people." (Diem Marshall #1459)

• Worst? There are so many. I would have to say... Hosea 13:16 "...they shall fall by the sword: their infants shall be dashed in pieces, and their women with children shall be ripped up."

  Most beautiful? There are so few.

  Hmm. Can't think of one. (DM #1863)

• The one I like the best is the stoning of the prostitute. It teaches compassion and empathy (You're not faultless, so be kind judging other's faults).

  The worst are those which try to eliminate curiosity (Lot's wife, the forbidden fruit at Eden...). (Angel Arnal #1443)

• Which version? :-)

  OK. I'll play. These are from the King James Version - not the best translation but surely the most poetic.

  Worst passage:

  There are lots to choose from. Here's one:

  Gen 6:7

  "And the Lord said,I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and best, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them."

  God says, in that redundant way it has, that it has changed its mind and will destroy humankind. Oooops.

  Most beautiful passage:

  Some parts of the "Song of Solomon."

  Actually, my favorite passage is the word "Amen" at the conclusion of Revelations because it's the last word in the whole sorry mess. (George Ricker #146)

• The competition field for the worse passage is just too crowded to call. From the jealous god of the Israelites in exile under Moses willing to nuke them all to mad shouting prophets suffering hallucinations. Blood thirsty leaders like Jehu and a leader sacrificing a daughter to God, promises to rip open the pregnant women, slaves, genocide of whole cities, religious and ethnic bigotry and much more. Can't choose.

  The most beautiful would probably be Songs - no specific verses. Such a change after the blood stained books that come before and after it and not a single murder or any promise of it. (Meteorite Debris #1417)

• Worst:

  1 Jn 3:9 - Those who have been born of God do not sin, because God's seed abides in them; they cannot sin, because they have been born of God.

  Imagine the horrors that can happen when people believe they have God's permission to do whatever they want and never be called to account for it. Oh, right. We don't *have* to imagine it - we have history to tell us what happens.

  Best:

  Mic 6:8 - He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

  I can't imagine what more the Bible really needs... (Nemo #1331)

• The [over]analytic aspect of my personality wants to nit-pick at the scope and context of "worst" and "beautiful" -- but I won't :-)

  Like so many others have already noted, there are plenty of passages that express sentiments that are hard to understand as anything other than unethical, immoral, or just plain evil.

  One in particular that comes to mind is the first exchange that takes place between god and satan over Job, and Job's first response:

  "The LORD said to Satan, 'Have you considered My servant
  Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless
  and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil.'

  "Then Satan answered the LORD, '...put forth Your hand now and
  and touch all that he has; he will surely curse You to Your face.'
  "Then the LORD said to Satan, 'Behold, all that he has is
  in your power, only do not put forth your hand on him.'"
  -Job 1:8-9a,11-12

  At this point, Satan goes out and kills all of Job's children and flocks. What does Job do? He worships God and says:

  "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I shall
  return there. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away,
  blessed be the name of the LORD." -Job 1:20-21

  What!?!?! You spend your life doing *everything* that pleases your creator and then, on a whim, some fallen angel gets in His face about whether you're faithful or not and -- WHAM! -- without even blinking an eye, this creator kills your family and destroys your wealth.

  And you *worship* Him subsequent to this senseless destruction of all that was dear and important to you?!?!? Fuck that!

  Here's the deal as I see it:

  God knows everything, including that Satan was going to challenge Him over Job's integrity. God also knows that Job would not buckle under the tests that Satan would've put Job through *if* God decided to allow such tests to occur.

  Since God knows these things, then God also foreknows that Satan is either (a) lying, or (b) mistaken, concerning Job's character.

  Knowing all of this in advance, God *still* allows Satan to afflict Job, first externally (family & wealth) then internally (bodily trauma). To me, it seems like some big ego game. God already knows Job is a stalwart dude, and that Satan is lying or mistaken about Job's character. Even so, God allows Satan to vex Job in these two contexts. And I have to wonder "why?"

  Did Satan get punished for being wrong? If he did, we certainly don't read anything about that in the Bible. Meanwhile, this righteous dude endured the unjust slaying of his family and destruction of his wealth, culminating in extreme bodily anguish. For what? So that God could teach Satan that he was wrong? God already knew the final outcome, so why put a human being that He loves through so much emotional and physical torture?

  And if God would do that to Job, on what basis should I think that he wouldn't also do that to me *even if I was "a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil"*?

  Okay, sorry... that whole scenario just pisses me off fiercely!

  Okay, I feel better.

  One of my favorites passages (beautiful?) is found in Philippians 4:8 and I'm quoting the Updated New American Standard translation:

  "Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable,
  whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely,
  whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and
  if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things."

  In my opinion, this is sound advice regardless of one's theistic or atheistic POV. In particular, I appreciate the closing exhortation that begins, "if there is any excellence...." (richard harlos #1698)