Episode description
“Our bible reveals to us the character of our God with minute and remorseless exactitude. The portrait is substantially that of a man — if one can imagine a man charged and overcharged with evil impulses far beyond the human limit; a personage whom no one would desire to associate with, now that Nero and Caligula are dead.In the Old Testament His acts expose His vindictive, unjust, ungenerous, pitiless, and thousand-fold severity; punishing innocent children for the misdeeds of their parents; punishing unoffending populations for the misdeeds of their rulers; even descending to wreak bloody vengeance upon harmless calves and lambs and sheep and bullocks, as punishment for inconsequential trespasses committed by their proprietors. It is perhaps the most damnatory biography that exists in print anywhere; it makes Nero an angel of light and leading, by contrast.”(Autobiography of Mark Twain, Volume II, page 128 Dictated June, 19, 1906).In Dr. Crossan most recent book, How to Read the Bible and Still Be a Christian: Struggling with Divine Violence from Genesis through Revelation, tackles Twain’s and other people’s misunderstanding of the Bible. The premise of Dr. Crossan’s book involves an honest assessment of these sacred texts and how not only metaphor is used in scripture to express theological truths but a dialectical conflict between peaceful and violent concepts. We also discuss the many biblical passages that appear to support the oppression of women, slavery and xenophobia, which can be explained in relation to the overall theme of peace and non-violence expressed by the prophets. Dr. Crossan defines non-violence as resistance to evil something Jewish and Christian authors communicated in their writings and has inspired multiple peaceful movements throughout history.Mystic-Skeptic Radio produces programs such as Uncensored & Raiders of the Unknown. Some of the ongoing series are: Jesus The Israelite, Anti-Semitism Rising & Paul's Legacy (all available on our YouTube channels). In the past 8 years we have featured academics (Amy Jill Levine) , presidential candidates( Howie Hawkins), Commentators (Jay Michaelson) , Advocates (Vanessa Guillen), Scholars(John Dominic Crossan) and Holistic Healers (Rosemary Gladstar). We have taken deep dives on the topics of human trafficking, ancient civilizations, demonology and the occult, social movements, controversial topics and many of the current affairs affecting our society. Join us as as we explore the mystic-skeptic mind space…