...so just to be clear, PEOPLE went around killing babies? not some divine plague?

Modern interpretation has it that Egypt expanded so rapidly it was unsustainable, and they tried large-scale farming that their technology couldn't keep up with. This accelerated erosion, causing reddish soil to flow into the watershed (resembling blood) and brought on pestilence (flies, locusts etc.) Crops withered and died, cattle got sick, and the firstborn - who would eat the grain off the top of the silo, which was exposed to the foodborne illness - perished as well. The story goes that it was Azrael, angel of death, that took the children in their sleep. Either way it's assuming this actually happened and wasn't just a folktale passed down through generations until it ended up in scripture.

I heard recently that the 10 plagues were all related to a volcanic eruption; Blacked out sun, failure of the crops, mycotoxin in the food from improper drying; first born was simply the first to eat and would select from the outer, contaminated food supply, burning bush= volcano related etc etc.

My source? Netflix of course. Food for thought. I promise it wasn't "magic" anyway.

Cheers.

I also heard a theory that climate change caused microbursts, waterspouts sucked up brackish water from estuaries along with frogs and dumped them all over including into the fresh drinkable water. Similar things have happened in the US where fish and marine wildlife have "rained" on areas further inland.

It may have been the unsustainable farming or the volcanic activity that brought on the changes but we'll likely never know.

Historically biblical stories were near universally agreed to be parables and tales of morality with some history, politics, and literal truth thrown in. In the last two hundred years, evangelical literalists have taken hold of Christianity, largely in the US.

So the actual answer is no.

Yeah. I think it's pretty widely accepted that Exodus is a complete fabrication.

The story of Exodus is a fabrication., The events of Exodus are based on facts. It is a story made up of events that took place over more than five centuries, condensed into the tale of a single man's long lifetime in order to foster a united identity and give hope to an exiled people.

My understanding is that there is no historical evidence whatsoever of Hebrew enslavement in Egypt nor their subsequent emancipation. I thought the current theory was that the whole business was invented from whole cloth in order to retroactively justify land ownership rights.

Even if that were the case, what's so special about the land that we call Israel? Despite its coastal location, does the standard of living there - by and large far better than nearby Arab countries, even neighboring Jordan and (relatively cosmopolitan) Lebanon - have anything to do with the geography? AFAIK there isn't anything special about the location or the natural resources there.

Any place looks good to a nomadic group ttying to settle and the terrain is quite readily fortified and naturally defensible. It's also a trade hub and has dozens of deep freshwater rivers connecting 3 seas. It's prime real estate by any measure.

It's also the land bridge between two continents.
Basicly , the area is a toll bridge.
The area also has massive amounts of salt,due to the dead sea.
Salt, in case you didn't know, was the main means of preserving food for most of human history. Whoever controlled the salt could literally decide who gets to save food for times of shortage caused by man made or natural disasters

You are correct in the sense that the only actual, tangible, physical evidence for a historical "Israel" is the merneptah stele which wasn't even found where this place is alleged to exist but instead in Egypt. I think the Bible is mostly made up of metaphors and parables with deeper esoteric truths.

Jesus was this cat who trolled the lol jooos for killing babies and running game on God and his people. Constantine saw the clever work at play, recognized the symbolic significance behind the stories--relative to navigation and trade meetings dictated across centuries by earthly landmarks and celestial bodies--wanted his top dogs in on the business and pieced together a very large piece of lit.

And that is a tl;dr on The Bible

Considering that there isn't one single piece of historical evidence of any Hebrew tribe ever being in Egypt... I would say its just another lie told to gullible fools.

That's true if you're looking Hebrews, but not if you're looking for Semites who invaded and then established their own Dynasty, that lasted for about 100 years.

Not the same thing...

Kind of, yeah.

The whole thing happened because "God hardened Pharaoh's heart" which may have been a metaphor (the whole thing may have been a metaphor for a widespread contagion brought on by Egypt's unsustainable farming practices) but if you interpret it literally, it's pretty fucked. God could've just made Pharaoh have a really good day and be like "Let your people go? Yeah, sure, Moses."

Source: am soldier of ZOG

Not that sort of 'made'. Think it more like, the sun makes the ice melt, or makes the ground harden as the effect of the sun dries the moisture from it. The sun doesn't force it to happen beyond the item effected's characteristics, but more, that's just how the items nature of action is in response to being exposed to the sun.

God could've just made Pharaoh have a really good day and be like "Let your people go? Yeah, sure, Moses."

Kinda makes one wonder about God's intent and whether It is the god we have been sold or if It is just another power-mad asshole. ;-)

Gnostics would say the latter

Source: am soldier of ZOG

Transparency. That's legit, fwiw.

Eh, if the Elders of Zion ever contacted me for a job, I'd take it. Shekels is shekels.

I'm a firm believer that one shouldn't knock the way a playa eat.

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/daylightatheism/2009/04/the-twisted-moral-of-passover/

Wow god is kinda fucked up then no?

Or is god just a euphemism for some weird people looking to justify their barbaric traditions (Like Allah for Islamic fundamentalists)?

It seems someone had cognitive dissonance figured out since the biblical times.

Careful, this is some very contentious stuff.

I've heard it before, "god" is code for "us" and "lamb" is code for gentile baby. So god sweeps through Egypt killing the first born of the Egyptians simultaneous to the Jews selecting perfect lambs to slaughter and eat on matza bread.

And they kept doing it for 2000 years... At the temple in Jerusalem... Thinking they are transferring their sins to the lambs...

Then in walks Jesus saying, "naaa, you guys aren't doing this shit anymore. I'm the lamb of God and your going to slaughter me and for all eternity your going to pretend to drink my blood and eat my flesh and this sick cannibalism shit is gonna end"

Huh....

But it could be that they really were killing goats and Jesus was just a Roman political thing.

Lots of people have had lots of time to make lots of stories.

Be careful what you believe. Hate tastes bad.

Nobody said anything about hate and you failed to answer the question. Down voted

Who the fuck says "downvoted". Get a fucking life, neckbeard

Downvoted

OH NO, I LOST AN INTERNET POINT.

Fuck off dude, go start your shit with someone else. Down voted

History is written by the ones that win the war. Imagine what history will say about Obama.

"Look at all the rabid faggots cheering him on in these videos."

Maybe it's because American voters side with race or gender cause its all we are told matters.

The future won't be so kind.

You sure? I mean what do you think will be regarded of the world today in 1000 years? Doomsday bullshit aside cause if something was going to happen (man-made) it would have by now.

I mean what do you think will be regarded of the world today in 1000 years?

How we believed that our experts knew everything, and how intellectually lazy everyone else became as a result.

Personally, it is my deeply held belief that in 1000 years there will be but scant traces and clues as to what this world was all about. Somedays I get the feeling that there's more truth to the Elder Scrolls than what might be comfortable for us to accept.

I don't think it's the lazy aspect. I think it will be how socially inept society is today. Hardly anyone these days has pride in anything they do cause since I got out of school it seems that they were teaching entitlement.

Just cause you want something you deserve it. Nope you gotta work for it. Sanders appeals to younger kids cause this is what they were brought up being a special snowflake.

He wants socialism.

Sanders appeals to younger kids cause this is what they were brought up being a special snowflake.

Uncle Bernie is popular amongst the set who believe they're owed mom and dad's lifestyle the second they drop their first basket of fries. When that doesn't happen--about the time the "allowance" runs dry--they all turn into rabid, hardcore socialists without jobs.

It's not about economics. It's not about altruism. It's about gimme gimme gimme.

Well you are a bit dismal but accurate. Lol

Something is happening. Think of Fukishima and the marine life dying in the Pacific Ocean, lead in Flint, Michigan water supply, chemtrails, smog, the Amazon rain forests being cut down,etc. The earth is overpopulated and the environment is being poisoned and eventually it will be uninhabitable.

Meh it won't happen for a long time. It won't be because of man either. It will be something beyond our control. All the things you listed are correctable.

I'd assume it would just be a picture of him with "Too hyped up" written

It's interesting how history changes facts. So many these days are worried about shit that doesn't really matter.

Won't get into specifics cause its my own feelings and has nothing to do with topic.

The Holy Spirit did it.

Just saying what the story says, exodus is my favorite bible story!

Maybe Passover never occurred and the modern bible is just pro jewish propaganda?

Either way I believe the bible to be pro Heb propaganda, why would god choose one specific race as chosen then allow everything bad to happen to that group?

How do you know God didn't kill all the firstborns?

How do you know that?

Babies die every day. if Jesus is all powerful that must mean he's a baby killer.

Since we are talking about a story and the OP meantioned the Jew's going door to door killing peoples first born children, I will address this misunderstanding.

Within tne story the Jew's were not responsible for the killing of these children. The story says God made this decision or declaration. The Jewish people were told to mark their doors with blood so they would be spared.

Also it wasn't all the first born. It was all the first born males.

Before making up a conclusions about a story, you might want to get the story right. Whether its a true story or not.

Yes I read your post carefully. You twisted around a storys details to satisfy your conclusion. Anyone could do that with any story written.

It's not code. The Bible is very explicit when it comes to wrath directly from God vs the support of His people in their own triumphs. For example, contrast Exodus and Joshua.

From Exodus: "The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt, 2 “This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year. 3 Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb[a] for his family, one for each household. 4 If any household is too small for a whole lamb, they must share one with their nearest neighbor, having taken into account the number of people there are. You are to determine the amount of lamb needed in accordance with what each person will eat. 5 The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect, and you may take them from the sheep or the goats. 6 Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the members of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight. 7 Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs. 8 That same night they are to eat the meat roasted over the fire, along with bitter herbs, and bread made without yeast. 9 Do not eat the meat raw or boiled in water, but roast it over a fire—with the head, legs and internal organs. 10 Do not leave any of it till morning; if some is left till morning, you must burn it. 11 This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. Eat it in haste; it is the Lord’s Passover.

12 “On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn of both people and animals, and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord. 13 The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt.

14 “This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord—a lasting ordinance. 15 For seven days you are to eat bread made without yeast. On the first day remove the yeast from your houses, for whoever eats anything with yeast in it from the first day through the seventh must be cut off from Israel. 16 On the first day hold a sacred assembly, and another one on the seventh day. Do no work at all on these days, except to prepare food for everyone to eat; that is all you may do.

17 “Celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread, because it was on this very day that I brought your divisions out of Egypt. Celebrate this day as a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. 18 In the first month you are to eat bread made without yeast, from the evening of the fourteenth day until the evening of the twenty-first day. 19 For seven days no yeast is to be found in your houses. And anyone, whether foreigner or native-born, who eats anything with yeast in it must be cut off from the community of Israel. 20 Eat nothing made with yeast. Wherever you live, you must eat unleavened bread.”

21 Then Moses summoned all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Go at once and select the animals for your families and slaughter the Passover lamb. 22 Take a bunch of hyssop, dip it into the blood in the basin and put some of the blood on the top and on both sides of the doorframe. None of you shall go out of the door of your house until morning. 23 When the Lord goes through the land to strike down the Egyptians, he will see the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe and will pass over that doorway, and he will not permit the destroyer to enter your houses and strike you down.

24 “Obey these instructions as a lasting ordinance for you and your descendants. 25 When you enter the land that the Lord will give you as he promised, observe this ceremony. 26 And when your children ask you, ‘What does this ceremony mean to you?’ 27 then tell them, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when he struck down the Egyptians.’” Then the people bowed down and worshiped. 28 The Israelites did just what the Lord commanded Moses and Aaron.

29 At midnight the Lord struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sat on the throne, to the firstborn of the prisoner, who was in the dungeon, and the firstborn of all the livestock as well. 30 Pharaoh and all his officials and all the Egyptians got up during the night, and there was loud wailing in Egypt, for there was not a house without someone dead."

From Joshua: "20 When the trumpets sounded, the army shouted, and at the sound of the trumpet, when the men gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed; so everyone charged straight in, and they took the city. 21 They devoted the city to the Lord and destroyed with the sword every living thing in it—men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep and donkeys.

22 Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the land, “Go into the prostitute’s house and bring her out and all who belong to her, in accordance with your oath to her.” 23 So the young men who had done the spying went in and brought out Rahab, her father and mother, her brothers and sisters and all who belonged to her. They brought out her entire family and put them in a place outside the camp of Israel.

24 Then they burned the whole city and everything in it, but they put the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron into the treasury of the Lord’s house. 25 But Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, with her family and all who belonged to her, because she hid the men Joshua had sent as spies to Jericho—and she lives among the Israelites to this day.

26 At that time Joshua pronounced this solemn oath: “Cursed before the Lord is the one who undertakes to rebuild this city, Jericho:

“At the cost of his firstborn son he will lay its foundations; at the cost of his youngest he will set up its gates.” 27 So the Lord was with Joshua, and his fame spread throughout the land."

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