something about Genesis

Having read into Plotz's book relatively far into his account of Genesis, I've noticed a few interesting things I'm compelled to comment on.

First, circumcision. Why? This is such a random requirement for God to make up. Was this just a convenient place to throw the idea that circumcision is the way to go into the Bible so people would know and get circumcised? Which brings me to another point, the Creation story. Frankly, I think it reads like a list because it tries to answer every question about why things are the way they are in as few words as possible. What's the sun? The great light God made to light the day. What's the moon? The lesser light God made to light the night. Not very legit explanations, if you ask me. This is a first grade thinking level here. The Bible attempting to explain everything and why it is and why men should get circumcised.

Next, collective punishment. I don't want to get political, but Christians as well as religious people of many kinds can get quite crazy in their campaigns against gays and their rights or abortion or whatever and they do not think on an individual level. I can't think of the best example right now but I do know that if God let his rage get out of control a lot and destroyed whole cities and the majority of the world in random outbursts it's no wonder mobs of religious people can get violent.

Finally, I have to talk about Lot and his daughters. What? First, Lot tries to offer them to an angry mob of rapists, knowing that they are virgins and using that as a sales tactic to appease the mob. Then God saves the whole family anyway, except Lot's poor wife, who apparently didn't pay enough attention to detail when she was listening to the instructions. Then, Lot's daughters turn the tables on him and take advantage of him because he "is old, and there is not a man on earth to come in to us." First of all, direct language? We know what those daughters want. But they obviously have mental issues, because their father could not have been the most sexually exciting man. In fact, the idea disgusts me. Anyway, I think the daughter's rape is karma for Lot's eagerness to let them be raped. Basically God's saying take that, Lot! Rape is not so great after all. At least Lot seems to be an accomplished alcoholic, as it is quite the feat to impregnate somebody while blackout drunk two nights in a row. Maybe Lot still had some prowess after all. Anyway..

My name is Karen and I was raised Catholic. I attended church every week and a little CCD for a few years and when I was young I tried a little bit to be faithful. For a while I prayed every night, I had a little stint where I liked to try to say the Rosary, but mostly I just thought about things I wanted to happen or whatever and asked God to help. I had a brief stint with the Bible in which I read about eight chapters into Genesis, and otherwise my knowledge of the scriptures includes what was read to me in church or at some point.

When I was in about seventh grade, I started to question the whole church thing. I didn't buy it. Everything was too simple. Was I supposed to be some stupid drone who assumed I would go to heaven just because it said so in some book and that was that? Not so fast. I was critical, and by eighth grade my mom had stopped making me go to church. I was a Christmas and Easter person for a while, now sometimes I don't even attend then.

Now, I guess you could say one thing I like to believe in is karma. Which I mentioned above, about Lot. It helps me cope with events in my life and answers some questions, not about where I will go when I die or why the sun exists, but I like to live in the moment.

One last thing. I read a few books into Exodus and came to the conclusion that God has trouble communicating. He really does repeat himself a lot...and still doesn't make much sense.