This is kinda how I’ve always viewed the bible, as like a “My first governmental control” handbook.
Toe the line, do everything as I say without question, don’t think outside the box “early Adam and Eve” type scenario and everything’s gravy.
Listen to outsiders, take in different ideas, think for yourself “serpent in the garden” scenario and I will f**ken f**k up and destroy your miserable existence beyond your simple comprehension in this life and the next.
Kinda just how I view it, all the extra crap is just a mish mash of at the time different cultural or political, whoever happened to have a bit of power or I’m off my face on opium views.
It still all comes down to toe the line or I’m gonna punish your dumbass for stepping out my comfort zone.
Not really particularly surprising to see that a progressive group of people that wanted a society to try and work towards some sort of common goal in early times would have come up with this sort of shit, humans of the time willingness to believe in a god or gods without really much evidence and a group of people or even a single person with enough foresight to exploit that weaknesses, well it’s probably more something that’s inevitable really, different person or group and the story may have been somewhat different but the same fundamentals would have applied, do as I say or else
Not that I wish to sidetrack the thread but your comment has triggered my need to explain the Adam & Eve fairy tale .......
We were created perfect in a world of pure bliss [Garden of Eden] but we are born totally ignorant.
Eating from the Tree of Knowledge is relating to when we choose to embark on the path of physical incarnation.
The Serpent is simply our Ego that urges us to take that big step from ignorant bliss into the physical world of duality, pain & suffering, with the purpose to work our way back to that state of pure bliss Enlightened, free from all ignorance. [Why? Because the Divine experiences all things through us & life itself]
There are truths in the Bible but man has twisted it to gain control of the then ignorant, superstitious masses. Ironically their Doctrine of Fear still works on many today. It's worked rather well for them. The RCC is one of the wealthiest organisations on the planet.
The early church was run by immoral grubs like Emperor Justinian, who changed the Bible & doctrine as they saw fit.
Most Christians aren't aware that reincarnation was a basic tenet of Christian doctrine until Justinian declared it anathema for example. [And most refuse to believe it when told, despite the irrefutable proof]
For many hundreds of years the position of Pope went to the highest bidder. Many of them were so immoral that the church itself refers to them as the Anti-Popes.
One charmer, Pope Leo X chortled, probably after too much wine, "How well we know what a profitable superstition this fable of Christ has been for us." As it was witnessed and recorded by one of their own highly regarded historians, the RCC doesn't try to deny the quote but rather, it pretends that Leo meant other than what he said.
Typical. I've learnt not to expect much better from the church hierarchy.
