Douglas Wilson and I now agree on pretty much everything

OK. That might be a bit of an overstatement. But we do seem to agree on pretty much everything that we used to argue about, at least as far as I can tell anyway.

Here is a list of things that Douglas and I now seem to agree on:

1. No one should be burned alive or stoned to death (with the possible exception of pedophile priests).

2. Specifically, the following people and acts should not be punished by stoning, as required by the Bible.

   • Blasphemy or cursing -- Leviticus 24:15-23

   • Wizards or women with familiar spirits – Leviticus 20:27

   • Sabbath breakers – Numbers 15:32-36

   • Stubborn, rebellious, drunken sons – Deuteronomy 21:18-21

   • A city-dwelling virgin that doesn’t cry out when raped -- Deuteronomy 22:23-24

   • A woman who isn’t a virgin on her wedding night -- Deuteronomy 22:13-21

   • People who argue for the existence of another god -- Deuteronomy 13:6-10, 17:2-5

3. No one should obey God’s command to burn people to death. Specifically, the following people should not be burned to death:

   • A man, wife, and her mother if they are having an affair, get married, or whatever. – Leviticus 20:14

   • A priest's daughter that plays the whore – Leviticus 21:9

4. Homosexuals should not be executed. -- Leviticus 20:13

5. A Christian should not own slaves, even if they are treated well.

If you've read my previous posts about Douglas Wilson's views, you'll know that this is quite a change. Douglas and I disagreed on all of these items just a few years ago.

And it's possible that we still do. I haven't yet got a clear answer from Douglas on this list of agreements. But I hope to see it soon here.

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October 7, 2010 Update: Doug Wilson and I no longer agree on #5 (slavery).

Glenn Beck explains how Native Americans became the blood-thirsty savages called "Lamanites" in the Book of Mormon

It's hard for any sane person to watch Glenn Beck. But if you can stand it, here's Glenn claiming that Native Americans are descended from Israelites.

Of course that's not what science says. But that, Glenn tells us, is because science and government have conspired together to hide the truth.

Why would they do that, you wonder? Well, here's what Glenn says (for those of you who can't stomach the video):

Science was colluding with government because of commerce, and religion was involved. Now why do I tell you all this stuff?
...
The history that has been erased in our nation, and in particular with the Native Americans, happened because it didn't fit the story they created: Manifest Destiny. It only works when Indians were savages and they had to have savages for commerce and government to expand. The ancient artifacts prove otherwise. Why aren't we looking into those?

Which explains why science and government hid the truth about the origin of the Native Americans. But what was the religious motive?

Glenn doesn't talk about that, but he knows what it was. Anti-Mormonism.

Most Americans, then and now, reject the Book of Mormon. And, when it comes to the Native Americans, the Book of Mormon explains it all.

Here is a condensed version of the Book of Mormon:

A small group of Israelites traveled by boat to the North America in 600 BCE. There they split into two groups: one good the other bad. The bad ones were called "Lamanites," whose descendants are what we now call Native Americans. The Lamanites fought with and completely wiped out good, fair-skinned "Nephites." God cursed the Lamanites (Native Americans) by darkening their skin and turning them into sinful, blood-thirsty savages.

And he [God] had caused the cursing to come upon them [the Lamanites] ... wherefore, as they were white, and exceedingly fair and delightsome, that they might not be enticing unto my people the Lord God did cause a skin of blackness to come upon them. 2 Nephi 5:21

The Lamanites ... were led by their evil nature that they became wild, and ferocious, and a bloodthirsty people, full of idolatry and filthiness; feeding upon beasts of prey; dwelling in tents, and wandering about in the wilderness with a short skin girdle about their loins and their heads shaven.... And many of them did eat nothing save it was raw meat; and they were continually seeking to destroy us. Enos 1:20

The Lamanites ... were a wild, and ferocious, and a blood-thirsty people. Mosiah 10:11-12

The Lamanites ... were ... sinful and polluted. Mosiah 25:11

So according to Glenn Beck and the Book of Mormon, Native Americans are not just savages -- they're evil, sinful, polluted, wild, filthy, ferocious, blood-thirsty savages. God made them that way by cursing their ancestor, Laman (who was, don't ya know, an Israelite).

Sounds like the perfect story to base Manifest Destiny on, doesn't it?

I wonder why science didn't go for it?

The Bible is like a software license

(via The Redheaded Skeptic -- be sure to read her Bible Studies!)

1 Nephi 11: A spirit shows Nephi all the shit his dad saw

Since It's been a while since I've blogged the BOM, I suppose I'd better review what's happened so far in 1 Nephi.

• Chapter 1: God tells Lehi and his family to get the hell out of Jerusalem.

• Chapter 2: So they travel to Arabia on the shore of the Red Sea.

• Chapter 3: But then they remember that they forgot to bring Lehi's brass plates.

• Chapter 4: So Lehi's sons return to Jerusalem, murder Laban and steal his plates.

• Chapter 5: Lehi reads the plates and finds out that he's a descendant of Joseph.

• Chapter 6: Nephi says nothing in particular.

• Chapter 7: When they get back their to camp on the Red Sea, they remember that they forgot to bring any women along. So they go back to to Jerusalem get some.

• Chapter 8: After they get back from their women-hunting trip, Lehi sees a magic tree and prophesies about Jesus and the apostles and pretty much everything Joseph Smith could think of at the time.

• Chapter 9: Nephi names his plates.

• Chapter 10: Lehi prophesies about Jesus and John the Baptist 600 years before they were born.

OK, now that we're all caught up, let's see what happens next. (I know the suspense is killing you.)

Well, the first thing that comes to pass is that Nephi ponders his dad's imaginary tree, gets caught up in the spirit of the Lord, and is transported to an exceedingly high mountain.

For it came to pass after I had desired to know the things that my father had seen, and believing that the Lord was able to make them known unto me, as I sat pondering in mine heart I was caught away in the Spirit of the Lord, yea, into an exceedingly high mountain, which I never had before seen, and upon which I never had before set my foot. 1 Nephi 11:1

And then he has a conversation with his new-found spirit friend.

The spirit asked him what he wanted.

And the Spirit said unto me: Behold, what desirest thou? 1 Nephi 11:2

Nephi said he'd like to see some of the shit his dad saw.

And I said: I desire to behold the things which my father saw. 1 Nephi 11:3

The spirit asked Nephi if he believed that his dad saw the tree?

And the Spirit said unto me: Believest thou that thy father saw the tree of which he hath spoken? 1 Nephi 11:4

Nephi said that he believed all the crazy shit his dad said.

And I said: Yea, thou knowest that I believe all the words of my father. 1 Nephi 11:5

When the spirit heard Nephi's words, it started screaming.

And when I had spoken these words, the Spirit cried with a loud voice, saying: Hosanna to the Lord, the most high God; for he is God over all the earth, yea, even above all. And blessed art thou, Nephi, because thou believest in the Son of the most high God; wherefore, thou shalt behold the things which thou hast desired.1 Nephi 11:6-7

The spirit shouted that because Nephi believes in his dad's cool tree, Jesus would come down from heaven to visit him. (Jesus believes in Lehi's tree, too.)

And behold this thing shall be given unto thee for a sign, that after thou hast beheld the tree which bore the fruit which thy father tasted, thou shalt also behold a man descending out of heaven, and him shall ye witness; and after ye have witnessed him ye shall bear record that it is the Son of God. 1 Nephi 11:7

And then it came to pass that the spirit showed Nephi his dad's magic fruit tree. It was exceedingly white, too. It was like the whitest thing he'd ever seen.

And it came to pass that the Spirit said unto me: Look! And I looked and beheld a tree; and it was like unto the tree which my father had seen; and the beauty thereof was far beyond, yea, exceeding of all beauty; and the whiteness thereof did exceed the whiteness of the driven snow. 1 Nephi 11:8

Nephi and the spirit chatted for a while, and then the spirit showed him the virgin Mary. And darn if she wasn't exceedingly white, as well. (Being white is an exceedingly good thing in the Book of Mormon.)

And it came to pass that I looked and beheld the great city of Jerusalem, and also other cities. And I beheld the city of Nazareth; and in the city of Nazareth I beheld a virgin, and she was exceedingly fair and white. 1 Nephi 11:13

After the spirit showed Nephi the exceedingly white tree and virgin, it blathered on a bit about "the condescension of God" and whatnot. Then it told Nephi that the white virgin "is the mother of the Son of God, after the manner of the flesh."

And he said unto me: Behold, the virgin whom thou seest is the mother of the Son of God, after the manner of the flesh. 1 Nephi 11:18

(Does this mean that God the Father had sex with Mary "after the manner of the flesh?")

Then the spirit (or its angel sidekick) showed Nephi all the shit his dad saw and more. Jesus, Mary, John the Baptist, the twelve apostles, Lehi's iron rod, the large and spacious building, angels, devils, the condescension of God, the wisdom of the world -- the works.

And the shit continues to fly into the next chapter. But I'll save that for later.

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Blogging the Book of Mormon

Next episode -- 1 Nephi 12: Those who dwindle in unbelief will become dark, loathsome, filthy, idle, and abominable people

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Blogging the Quran

1: The Opening

The Lord of the Worlds

2: The Cow

1-13: Allah is wise, mysterious, funny

14-24: Produce a surah the like thereof

25-34: Believers get pure companions in heaven, Adam learns the animals' names, and Iblis becomes a disbeliever

35-74: Allah turns Jews into apes and solves a murder mystery with a dead yellow cow

75-105: Little is that which they believe

106-138: Abrogation, proof, and Allah's coloring book

139-158: Changing holy directions (qiblah)

159-189: Hiding the Quran, cursing unbelievers, eating pork, retaliating, the death tax, and Ramadan sex

190-217: Allah's rules for holy warfare

2:218-242 Allah's guide to alcohol, gambling, menstruation, sex, and divorce

2:243-286 Zombie soldiers, Rip Van Winkle, bird talk, and other silly stories

3: The Family Of 'Imran

3:1-200 -- Allah is the best of schemers

4: The Women

4:1-34 Woe to the Women

4:35-80 Fresh skins for Allah's fire

4:81-135 Ponder on the Quran

4:136-176 -- Jesus wasn't really crucified,
it just looked that way