Outgrowing the Bible
The Journey from Fundamentalism to Freethinking
by
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The Bible opens with Genesis, the book of beginnings. Oral legends, narratives and genealogies that accumulated over many centuries amongst early Semitic populations contributed to the evolution of this written work, which is thought to have been completed around 400 BCE. The book of Genesis begins with a depiction of a divinely created universe that is only about six thousand years old, a universe that took only six twenty-four hour days to complete. Over the centuries, many dates have been proposed to identify the exact time in history that this creation event supposedly occurred. For example, a seventeenth-century Irish prelate and scholar named Archbishop Ussher arrived at a date of 4004 BCE for the completion of the universe, based upon the genealogies that are provided in the book of Genesis. Ussher’s creation date actually appears within the first pages of many modern Bibles of the King James Version. None of us today would fault Ussher for his conclusions, as it wasn’t until around 1770 CE that the discovery of dinosaur bones forever shattered our assumption that humans have always been the central theme of life on Earth. These dinosaur fossils also initiated suspicions that the planet might be more complicated, and possibly much older than anyone had ever imagined previously. Also, in Ussher’s day there were no exhumed hominid fossils to ascertain the enormous time span that we humans have actually existed upon the earth. Ussher would never have guessed that only about a century later, Newton and Galileo would pioneer the scientific method. This new way of ascertaining information, combined with Charles Darwin’s discovery of the basic processes of evolution, would forever lay asunder the system of thinking that was prevalent during Archbishop Ussher’s lifetime. In spite of the fact that the age of the earth is now commonly known, and in opposition to the overwhelming evidence supporting biological evolution, many modern Jews and Christians continue to remain trapped in the "time warp" of Archbishop Ussher’s thinking in regards to our earthly origins. Oddly, some individuals who are hanging on tightly to the biblical account of Creation have advanced educations, and are attempting desperately to incorporate the discoveries of modern science into their biblical preconceptions: Nearly half the adults in the United States believe that God created the universe within the last 10,000 years. What reason do they give? "The Bible says so."
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About the Book
This book contains the fruits of a Scripture study that took the author on a journey from the position of Fundamentalist Christianity into the mental realms of Freethinking. Far from representing the "Good Book," the author concludes that the Bible is actually a terrorist manifesto from the ancient Near East, containing graphic descriptions of cold blooded murder, beheadings, child sacrifice, and cultural genocide committed by early Hebrews under the command of a militaristic totem god named YHWH, whose priesthood sought world domination and the extermination of all "Pagan" religions. Within the pages of Outgrowing the Bible, readers will discover that:
Outgrowing the Bible contains hundreds of Scriptural quotes, along with a feast of information to challenge those who insist that the Bible is the absolute, infallible "Word of God." This book also debunks philosophical positions that are commonly based on the Bible, such as: recent Creationism; the Fall of Man; male supremacy; repressive sexuality; the "Right to Life" movement; the "War on Drugs"; homophobia; and the insidious notion that the world is currently headed toward an inevitable, global holocaust.
Outgrowing the Bible provides a fresh look at the actual content of the books that compose the modern Bible, most of which are of unknown authorship. This book also investigates the psychological processes involved with a major change in personal philosophical outlook, and offers words of encouragement to those who are trapped within the bondage of biblical doctrines.
About the Author
Russell Scott Brinegar was raised as a Fundamentalist Christian and began questioning the validity of the Bible at age 13. Over the next 30 years, Mr. Brinegar systematically researched the Old and New Testaments, arriving at startling conclusions that many will find disturbing. Russ Brinegar is now an advocate for Freethinkers everywhere and encourages readers to embrace the sciences along with unfettered human imagination and a sense of humor.