But if she doesn't pick the part that says you can't pick, she's home free!

Yeah, way too often in these discussions even the atheists accept the premise. It's a commonly held totally absurd claim.

Most of the commandments have no relevance to western law or civilization, they're about religious rituals and only worshiping that God. The only two useful ones (don't murder or steal) weren't exactly new concepts. All cultures have them without a 10 Commandments involved. And the ones about not coveting or lying or working on Sunday aren't law and shouldn't be.

What arguments do you expect of her? She's in dominating the narrative here to the point of voicing over the interviews, and that's all she's chosen to give you. It's all she can.

It so happens, though, that there is "some sort of actual debate" between these same people on the topic of Catholicism:

http://www.intelligencesquared.com/iq2-video/2009/catholic-chu rch

I don't know what this clip is from, but I assume it's in response to the embarrassment she suffered in the intelligence squared debate.

This is the best that religion can muster. These are its premier advocates. Doesn't that tell you anything?

These aren't "the best" that religion can offer. They are the shrillest, loudest and most warrantlessly indignant that religion can offer. There's a huge difference.

It could be argued that those aren't sins which merit death, and so aren't exactly as sinful. Stick to "picking up sticks on Saturday"; that's instant execution no matter how you try to pretty it up.

I know that the phrase "their blood shall be upon them" does not appear in regards to shellfish, but they are called an abomination more than once. As far as I'm concerned, if you're going to throw it in someone's face that your religion prohibits their sexuality, you'd better not be a fan of cocktail shrimp.

Oh definitely. All I wanted to stress is that there is a long list of silly shit that would get you straight up murdered on the spot, no matter how blended your fabrics or abominable your cocktails. Using phrases like 'exactly as sinful' when what you mean is 'sorta similar in sinfulness' opens you up to criticisms which you might as well deflect from the start by choosing better examples.

Yeah. It's an interesting argument. I don't spend time engaging religious folks, but I could see where it would come in handy if I did :)

I'm totally okay with the suggestion that there are valuable lessons to be learned from the Bible, and that the good should be kept while the historically outdated ignored. But you simply cannot simultaneously hold that belief, and that the Bible was written by God and should be obeyed rather than held up to rational analysis.

Her closing lines simultaneously accept that parts of it are outdated, and criticize people who prioritize "modern sensibilities". How can anyone be unaware of that contradiction?

Being crazy helps.

likewise. I keep watching only the beginning, cracking up at her voice, then a few hours later trying to recreate it mentally, failing, then watching the first couple seconds again and cracking up again.

And you even presented the show!

Jolly Good.

I would also like to add that using the argument that the bible's age somehow excuses the massively fucked up shit inside of it, is the biggest religious cop-out of all time.
This woman's argument is like saying that Mein Kampf has a lot of positive messages in it if you just simply ignoring the pages and pages of massive anti-semitism and railing against the entire world and how all enemies will be destroyed. By that logic, Mein Kampf is a few steps away from being a holy book....filled with religious revelations by a devout, earthy man who took his faith very seriously.

Who raped their daughter?

I'm not sure if it's what SP was referring to, but often when they say "daughter" in the Bible they are often referring to female virgins.

"When the women of Shiloh come out for their dances, rush out from the vineyards, and each of you can take one of them home to be your wife! And when their fathers and brothers come to us in protest, we will tell them, 'Please be understanding. Let them have your daughters, for we didn't find enough wives for them when we destroyed Jabesh-gilead."

Summarizing the OT as "don't kill or steal or mouth off to your folks" is like describing a lynch mob as "people who tie decent knots."

"Summarizing the OT as "don't kill or steal or mouth off to your folks" is like describing a lynch mob as "people who tie decent knots."

Hello, quote I hope to not forget.

Also, bwahahahaha.

Here, have my stars.

Stroke.

man I was hoping for "THIS IS WHAT BRENDAN GLEESON IN DRAG ACTUALLY BELIEVES"

She makes Julia Child sound like Barry White.

I would five that, pastor, if only I had more stars to give.