new thread
The Toronto subway system can be wierd. Usually it is rather entertaining. Seriously...like it should be it's own television program.
So I was on the subway and minding my own business when these ladies began to talk about a few things odd. I mean very odd. So, the first think I heard, and loudly, was that I must feel shame. I was wondering at first if it was because of my facial piercings. Then I realized the woman was quoting religious scripture.
Now, I went to Univercity for Comparative Religion so I know what she was talking about, but she kept mentioning shame, and how I am being afront to her higher power.
Then...in closing, one of the other ladies she was with, who did not have something negative to say, metioned that I looked like John the Aposlte so she was comfortable with it. At which point everyone in the subway was stareing at me while these two older women kept going on.
The doors opened and me, for the first time in years, red faced left the subway and waited for the next one.
I thought I would relay this. Im usually thicker skinned, but wow, in crowded rush hour, I just needed breathing room.
Ah yes, that lovely Corinthians verse rears its ugly head again. I don't think I'd want much to do with a deity that approves of such bigotry and would allow that execrable nonsense to be ascribed to him.
I know there are various ways of trying to say the verse isn't as bad as it seems but to me, it is what it is. An all-powerful god should be competent enough to make sure such a verse never was written.
I'm sorry you faced their public scorn. I don't think they would naturally have such an aversion to you as a longhaired male. It all stems from the hatred spawned by that verse - a verse they obviously take to heart.
Oh I am all to well familiar with that verse. I fortunately believe that no high power ever said anything like that. LOL...it was just rather ammusing that these ladies thought it would be ok to bring this up.
Next time I should bring up the "Elderly Ice Flow" philosophy :P
They were very closed minded. It's times like this that I wonder, "What Would Gaahl Do?"
Well Jason, the verse as it is written is clear, but it doesn't mean what it's said too. The verse reads, does not NATURE itself teach you that if a man have long hair it is a shame unto him? Now notice that the word nature is used there, what does it mean within the context? It cannot mean what we commonly think of when we hear the word nature because then the verse would be self defeating because nature does infact prove the opposite to be true. It is clear to me (due to other portions of scripture) that nature refers to the nature of man. Possibly an indication of the culture of the time. The sinful nature of man is what is doing the teaching in this verse. WTF? Why are we using sinful nature to explain a godly principle? Because (in my opinion) the passage is probably an addition to the original text. The author that wrote that section doesn't appear to be the same that wrote the rest of the book because of how the argument is framed is out of character of the style of writting used around it.
A second issue that you raise is this, by what you said about god not allowing the bigitry or the verse to be written in the first place, it appears that you would prefer a god that did NOT give you freedom of choice. In other words, whatever you do in life is done by commandment of god and not by your own choosing. And in that lies the problem, if god gives us a free will, then we have a free will to do evil as well as good. But if we don't have a free will to do evil, then we don't have a free will to do good either. Where free will is absent, slavery is present.
The Bible is supposed to be inspired of God. So, in effect, according to that premise, God wrote that verse. That's what I was saying - that he never should have had it written under his inspiration. If indeed the whole inspiration thing is true.
Yes, I know that is taught. But unfortuneatly not every word that appears in the Bible is in fact inspired. The reason I say that is because in some instances there are infact contradictions just within the 4 gospels if you were to compare them to each other. So either God can't get his story right, or some passages have made it into scripture (by man) that are not inspired at all. I choose the later. I know this really opens up a can of worms for the "the Bible IS the word of god" crowd, while "the the Bible CONTAINS the word of god" crowd is going, well duh.
Isn't it amazing what people will spout out on subway train and it sounds like their life must be so non interesting. You should come and ride the 100 year old tube "cattle wagon" system in London as few people talk on there in the rush hour. Oh they look so miserable and perhaps the need some divine intervention!
Cheers,
John.B
I was just wondering, did these old biddies have very short hair? It seems that those are the ones who have such a problem with it. In my experience anyway.
If they did you should have quoted the next verse about hair being a woman's glory. That always throws that type for a loop.
I think I would have played to social idiot card, just joined into their conversation and acted like I was with them. Talk about embarrassing.
Paul
I would have love to get in a conversation with them about the one the best selling works of fiction!
Cheers,
John.B
Man... it really bothers me that such intolerance for men with longhair is STILL going strong... It's 2009, not 1959.
Let me at 'em, let me at 'em. I'll be more than happy to debate with them anytime. lol And I know the srciptures are stacked in my favor. Not that it would do any good though. There's an old saying that says, "those convinced against their will, are of the same opinion still." meaning you can't change a mind set in stone....but it's so much fun to debate them as they get that deer in the headlights look.
Daniel
I like your style. It's a shame not to put all those years in Sunday school to good use, isn't it? Some of them get so wound up, and, like you, I love to see that look they get when you reply. I'm not sure whether it's because you're actually daring to stand up to them when, to their mind, you should be cowering in shame, or the fact that they suddenly realise you might possibly know the Bible better than they do. I just love those moments.
A couple of questions: Was her hair covered? Was her hair short? If not, was it braided? If the answer to any of those questions is yes, you could have started quoting scripture back at her to see how she'd react to being told that her hair was equally offensive according to the Bible.