However, I find people who insist that every word of the Bible is literally true to be odd. In that context, killing off someone's children because God is making a bet with Satan is pretty darn distrubing.

This is my primary reason for dissecting Job--which God managed not to do. My real appreciation for Job is the poetry describing the glory of creation. I can see the metaphorical points, but I deal with too many Bible-literalists to be able to handwave the details anymore.

So the line of vegetarian foods is actually Lucifer Farms? EVIL MEAT SUBSTITUTE! That tastes of tomato basil hamburger!

However, I find people who insist that every word of the Bible is literally true to be odd. In that context, killing off someone's children because God is making a bet with Satan is pretty darn distrubing.

This, among many other things in the book. It's this same literalism that produces in some (too many) people this orgiastic glee at the idea of the End of the World.

Literary theory/Biblical analysis interrupted to say:

I'm about 5 minutes from being totally finished with all the work still on my desk waiting to be done. Which is not as woo-hoo as it sounds, because the whiniest, bellyachin'est, entitledest MD in our division has a couple hours' worth of work he hasn't bothered giving me yet. Nor has he answered my phone calls (I'm not fool enough to email him; the evidence is abundant that he doesn't give a shit about that). The more he drags his heels on this, the more hellish the tail end of my week becomes, and when he does finally get it all to me I know he'll be unpleasant about it, because such is his way.

Is it okay if I wish his whiny stuck-up works-harder-than-me-but-also-earns-four-times-my-salary ass a plague of boils and toads? Just this once?

Actually the two characters in the Bible (yes, I am continuing to treat it as a narrative) I have the most sympathy with are Lucifer Morningstar and Judas Iscariot.

For me, it was Thomas. Maybe because we share the same name, but also because the "doubting Thomas" message is that it's bad to be skeptical....

Whoo, new thread.

Still 900 posts behind in the old one. Bleh.

huh, I never knew that Lucifer had a last name. Thought he was like Prince.

I may have got that from a comic book.

most sympathy with are Lucifer Morningstar and Judas Iscariot. In both cases, they were merely doing their Part in the Plan, and really got the crap end of the deal for their troubles

I always feel sorry for Judas, too. But according to theologians I've talked to, his sin was his suicide, which showed he didn't have faith that God had meant it to happen. Though the church through history has always portrayed him as a great betrayer instead of being faithless.

Doesn't Lucifer mean "Morningstar"?

so, less like Prince and more like Boutros Boutros Ghali?

I think Lucifer literally means "light bringer"