A recent Cnet article entitled "Grand Theft Auto fans push for ban on the Bible", details Kmart and Target stores in Australia banning Grand Theft Auto V, in part due to an online petition that calls for the withdraw of GTA:V because of it's violence towards women. This petition has gathered 48,000 plus supporters as of this writing. A counter-petition was then created to ban the Holy Bible, which the petition claims "encourages readers to commit sexual violence and kill women". As of this writing this counter-petition has garnered 52,000 plus supporters. This petition states in part:
Obviously the counter-petition was created by fans of GTA who were not happy about the petition and subsequent ban, so in a sardonic way they they compare the treatment of women in the Bible with violence in GTA. I'm going to assume this was done tongue-in-cheek otherwise they would not be playing a game that allows them to do the very things they accuse the Bible of doing. And I'll get to those accusations in a moment, but first I ask why did they feel the need to support GTA by attacking the Bible? What does one have to do with the other? And if there going to be fair why don't they attack the Koran for the very same things? Wait, I know the answer to that already. On to the accusations...
Often we look at history from a 21st century perspective. We try to judge ancient societies through the lens of modern day ethics, but we forget it took us thousands of years to get where we are at now. Change didn't happen over night. The ancient world was a vastly different world where violence was the norm, life was cheap, and women were treated as second class citizens. Incidentally it is Christianity that is a credited for setting the current bar for morality, including raising the social status of women.
The main gripe is toward the treatment of women under Levtical Law, so there needs to be some understanding of the Levitcal Law and it's purpose. These were Laws that the Jews during that time adhered too. They were meant for the Jews and the Jews alone, and yes some of them were harsh but they themselves chose to live under them on many occasions (Exo 24:7). They had civil laws that were based on morality and carried corporal punishments if they were not followed. In that regard they are not much different from laws we have today, for example murder carries the death penalty or life in prison. It is no different from the laws of any society that are intended to keep society in order. Most of the commentary I've seen regarding Leviticus 21:9 indicate they were not likely burned alive with fire but burned after death, tho it's a possibility "burnt by fire" could imply some sort of branding. In any case Christians have never followed the Levtical Laws and Orthodox Jews aren't stoning or burning people nowadays either, so it's really a poor argument.
The charge that people use the Bible an excuse for violence against women is just ludicrous. I can't think of one instance of that ever happening. Those women murdered in the adult industry were not likely murdered because of the Bible as is implied. They were likely killed because the adult industry is a seedy world to begin with. He claims "It is fuelling the epidemic of violence experienced by so many girls and women in Australia - and globally.", yet offers no examples... because there is none. People aren't carrying out acts of violence in the name of the Bible, but there is another religious book that people do use to carry out acts of violence, which no mention is made of.
On a final note, the Cnet articles makes a statement that is widely believed but wrong:
Actually governments have killed more people than religion ever has. It's estimated 160 million were killed from wars and despotism in the 20th century alone. According to Philip and Axlerod's three-volume Encyclopedia of Wars, of the 1,763 wars that have been waged over human history only 123 (6.98%) have been religious in nature.
It's a book that encourages readers to murder women for entertainment. The incentive is to commit sexual violence against women, then abuse or kill them to proceed or get 'god' points – and now Target are stocking it and promoting it for your Xmas stocking.
This is The Holy Bible. This book means that after various sex acts, readers are given options to kill women by stoning her unconscious, Setting them on fire, cutting off their hands, and killing their children!
One of many fan passages on In The Holy Bible depicts woman being set alight for having sex "And the daughter of any priest, if she profane herself by playing the whore, she profaneth her father: she shall be burnt with fire." (Leviticus 21:9).
Obviously the counter-petition was created by fans of GTA who were not happy about the petition and subsequent ban, so in a sardonic way they they compare the treatment of women in the Bible with violence in GTA. I'm going to assume this was done tongue-in-cheek otherwise they would not be playing a game that allows them to do the very things they accuse the Bible of doing. And I'll get to those accusations in a moment, but first I ask why did they feel the need to support GTA by attacking the Bible? What does one have to do with the other? And if there going to be fair why don't they attack the Koran for the very same things? Wait, I know the answer to that already. On to the accusations...
Often we look at history from a 21st century perspective. We try to judge ancient societies through the lens of modern day ethics, but we forget it took us thousands of years to get where we are at now. Change didn't happen over night. The ancient world was a vastly different world where violence was the norm, life was cheap, and women were treated as second class citizens. Incidentally it is Christianity that is a credited for setting the current bar for morality, including raising the social status of women.
The main gripe is toward the treatment of women under Levtical Law, so there needs to be some understanding of the Levitcal Law and it's purpose. These were Laws that the Jews during that time adhered too. They were meant for the Jews and the Jews alone, and yes some of them were harsh but they themselves chose to live under them on many occasions (Exo 24:7). They had civil laws that were based on morality and carried corporal punishments if they were not followed. In that regard they are not much different from laws we have today, for example murder carries the death penalty or life in prison. It is no different from the laws of any society that are intended to keep society in order. Most of the commentary I've seen regarding Leviticus 21:9 indicate they were not likely burned alive with fire but burned after death, tho it's a possibility "burnt by fire" could imply some sort of branding. In any case Christians have never followed the Levtical Laws and Orthodox Jews aren't stoning or burning people nowadays either, so it's really a poor argument.
The charge that people use the Bible an excuse for violence against women is just ludicrous. I can't think of one instance of that ever happening. Those women murdered in the adult industry were not likely murdered because of the Bible as is implied. They were likely killed because the adult industry is a seedy world to begin with. He claims "It is fuelling the epidemic of violence experienced by so many girls and women in Australia - and globally.", yet offers no examples... because there is none. People aren't carrying out acts of violence in the name of the Bible, but there is another religious book that people do use to carry out acts of violence, which no mention is made of.
On a final note, the Cnet articles makes a statement that is widely believed but wrong:
The GTA V's supporters might choose to add of their anti-Bible stance that more people have been killed in the name of religion than in any other name.
Actually governments have killed more people than religion ever has. It's estimated 160 million were killed from wars and despotism in the 20th century alone. According to Philip and Axlerod's three-volume Encyclopedia of Wars, of the 1,763 wars that have been waged over human history only 123 (6.98%) have been religious in nature.
