Idolizing Jesus and the idolizing the verses of the Bible

Be warned! Some Christians might find the following post offensive. Please forgive me at the outset if you find the following material to be insulting. It is very much NOT my intention to insult any Christians or their beliefs.

I think people blindly idolize Jesus and idolize the verses of the Bible. But if you have the tiniest peep-hole of an open mind you might find the research discussed in this post as fascinating as I do.

Consider the following verses from the Bible:

"Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also." Matt.5 Verses 38 to 48

“Slaves, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the cruel.” (1 Peter 2:18)

Jesus said "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's; and to God the things that are God's." Romans 13:1 "Let every person be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God and those which exist are established by God." Matthew 22:21

Now before you dismiss the following theory out of hand consider the Jewish people. The Jewish people are the most ruthless and belligerent people on the planet. What are the chances the most ruthless and belligerent people on the planet are suddenly going to turn the other cheek, submit to their masters, and give to Caesar what is Caesar's. This is just too impossible to believe!

There's a theory the Gospel was war-time occupational propaganda fabricated by the Romans to pacify the Jewish people. And also to give legitimacy to the Roman occupation by implying a particular Roman military leader was the son of God fulfilling Jewish prophecy.

Here is a link to a video discussing the theory in great detail:

CAESAR'S MESSIAH: The Roman Conspiracy to Invent Jesus - OFFICIAL VERSION

"With the analysis done by Joseph Atwill, the key lies in the Dead Sea Scrolls which are the only Jewish literature ever discovered from the first century AD or CE... the time Jesus would have been preaching among the Jews. The characters in the Dead Sea Scrolls were militaristic and you can see that this movement wanted to push the foreigners out of Israel; they were fundamentalists, whereas the characters of the Gospels are not.

Joseph began studying the other two major works of that era, The 'New testament' and the 'Wars of the Jews' by Josephus, a Roman court historian who described the war between the Romans and the Jews in the first century. While reading these works side by side he noticed an amazing connection between them.

Certain events from the ministry of Jesus seem to closely parallel episodes from the military campaign of Titus Flavius. A campaign which took place forty years after Jesus supposedly lived. Joseph's efforts to understand these connections led him to an incredible discovery. Christianity had been invented by a little known family of Roman Caesars, the Flavians, and they left us documents to prove it."

It's very hard to argue with Atwill's argument with regards to the over 40 topological associations all in the SAME sequence and in the same locations between the two literally works compared in his study. The parallels are ASTOUNDING!

The locations and sequence of Jesus travels through the Gospel line up with the military campaign of Titus Flavius as if Titus Flavius is implied to be the Jewish savior! The propaganda was designed to imply Titus Flavius was the son of God! The Romans were using religion to govern the people in an occupied land.

Jesus wanted peace, he did not want people to get slaughtered by the ruling governments. The pawns did not have a chance if they were to start arguing with the soldiers. The same goes nowadays. You can't fight city hall, if you try and win, it leads to civil unrest many times.

I believe in god but do not idolize the verses in the bible. It is a book, a history of what went on and a philosophy that in general is pretty good. Our basis of society benefitted by Christianity. We have created better human rights with the aid of christianity. There was once lots of bad things happening under Christianity, but that is in the past now. Hopefully it stays in the past. I believe a lot of good is in the Christian religion, most of the Christians are good people. There is a lot higher percentage of good people in Christianity than in the ones that do not go to church. Of course, there are going to be some people that go to church regularly and are not good people, but in general, most Christians I know are good people.

Double standards, about where the line of placebo or delusional should be made.
Double standards
Then there that one verse where Jesus should be worshipped as the Serpent of Old.

I'd love to know what happened back then too.

originally posted by: Specimen88
Double standards, about where the line of placebo or delusional should be made.
Double standards
Then there that one verse where Jesus should be worshipped as the Serpent of Old.
I'd love to know what happened back then too.

Try to use nouns and verbs in your sentences in an understandable order. I have no idea what you are talking about.

If you are implying somehow the "Beast" is involved in this posting please just come out and say it. Stop being a pussy.

a reply to: rickymouse

I don't disagree with anything you've said.

I just want to add to your comments. One of the problems I have with the Bible is it seems to imply slavery is morally okay. And it seems to claim or imply there is salvation in being a "good" slave and there is a great reward coming to receive in the afterlife. My problem with this way of thinking is it seems to me to be the product of evil intentions by people with superior intellect trying to control the masses.

Friedrich Nietzsche had some interesting criticisms of Christianity. He said Christianity was born in response to Roman oppression. It took hold in the minds of timid slaves who did not have the courage or strength to get hold of what they really wanted. The slaves could not admit to their own failings. So they clung to a philosophy that made virtue of cowardice. Everything the Christians wanted and wished they had in their lives for fulfillment was what was considered to be a sin. A position in the world, prestige, sex, intellectual mastery, personal wealth were too difficult or beyond their reach. The Christian slaves created a hypocritical creed denouncing what they wanted, too weak to fight for, while praising what they did not want, but did have in abundance, as being worth having. So in the Christian value system sexlessness turned into 'purity', weakness became "goodness," submission to authority became "obedience," and in Nietzsche's words, "not-being-able-take-revenge" turned into "forgiveness."

I think for modern man there are well-studied psychological ways of being. The quality of our character is often dictated by events of our childhood. People can study different types of psychology and become more well-round in terms of human character. I have a difficult time seeing virtue in being a slave.

originally posted by: dfnj2015

Consider the following verses from the Bible:

"Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also." Matt.5 Verses 38 to 48

Jesus was telling his disciples to stay silent in order to let God avenge them. Turning the other cheek resulted in a heavenly reward. And the aggressor would receive a punishment. It was actually a way of getting back at the aggressor. Refer to Psalm 25:21-22

If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head, and the Lord will reward you.

Why does the one who responds to evil with kindness get a reward? While the evil one get a punishment? Because the first leaves it to God to avenge him. And the evil one, not only does evil, but benefits from the water and food that belonged to the one he oppressed.

originally posted by: dfnj2015
“Slaves, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the cruel.” (1 Peter 2:18)

Those are not Jesus' words.

originally posted by: dfnj2015
Jesus said "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's; and to God the things that are God's."

"Render to Caesar..." was Jesus' clever response to the Pharisees who were trying to trap him with words. He wasn't telling people to submit to the Romans.

originally posted by: dfnj2015
Romans 13:1 "Let every person be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God and those which exist are established by God."

Those are not Jesus' words. Those are Paul's words. And we have good reason to think he was a shill for the Romans. Because, he himself calls himself a Roman citizien (Acts 22:8) and appealed to Caesar (Acts 25:11). He was probably very well connected with the Roman authorities. I wouldn't be surprised if it turns out Paul was a Roman plant to undermine Christianity.

originally posted by: dfnj2015
There's a theory the Gospel was war-time occupational propaganda fabricated by the Romans to pacify the Jewish people. And also to give legitimacy to the Roman occupation by implying a particular Roman military leader was the son of God fulfilling Jewish prophecy.

The Romans didn't have to use propaganda to pacify anyone. They were strong enough to use force to get things done.

Well, we don't idolize Jesus.......we hate religion, ya know...we look down our collective noses at that pope and his band of PIPE HITTIN Bishops. They have their own book and their 10 Commandments allow idolatry. Fact, Jack.!

We talk to Jesus and He talks back........this morning He told me to tell all that everywhere you go.......you are looking at His creation. A high rise office tower interior or on the Alpine Loop by Durango......even the parking area by the highrises.

Not idolizing......hanging out with......like when I'm wild hog chasing at night and they line up in the ragweed stands........I'm Talkin then......

Wrap up....Jesus is my exploring and hunting buddy...

Please don't be offended when I say this but
You are so ignorant about understanding the culture and language of some 2000 year old texts written to a group of people you have no affiliation with

And remember
Jesus wasn't talking to you, wasn't talking to all Jews, just a handful who were considering His words.


No offence, just saying that it's not logical
Most Jews who became Christians were persecuted by both the Jews and Rome
If Rome was trying to subvert Judaism they would have rewarded the new Christian converts who were submitting, not fed them to the lions

Did you think this through before posting

Do you understand what I am saying
If Rome wanted Jews converted to Christianity, why kill them when they did convert, why not reward and protect the Christians?
What you are suggesting is just not logical or intelligent, why attack Christains if you want Jews to convert

I hope it's clear what I am saying
I hope you can think beyond some crazy man writing a book to make money that tickles your ears

a reply to: dfnj2015

Where the fun in that then if I do? Pussy never gave anything away, it just takes.

Keep reading about Jesus, that's a good thing. But instead of trying to define Him through reading alone and divining meaning from others opinions, add prayer with your study. You will find Him and you will find He is worthy of worship. a reply to: dfnj2015

originally posted by: dfnj2015
a reply to: rickymouse

I don't disagree with anything you've said.

I just want to add to your comments. One of the problems I have with the Bible is it seems to imply slavery is morally okay. And it seems to claim or imply there is salvation in being a "good" slave and there is a great reward coming to receive in the afterlife. My problem with this way of thinking is it seems to me to be the product of evil intentions by people with superior intellect trying to control the masses.

Friedrich Nietzsche had some interesting criticisms of Christianity. He said Christianity was born in response to Roman oppression. It took hold in the minds of timid slaves who did not have the courage or strength to get hold of what they really wanted. The slaves could not admit to their own failings. So they clung to a philosophy that made virtue of cowardice. Everything the Christians wanted and wished they had in their lives for fulfillment was what was considered to be a sin. A position in the world, prestige, sex, intellectual mastery, personal wealth were too difficult or beyond their reach. The Christian slaves created a hypocritical creed denouncing what they wanted, too weak to fight for, while praising what they did not want, but did have in abundance, as being worth having. So in the Christian value system sexlessness turned into 'purity', weakness became "goodness," submission to authority became "obedience," and in Nietzsche's words, "not-being-able-take-revenge" turned into "forgiveness."

I think for modern man there are well-studied psychological ways of being. The quality of our character is often dictated by events of our childhood. People can study different types of psychology and become more well-round in terms of human character. I have a difficult time seeing virtue in being a slave.

In old times, people would be sold into servitude. Their parents would get money for their kids, or maybe just sheep back in those days. Servitude was supposed to expire after seven years for the Jewish culture. Sometimes a person wanted to help their brother start a business and would sell themselves into slavery.There were a couple kinds of slaves back then.

Many of the slaves brought from Africa were bought from relatives. it was different back those days. There were slave traders that did kidnap people but it was easier to get one that came willingly, they did not know what they were getting into.

We scuff at Slavery, but remember, not all slaves were treated badly. It depended on the owner of the slaves. Some owners were fair, some owners were jerks. Slaves even back in ancient times had some rights, it discusses about mistreatment of slaves in the bible in a few places.

We are slaves to society and consumerism, they just deceive us into believing we are free. But consumerism deceives us into buying things we do not need, society constantly convinces us to buy food chemistry that attracts us and we start to need it. It does not cost that much to actually live, but that would not show economic growth so they trick the young into going to college, that way they need to work harder to get out of debt. Maybe we are surfs, maybe we are poppers, it doesn't matter, we are slaves to our beliefs and to the societies we are living in. It isn't bad, but often the progression of society which is tied to economy means we have to work much harder.

originally posted by: dfnj2015
a reply to: rickymouse

I don't disagree with anything you've said.

I just want to add to your comments. One of the problems I have with the Bible is it seems to imply slavery is morally okay. And it seems to claim or imply there is salvation in being a "good" slave and there is a great reward coming to receive in the afterlife. My problem with this way of thinking is it seems to me to be the product of evil intentions by people with superior intellect trying to control the masses.

Friedrich Nietzsche had some interesting criticisms of Christianity. He said Christianity was born in response to Roman oppression. It took hold in the minds of timid slaves who did not have the courage or strength to get hold of what they really wanted. The slaves could not admit to their own failings. So they clung to a philosophy that made virtue of cowardice. Everything the Christians wanted and wished they had in their lives for fulfillment was what was considered to be a sin. A position in the world, prestige, sex, intellectual mastery, personal wealth were too difficult or beyond their reach. The Christian slaves created a hypocritical creed denouncing what they wanted, too weak to fight for, while praising what they did not want, but did have in abundance, as being worth having. So in the Christian value system sexlessness turned into 'purity', weakness became "goodness," submission to authority became "obedience," and in Nietzsche's words, "not-being-able-take-revenge" turned into "forgiveness."

I think for modern man there are well-studied psychological ways of being. The quality of our character is often dictated by events of our childhood. People can study different types of psychology and become more well-round in terms of human character. I have a difficult time seeing virtue in being a slave.

slavery was common practice all over the Middle East
The bible is clear, if you can get out of being a slave, get out, that is in Corinthians
If Jesus condemned slavery there would have been immense bloodshed, obviously

Sex is for marriage, nobody has to go without sex, why even infer that?

And there were very wealthy people, powerful people and soldiers who became Christians.
Not only slaves accepted Christ, many powerful people did as well
And some salve owners were christians

You have no idea what you are talking about, you assume when you know nothing of what was happening in that culture

a reply to: dfnj2015

Be armed this link is to a post on quora that debunks your Flavius nonsense completely
www.quora.com...

No offence

a reply to: dfnj2015

First of all, to call the Jews "the most ruthless and belligerent people on the planet", is ignorant and arrogant on your part. I don't see how you expect anyone to take you seriously. There is no single race that can ever hold the status of "the most ruthless and belligerent people on the planet". Evil manifests itself all over the world.

Jesus wanted people to rest their faith in God, and to stop taking vengeance into their own hands. When we take vengeance into our own hands, we tend to judge disproportionately. If you let God take vengeance for you, you will receive full compensation, and the offender will receive what they deserve; nothing more, nothing less. This has been my experience time and time again. When some Eastern mystic or New Ager teaches that principle, its often considered wisdom, yet when its read in the Bible, you call it propaganda. God will not be mocked. You will discover that for yourself.

originally posted by: dfnj2015
Be warned! Some Christians might find the following post offensive. Please forgive me at the outset if you find the following material to be insulting. It is very much NOT my intention to insult any Christians or their beliefs.

I think people blindly idolize Jesus and idolize the verses of the Bible. But if you have the tiniest peep-hole of an open mind you might find the research discussed in this post as fascinating as I do.

The Jewish people are the most ruthless and belligerent people on the planet.

Not ment to offend yet yet from the outset you are calling Christians closed mined and Jews as the most ruthless people on earth.


Romans 8:6-8 King James Version (KJV)

6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.

8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
King James Version (KJV)

Your whole outlook is carnal so you will never comprehend or understand the things of God

True christians idolize nothing at all - nothing, but simply believe in Jesus' sacrifice.

Plastic christians idolize jesus, the cross, the pope, the church whatever is the leading flavour of the times.

"Be warned" the true christian pittys this rubbish the plastic christian practices but salvation cannot be enforced but rather invited.

The idolization going on here in this OP is nothing more than the idolization of ones-self. Again.

originally posted by: dfnj2015
a reply to: rickymouse

Friedrich Nietzsche had some interesting criticisms of Christianity.

On the other hand, he also helped create a brand of Fascism uniquely German. Not that Nietzsche was a Fascist, but he did call for a ruling elite, a race of supermen. In doing so, however, he had no one race or nation in mind, least of all the Germans, for whom he had no particular liking. But some of his ideas were close to what National Socialist ideologists considered ideally German. So these ideas were appropriated, while others, not agreeing with Nazi doctrine, were discarded.

Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) and Karl Marx (1818-1883) were philosophers who had a profound effect on politics. Both were fascinated by evolution. “Darwin’s book is important,” said Marx, “and serves me as a natural scientific basis for the class struggle in history.” Historian Will Durant called Nietzsche a “child of Darwin.” The book Philosophy​—An Outline-​History summarized one of Nietzsche’s beliefs: “The strong, brave, domineering, proud, fit best the society that is to be.”

Darwin believed​—and wrote in a letter to a friend—​that in the future “an endless number of the lower races will have been eliminated by the higher civilized races throughout the world.” He used as a precedent the European conquest of others and chalked this up to “the struggle for existence.”

The powerful were quick to latch on to such statements. H. G. Wells wrote in The Outline of History: “Prevalent peoples at the close of the nineteenth century believed that they prevailed by virtue of the Struggle for Existence, in which the strong and cunning get the better of the weak and confiding. And they believed further that they had to be strong, energetic, ruthless, ‘practical,’ egotistical.”

Thus, “survival of the fittest” took on philosophical, social, and political overtones, often to an absurd extent. “To some war became ‘a biological necessity,’” said the book Milestones of History. And this book noted that during the next century, “Darwinian ideas formed an integral part of Hitler’s doctrine of racial superiority.”

Of course, neither Darwin, Marx, nor Nietzsche lived to see how their ideas would be applied​—or misapplied. Indeed, they expected that the struggle for existence would improve man’s lot in life. Darwin wrote in The Origin of Species that “all corporeal and mental endowments will tend to progress towards perfection.” Twentieth-​century priest and biologist Pierre Teilhard de Chardin agreed with this, theorizing that eventually there would occur an ‘evolution of the minds of the entire human race; everyone would harmoniously work toward one goal.’

Do you see such improvement occurring? The book Clinging to a Myth commented on De Chardin’s optimism: “De Chardin must have been quite oblivious of the history of human bloodshed and of racist systems such as apartheid in South Africa. He sounds like a man who is not living in this world.” Rather than progress toward unity, humanity in the last 2 centuries has experienced racial and national division on an unprecedented scale.

The hope held out in The Origin of Species, that man would progress toward perfection, or at least improvement, is very much unfulfilled. And that hope keeps receding with time, for since the general acceptance of evolution, the human family all too often has descended into barbarism. Consider: More than 100 million people have been killed in the wars of the last century, some 50 million in World War II alone. Also consider the recent ethnic slaughter in such places as Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia.

Is this to say that there were no wars and brutalities in past centuries? No, there certainly were. But the acceptance of the theory of evolution, this brutal struggle-​for-​existence mind-​set, this survival-​of-​the-​fittest idea, has not served to improve man’s lot. So while evolution cannot be blamed for all of man’s ills, it has helped push the human family into ever greater hatred, crime, violence, immorality, and degradation. Since it is widely accepted that humans descended from beasts, it is not surprising that more and more people act like beasts.

originally posted by: BELIEVERpriest
a reply to: dfnj2015

First of all, to call the Jews "the most ruthless and belligerent people on the planet", is ignorant and arrogant on your part. I don't see how you expect anyone to take you seriously.

The OP also seems to overlook the fact that Jesus was a Jew, as were all the writers of the Christian Greek Scriptures (a.k.a. The New Testament). And all of those, including the majority of 1st century Christians, came out of the religion of Judaism to follow Jesus Christ.

They seemed to have little trouble making the adjustments described by dfnj2015 as "too impossible to believe!":

What are the chances the most ruthless and belligerent people on the planet are suddenly going to turn the other cheek, submit to their masters, and give to Caesar what is Caesar's. This is just too impossible to believe!

Of course, without the help of God's holy spirit (God’s active force by which he accomplishes his purpose and executes his will), they probably would have had a much harder time accomplishing those things.

Anyway, this statement:

originally posted by: dfnj2015

The Jewish people are the most ruthless and belligerent people on the planet.

is called:

Making Generalizations

Another very successful tactic of propaganda is generalization. Generalizations tend to obscure important facts about the real issues in question, and they are frequently used to demean entire groups of people. “Gypsies [or immigrants] are thieves” is, for instance, a phrase frequently heard in some European countries. But is that true?

Richardos Someritis, a columnist, says that in one country such perceptions caused a kind of “xenophobic and very often racist frenzy” against foreigners. ...

Source: The Manipulation of Information (Awake!—2000)

originally posted by: dfnj2015
I think people blindly idolize Jesus and idolize the verses of the Bible. But if you have the tiniest peep-hole of an open mind you might find the research discussed in this post as fascinating as I do.

I share your opinion here, I've seen that in every sermon in the churches that I have been, I even told one of the pastors that, and he wasn't happy about it. What's more it's sad when the Christians use the words God and "jesus" interchangeably. There should be a clear separation between God Almighty and His son, (that is yet to appear). Even though the humanity has benefited from the Christianity, its creation reeks of a conspiracy. I strongly believe in the prophets of the Old Testament, but the so called "New Testament" is a perversion of God's word and this character "Jesus" was a fake entity, conjured up from thin air by the traitors and enemies of the humanity. It's one of the biggest lies thrown upon this world. The promised messenger of God will come in due time, but it's far from the character that Christians are waiting for.

There's a theory the Gospel was war-time occupational propaganda fabricated by the Romans to pacify the Jewish people. And also to give legitimacy to the Roman occupation by implying a particular Roman military leader was the son of God fulfilling Jewish prophecy.

Here is a link to a video discussing the theory in great detail:

CAESAR'S MESSIAH: The Roman Conspiracy to Invent Jesus - OFFICIAL VERSION

I think that Atwill hit the nail on the head here. In this world filled with conspiracies, it stands to reason that there was a more nefarious plan, like Atwill describes - a conspiracy to pacify the jews, distort the word of the true God, and possibly many more other malicious reasons. There's a thread here that talks about this - All roads lead to Rome, www.abovetopsecret.com...

--

Friedrich Nietzsche had some interesting criticisms of Christianity. He said Christianity was born in response to Roman oppression. It took hold in the minds of timid slaves who did not have the courage or strength to get hold of what they really wanted. The slaves could not admit to their own failings. So they clung to a philosophy that made virtue of cowardice.

Strong talk needs true arguments. I think Nietzsche had strong opinions but based on wrong premises. One of the things he lacked, was a balance in his thought versus Christianity (its benefits), and what's worse he attacked and denied God. There's a reason he is popular in certain pagan circles that are hateful towards God. I've read a couple of his works long time ago.

Dfnj2015, I think that your post, true as it is, needs some more balance to be complete, (as pointed out by others), i.e. bringing the Christianity's benefits into the picture, like human rights and civilization and also quoting a controversial philosopher complicates the things even further, as shown by the user whereislogic. Regardless, I perfectly understand your angle of writing this post and I enjoyed reading it.

Star and flag.

This thread, and especially the book "Caesar's Messiah: The Roman Conspiracy to Invent Jesus" by Joseph Atwill and sold on Amazon for 20 bucks in paperback format, serves as another nice demonstration of 2 Timothy 4:3,4 though:

For there will be a period of time when they will not put up with the wholesome* [Or “healthful; beneficial.”] teaching, but according to their own desires, they will surround themselves with teachers to have their ears tickled.* [Or “to tell them what they want to hear.”] 4 They will turn away from listening to the truth and give attention to false stories.

Or as the one in the link posted by Raggedyman puts it:

There are many problems with Atwill’s theory . First, the alleged parallels ; For example, Atwill says that when Jesus calls the disciples to be “fishers of men” this is a secret code related to a scene in the Jewish War. ... Atwill’s book is full of these “parallels” that exist only if you already believe Atwill’s argument!

The bolded part analogous to the phrase 'to tell them what they already want to believe or hear', i.e. tickling their ears, making sure his book sells well in a particular market, the type of people that buy into this stuff (literally and figuratively). It's a bit of a desperate attempt to cater to the market of people who want to see the Bible discredited, people with desperate hearts in turn. Of course, from a financial perspective, it's quite lucrative for someone like Atwill, cause that particular market is quite large in this system of things as promoted by the god of this system of things, Satan. And 20 bucks for a paperback edition is way more than it costs to produce this poison and nonsense that isn't even worth such a lengthy response as the one I previously quoted from.

“The heart is more treacherous than anything else and is desperate. Who can know it? I, Jehovah, am searching the heart, examining the innermost thoughts,* [Or “deepest emotions.” Lit., “kidneys.”] to give to each one according to his ways, according to the fruitage of his works.” (Jer. 17:9)

So our heart can deceive us, leading us to believe that no real spiritual problem exists, while others may see warning signs and be concerned. Why might we be deceived? Well, our sinful inclinations may work against us, as Satan and this system of things mask our real situation. To start believing in foolish claims and false stories, or see any merit in discussing them, is an easy step to take in this system of things.

“A fool will believe anything.”—PROVERBS 14:15, TODAY’S ENGLISH VERSION.

“By clever and persevering use of propaganda even heaven can be represented as hell to the people, and conversely the most wretched life as paradise.”—ADOLF HITLER, MEIN KAMPF.

As means of communicating have expanded—from printing to the telephone, radio, television, and the Internet—the flow of persuasive messages has dramatically accelerated. This communications revolution has led to information overload, as people are inundated by countless messages from every quarter. Many respond to this pressure by absorbing messages more quickly and accepting them without questioning or analyzing them.

The cunning propagandist loves such shortcuts—especially those that short-circuit rational thought. Propaganda encourages this by agitating the emotions, by exploiting insecurities, by capitalizing on the ambiguity of language, by bending rules of logic and by 'tickling people's ears' (which also includes the earlier mentioned agitating of the emotions and exploiting insecurites). As history bears out, such tactics can prove all too effective.

Certainly, the handiest trick of the propagandist is the use of outright lies. Consider, for example, the lies that Martin Luther wrote in 1543 about the Jews in Europe: “They have poisoned wells, made assassinations, kidnaped children . . . They are venomous, bitter, vindictive, tricky serpents, assassins, and children of the devil who sting and work harm.” His exhortation to so-called Christians? “Set fire to their synagogues or schools . . . Their houses [should] also be razed and destroyed.”

A professor of government and social studies who has studied that era says: “Antisemitism has fundamentally nothing to do with the actions of Jews, and therefore fundamentally nothing to do with an antisemite’s knowledge of the real nature of Jews.” He also notes: “The Jews stood for everything that was awry, so that the reflexive reaction to a natural or social ill was to look to its supposed Jewish sources.”

Making Generalizations

...

Source: The Manipulation of Information (Awake!—2000)

Both are covered in the OP, lies and generalizations. There's also a certain amount of playing on the emotions and tickling of people's ears going on in the OP (as in Atwill's book). Good educators present all sides of an issue, propagandists relentlessly force you to hear their view. Often their real motives are not apparent. They sift the facts, exploiting the useful ones and concealing the others. They also distort and twist facts, specializing in lies and half-truths. Your emotions, not your logical thinking abilities, are their target.

How can you protect yourself from the types of people that the Bible calls “profitless talkers” and “deceivers of the mind”? (Titus 1:10) Once you are familiar with some of their tricks, you are in a better position to evaluate any message or information that comes your way. Here are some ways to do this.

Be selective: A completely open mind could be likened to a pipe that lets just anything flow through it—even sewage. No one wants a mind contaminated with poison. Solomon, a king and educator in ancient times, warned: “Anyone inexperienced puts faith in every word, but the shrewd one considers his steps.” (Proverbs 14:15) So we need to be selective. We need to scrutinize whatever is presented to us, deciding what to accept and what to reject.

However, we do not want to be so narrow that we refuse to consider facts that can improve our thinking. How can we find the right balance? By adopting a standard with which to measure new information. Here a Christian has a source of great wisdom. He has the Bible as a sure guide for his thinking. On the one hand, his mind is open, that is, receptive to new information. He properly weighs such new information against the Bible standard and fits what is true into his pattern of thinking. On the other hand, his mind sees the danger of information that is entirely inconsistent with his Bible-based values.

Use discernment: ...

Source: Do Not Be a Victim of Propaganda! (Awake!—2000)

Yes, the OP and Atwill's book is just standard anti-Bible propaganda catering to a market that desires to hear and believe this mental posion; or see any merit in discussing it, wasting their minds and thoughts on it, while they could be learning something much more beneficial from the Bible. Such as:

Knowledge (gnoʹsis) is put in a very favorable light in the Christian Greek Scriptures. However, not all that men may call “knowledge” is to be sought, because philosophies and views exist that are “falsely called ‘knowledge.’” (1Ti 6:20) ...

Source: Knowledge (Insight on the Scriptures, Volume 2)