Unfiltered Story #298984

This is what happened the last time I tried to talk to my mom about religion.

Mom said something about how God loves us and studying His word will lead to better morality.

Me: “In the Bible, the Israelites did a lot of things that are considered barbaric today.”

Mom: “Those were not done to obey God, but because the Israelites were sinful. Just like people today do evil things without being ordered.”

Me: “But God provided divine assistance, helping them to win conquests against hard odds. Also, God did some massacres directly.”

Mom: “Actually, the archaeological evidence shows that most massacres didn’t happen. They were stories made to encourage moral living and teach the fear of the Lord.”

Me: “What about smaller things, like stoning non-believers? Those happened a lot.”

Mom: “The religious leaders usually did what was convenient for them instead of what God commanded, just like politicians and televangelists in modern times.”

Me: “Some of what happened is central to the narrative, like the Exodus. Would you consider those events to have happened.”

Mom: (thinks for a moment.) “Yes.”

Me: “Do you think killing the firstborn of every Egyptian family was moral?”

Mom: “Well, I believe in an afterlife.”

Me: “Jesus had that parable about a narrow gate to heaven and a wide gate to hell”

Mom: “That’s actually talking about something unrelated”

This conversation went on for a few more painful minutes. Incredibly, mom still expects me to convert back any day now, and keeps offering theology books and other things.