The Ghent Altarpiece: God Almighty (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

“Love God and do what you will.”

The scriptures referred to herein are those of the three Abrahamic religions , Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, each of which have their own variations and interpretations of what they consider “inspired.” We might seriously consider those lessons which are basic to every one of them, and the implications for everyone not ascribing to those lessons. These ARE the lessons of scripture:The punishment for disobeying the god frequently involves killing an innocent human being. Innocent children are punished, even to the third and fourth generations. Mankind, with its multitude of good people, were drowned as rats even as they struggled to survive under already harsh conditions, to raise families, even as they loved and cared for one another and their pets, as we ourselves do today. To rectify “shame” or dishonor because your daughter or son disobeys you, kill them. (It is a matter of alleged “love” that the innocent son of this god himself had to be tortured and killed to right the wrong done by his predecessors.)The Almighty is not only unquestionable to mere humans, but his actions are above and beyond morality. The Almighty's actions are explained away by his spokesmen as unfathomable and all-wise. Whatsoever the deity does, on his own or through the powers invested in his agents by him, is to be submitted to. (Our god can do no wrong, and his representatives can do no wrong in interpreting his will.)Whatever actions are essential to advance the kingdom of the Almighty and his chosen elect, so that it triumphs over every other system, must be carried out. Under this commandment, lying and cheating are virtuous, as are the destruction and erosion of legal and secular systems which are not seen to serve the deity nor his representatives on earth. The kingdom of God is interpreted as a political force. (One does not need to look far for constant examples of these things, even in present times.)Whatever you are told to do, no matter how much it conﬂicts with your moral sense and your love of humanity, obey. Hate yourself and your life, but love your neighbor as yourself. If you are told to kill your son, daughter, friends, neighbors, inﬁdels, heretics, non- worshipers, obey. If you are commanded to deprive fathers of the land they farm for their families, and to kill them, or to pull the baby nursing at its mother's breast and slay it, obey. If you are told to slay the sons in those families, toiling in the ﬁelds, helping their parents, obey. If you are told to take their sisters and rape them, enslave them, and seize their lands because the Almighty has made these matters mandatory, you must obey. You must also teach your children that to obey the Almighty through his representatives is their most noble moral obligation.These lessons are used to justify evil. Anything is permissible in the scriptures, if one wants it to be. As St. Augustine said,