First long con in the history of the world
No, I'm not going into the issue of whether the Bible is true or not. I wouldn't dream of it. But I've decided to sit down and read the Bible from one end to the other. And I just read the story of Abram and Sarai in Egypt. How Abram tells Sarai to join in on the deception that she is his sister rather than his wife, as he suspects the Egyptians would otherwise kill him to win the beautiful Sarai. So eventually Pharaoh attempts to buy Abram's 'sister' with cattle and servants etc. and all the payments are accepted and God sends his wrath upon Pharaoh for making a move on another man's wife. Pharaoh sends Sarai back and the couple leaves Egypt with a bunch of riches, because Pharaoh lets them keep the bride-price he paid for the woman he thought he could have. Genesis 12.
What the hell is this? This is a con. History's first long con I dare say. Make the victim think he can buy what he wants, and then sell him what he thinks he wants. And he will be punished for being gullible and you can walk away rich. No, really, it's a perfectly proper thing to do, it's in the Bible. Sell your wife as a bride pretending she's your sister. Perfectly proper, Abram himself did it.
Now, looking past the appalling concept of buying oneself a bride as today that is not what I take exception to, this is the moral compass for so many people. A moral compass that finds it perfectly alrigt to cheat people out of their riches like a common thief - but I suppose it's alright when the victim is Egyptian and the thief is Abram himself, then it's okay.
Come on! What sort of bigoted self-serving crap is this?
Really...
Edit: and it happens again in Genesis 20
What the hell is this? This is a con. History's first long con I dare say. Make the victim think he can buy what he wants, and then sell him what he thinks he wants. And he will be punished for being gullible and you can walk away rich. No, really, it's a perfectly proper thing to do, it's in the Bible. Sell your wife as a bride pretending she's your sister. Perfectly proper, Abram himself did it.
Now, looking past the appalling concept of buying oneself a bride as today that is not what I take exception to, this is the moral compass for so many people. A moral compass that finds it perfectly alrigt to cheat people out of their riches like a common thief - but I suppose it's alright when the victim is Egyptian and the thief is Abram himself, then it's okay.
Come on! What sort of bigoted self-serving crap is this?
Really...
Edit: and it happens again in Genesis 20