Barry Duke, the Angry Atheist

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ANIMAL sacrifice runs rampant throughout Scripture because “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”

All this bloodshed is totally unacceptable, according People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), which has taken liberties with the Bible in a new publication entitled The Book: PETA’s Version of the Creation Story.

Produced as a digital download with a virtual “vegan leather” cover, the book is billed as a “first-of-its-kind AI-generated vegan interpretation of the book of Genesis.”

Image via YouTube

The Christian Post quotes PETA President Ingrid Newkirk, above, as saying:

The Bible has long been used to justify all forms of oppression, so we’ve used ChatGPT to make it clear that a loving God would never endorse exploitation of or cruelty to animals.

So, according to the The Book, in Genesis Chapter 22, Abraham travels to the land of Moriah and befriends a gentle lamb to show his reverence and respect for God’s creation, rather than slaughtering a ram to demonstrate his faith.

The animal rights group also inserted an entirely new storyline into Genesis 21, where Abraham and Sarah, who at that point in the text are 100 and 90 years old, respectively, “add to their growing family by adopting a dog named Herbie.”

The passage reads:

As they walked with Herbie, Sarah and Abraham thought of the importance of adopting dogs from shelters and rescue organizations rather than purchasing them from breeders.

Other changes made by PETA to the “Word of God” include referring to animals as “beings” rather than “beasts” or “creatures”, and substituting animal skins with clothing made of plant fibers like hemp and bamboo.

Playing fast-and-loose with “holy” texts is already starting to have repercussions.

Image via YouTube

Darrell L Bock, above, senior research professor of New Testament Studies at Dallas Theological Seminary, told CP:

You can’t rewrite the Bible by this kind of revisionism and then claim it is a biblical sanction. To do so for your preferences undercuts what the Bible is and produces what is no longer the Bible …

Bock, who also serves as executive director for Cultural Engagement at Howard G. Hendricks Center for Christian Leadership and Cultural Engagement, also took exception to PETA’s claim about the Bible and using it for “oppression.”

The term oppression here is misapplied as well. Oppression is something humans do to each other. This kind of a use flattens distinctions in the creation that distort Divine design.

PETA’s book also goes on to completely transform what most scholars consider to be an Old Testament foreshadowing of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on Calvary in the account of Abram offering up his only son, Isaac, on Mount Moriah. 

The book’s description says:

Among other new interpretations, in Genesis Chapter 22, Abraham travels to the land of Moriah and befriends a gentle lamb to show his reverence and respect for God’s creation, rather than slaughtering a ram to demonstrate his faith—much as human sacrifice, once a reality, is now outlawed all over the world.

A PETA US spokesperson told CP that despite rewriting the first book of the Christian Bible, they have no plans to re-imagine the sacred writings of other religions. 

We’ve only gotten as far as Genesis, so we’re not getting ahead of ourselves, but we’re against all animal sacrifice. There are wonderful ways to make personal sacrifices that don’t involve celebrating Eid with bloodshed, and the same is true for the holidays and rituals of all other religions, including Santeria and Hinduism.

Only the ‘wrong-headed would object

As far as the campaign being potentially offensive to Christians, PETA said the organisation “embarked on this project at the behest of its Christian members” and called anyone who is offended by the book “wrongheaded.”

According to PETA, the purpose of selling a Bible rewrite is:

To start important conversations about dominion as a benevolent way of life rather than an exploitative one and to encourage Christians to reconcile their faith with their actions by choosing to live vegan.

PETA’s LAMB page—”a resource for Christians”—says:

Everything about eating animals flies in the face of what it means to be a good steward of God’s creation. The Kingdom of God—the vision of life fully reconciled to God—is marked, in part, by peace between species, nonviolence, and life over death. 

Using animals for food, clothing, experiments, and entertainment necessitates violence and death.

Each purchase of The Book ($3.99) will support PETA’s vital work to protect animals everywhere from exploitation and cruelty.

You can also support my work via a one-off donation via PayPal, Buy Me a Coffee or GofundMe.

If you spot any typos in this report please notify me at freethinkered@aol.com