Issued by POEE SCDP Temple, Widnes, England For and on behalf of POEE Head Temple, San Francisco, United

d States of America

Dear Believer in Christ, I do not accept the Bible as the word of a deity because it contains thousands of errors and contradictions that cannot be solved, only rationalised. I refuse to accept Jesus as my personal saviour, for his behaviour and teachings are those of one who should be escaped, not worshipped. I ask that you read this epistle in the light of the Bible's words. The wisdom that comes from heaven is ... impartial and sincere. (James 3:17), requiring you to evaluate all viewpoints before reaching an impartial conclusion. Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD. (Isaiah 1:18) and he who hates correction will die (Proverbs 15:10). These, and all other quotations in this epistle, are true quotations from the New International Version (UK) of the Bible, and are not removed from their context. If after reading this epistle you still feel I am incorrect, please feel free to enter into a discussion with me; unlike some, I am willing to explain my beliefs, and am open to the possibility that I might be wrong. 1) According to the Bible, I am to believe that humankind is sinful, since Adam and Eve ate the fruit of knowledge. (Genesis 1 etc.) However, Deuteronomy 24:16 commands that each is to die for his own sin. Since I have never eaten such a fruit, why do I deserve to be punished? We are told that the Bible is utterly perfect, and contains no errors that cannot be reasoned away. Why then, do you believe that a bat is a bird (Leviticus 11:13-19), that rabbits chew the cud (Leviticus 11:6), that Adam has personally named every living species (Genesis 2:19) which must have taken him quite a while that there is no way of measuring the wind (John 3:8) and that everything God created is good (1 Timothy 4:4) even parasites, death, disease, famine and the devil himself? Heaven is supposed to be a place of perfection. Naturally, it is the place you strive for and name as your salvation. Yet, it experienced a war (Revelation 12:7). How can there be war in a perfect place? If it happened before, who says it cannot happen again? Why would I want to go to a place in which war can occur? That's exactly what I'm trying to escape: aren't you? Furthermore, you teach that Heaven is a state of eternal life. How can you possibly claim that when you know that The heavens will disappear with a roar (2 Peter 3:10)? On that note, how does one reach salvation? We are told, variously, that Whoever believes in him is not condemned (John 3:18), that we must come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9) to not be condemned, or that we must Obey the commandments (Matthew 19:16-19) not all ten, by the way, Jesus goes on to list seven which he claims are enough. Which is it?

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Ecclesiastes 1:9 states that What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. Please enlighten me as to which cities had an atomic bomb dropped on them before the 20th Century; what electricity prices were in the early 12th century; or how well the 1570's Toyota Yaris ran. The Bible is supposed to be our moral guide in all things, and is supposedly suitable for all ages. What do you think would happen if you wrote a book containing the phrase who, like you, will have to eat their own filth and drink their own urine? (2 Kings 18:27), or perhaps a chapter like Numbers 21 in which a whole tribe of people, including the elderly and children, are graphically slaughtered? The only survivors were the women who were virgins, and even they were later raped by the just and perfect men of Moses. I would not allow my children to read any such pornography! If God created everything, (Colossians 1:16; Ephesians 3:9; Revelation 4:11; John 1:3), then he also created the worlds evil (Isaiah 45:7; Lamentations 3:38). Thus, he is responsible. Any being who could create situations such as rape, death, malnutrition, disease, molestation and murder is certainly not fit for worship. For justice to exist, crimes and punishments must be balanced. A punishment must be fitting of its respective crime. No matter how many bad deeds one commits in this world, there is a finite limit. Yet, you are a proponent of a book which teaches that there is an infinite punishment Hell. It's eternal: an infinite punishment for finite crimes. Do you not feel that proper justice would consist of suffering until remorse is felt and the crime is atoned for? Where is the justice in eternal damnation? According to this book, Jesus said Anyone who says 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell (Matthew 5:22). He then went on to do so repeatedly: You foolish people! (Luke 11:40), God said to him, 'You fool!' (Luke 12:20), like a foolish man who built his house on sand (Matthew 7:26), You blind fools! (Matthew 23:17), The Parable of the Ten Virgins of which Five of them were foolish and five were wise (Matthew 25:1-2 etc.) and How foolish you are (Luke 24:25). Would this not make him destined for Hell, and at the very least, a hypocrite? If Jesus himself is a sinner by his own admission then surely he can not be the perfect lamb of god.

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10) That same Jesus also told us to love our enemies (Matthew 5:44; Luke 6:27,35) and to do good to those who hate you (Matthew 5:44). He then went on to ignore his own advice, calling his enemies You brood of vipers (Matthew 12:34) and addressing others with the words You hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs. (Matthew 23:27) It would appear that this character is, for once, in a perfect position to call others hypocrites being one himself, he would know. 11) There are no unbiased sources in all of ancient history that clearly refer to a Jesus of Nazareth. You would think, if all of the things this character has supposedly done are true, there would be at least one. Your Lord knows non believers exist as a result of this, yet he makes no attempt to supply proof. How can the bible claim god wants all in heaven if he doesnt make efforts to ensure that we all believe in him?

12) Paul says that if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith (1 Corinthians 15:14). Yet Jesus made many promises to return during the lifetime of his followers at that time. Some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming (Matthew 16:28). See also Matthew 23:36;24:34; Mark 9:1;13:30; Luke 9:27; 21:32; John 21:22. None of these have happened. Does this not make Jesus a false prophet, and in accordance with Paul's first letter to the Corinthians, make the Christian faith useless? 13) I find the idea that a man had to die for my sins to be entirely revolting. If your God was truly omnipotent he would have simply forgiven us. What kind of deity would execute one child in order to forgive their others? I call such an individual sadistic, insane, cruel, heartless and unjust. Surely, you would not worship a child killer, so why do you expect me to? Could you find a Judge who would allow their own son to be executed in lieu of his brother's crimes? 14) I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these (John 14:12). You obviously have faith in this book, that's why you're still reading this epistle. So it's only fair that I ask of you to show just how strong your faith is. After all, you want to be my mentor on Christ. I'm not a believer yet, but you are, so would you mind perhaps resurrecting a dead relative, walking across the surface of the Leeds-Liverpool Canal, or converting my cold water tap to dispense wine? 15) Obviously, you didn't do that, you probably used the this is all metaphorical excuse. Surely though you can try Mark 16:17-18 which says And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well. You have five signs there. I will settle for just two out of those five: drink some poison and heal my back pain, and I might start believing. 16) Now you have backed out of two chances to prove yourself a true believer. I'm starting to think you don't really believe as strongly as you claim. Unlike your Jehovah, I shall be kind and offer a third chance at redemption. Consider Jesus' words, Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. (Luke 6:30) Your final chance to prove yourself: Please may I have 500?