The bible is a very profoundly mediocre book that also contains many contradictions. I would like to know how Yahweh and Jesus are one based on "his" sayings, also some of his are contradictory and horrendous, and that is much of what current believers think.
Well said
Of course it is all bollocks. Can you imagine any man cutting of his wifes hand if she touches his penis, he would come back for more time and time again.
But they stopped using it but all other bollocks are still in use. I can't imagine that Mary was a virgin either when she conceived.
In fairness, Mark 16:17-18 is widely accepted even by most fundamentalists as one of those so-called "pious frauds" added in later by some scribe. That's where snake handling comes from, too. The last few verses of Mark, which includes this patent nonsense, is found only in much later manuscripts, is not mentioned by early church fathers, etc. So it's a "gimme" except for true knuckle-draggers who choose to embrace it anyway.
The divorce prohibition is still "IN' in some circles, sometimes as an actual prohibition and sometimes, as it was for me, more of a taboo to consider as anything but a last resort and/or an ideal to hold up. It was strong enough that it kept me married to my first wife for 15 years, and that's at least 14.5 years longer than any self-respecting person should have. There is an associated rule laid down by Paul that a church elder must be, among other things, "the husband of one wife". This was a notion that captured my imagination as it was taught as an ideal to aim for and a terrible tragedy to miss the target.
Some of these like the tattoo prohibition exist without many believers even being aware there's some scriptural support for it. It's rather like how at one time it was considered indecent for a woman to have skirts shorter than ankle-length, under then-prevalent notions of modesty. Or how modern believers make up the doctrine of the "age of accountability" out of thin air with no scriptural backing whatsoever ... because it's terribly inconvenient to tell bereaved parents of young children, yes, your child is in hell if they didn't profess faith in Jesus.
Fundamentalists have an awful lot to keep track of. Some days I pinch myself, being free of those endless lists of obscure rules and unrealistic expectations.