Because this is a fair, often asked, question, it deserves an honest answer.
I, unlike many writers, I do not care to write about myself.
I am not the topic in a Bible debate.
I am not the authority - you are not the authority - the Biblical C&V facts are the authority.
My suggestion is: "Don't believe me or any other man".
Read the controversial Bible C&Vs - know what the Bible says about its God - and then decide for yourself.
Briefly, my story is: In the late 1970's I was a screen actor (SAG) in Hollywood, California, a Captain in the U.S. Army National Guard and an interviewer of major celebrities and a vice president of the Hollywood Stuntmen's Union.
I am an aerobatic Stunt Pilot - (The Pitts S2-A).
I've done stand-up comedy.
Why not become a Catholic Priest? You won't have to deal with the Bible and you can listen to confessions:
An old Jew went into a Catholic Church and a confessional. He told the priest: I was sitting in the park, minding my own business, feeding the pigeons and the most beautiful teenage girl I've ever seen asked me if we could have sex. Man! It was the most fantastic, special, unbelievable, heartfelt, perfect and memorable 20 minutes of my entire life. The priest asked: How old are you? 93. Are you Catholic? No! I'm a Jew. The priest asked: Then why are you telling me? The old man said: Telling you! Hell, I'm telling everybody!
Retired US Reserve Army Officer Aerobatics Acting Did Make My Day
For recreation, I sparred with amateur boxers and one professional lightweight. He broke my nose in the first round of 3 rounds and I admit I never really got a glove on him. Once in a sparring match, I hurt my hand. Yeah, the referee was standing on it. I also broke my arm while arm-wrestling once. Orthopedic Surgeon time. Ah, the fun, good old days.
I am now retired. I was a practicing hypnotherapist for over 30 years - mostly in Los Angeles. My clients were miserable enough to pay money to emotionally feel better. I learned early that what brought them to therapy was - they felt entitled and they felt that life was not giving them all that they felt entitled to. I personally learned from observing that redundant pattern. I personally decided to get to know myself and to know what I did want. More importantly, I decided to know what I did not want in my life. For me, it proved not to be difficult. Once known, I became extremely good at avoiding what I did not want in my life. If you are successful at avoiding what you do not want in your life, your life can be pretty good.
A church I attended offered a program / seminary and I became a licensed, ordained minister.
I had thought I knew the Bible pretty well. I did not.
When I received Bible questions, I would look things up instead of giving the usual "have faith" answer.
For the past 30 years, since I resigned my ministry, my life has functioned in a manner that I have experienced a full life and lacked little. I am only addicted to reality - which I feel that I have happily learned to handle well.
My definition of "freedom" is unaccountable time - and I live free. I share my time but no one else controls it. That makes me king of my world. More importantly, I don’t feel the need to be king of another’s world.
That has been the secret to my personal happiness. I am not convinced that it can be intellectually understood or emotionally accepted by mind-set believers or that it is even teachable to the average thinking ego.
I wrote a couple of "self-help" books - "Thoughts of a Social Layman" (1980) and "Emotional Surgery" (1982).
I was in Irwin Zucker's office, my Los Angeles Public relations man, and I saw a book on his desk titled "God 2000, Religion without the Bible". It had Paul Winchell's picture on the back cover. Paul Winchell was a prominent 1950's TV puppeteer with puppets Jerry Mahoney and Knucklehead Smith. Irwin saw my interest in the book and asked me to take it home and evaluate it. I did. I did meet Paul Winchell once socially some years later. He was quite a guy!
When I read Paul's book, I was upset. Paul documented selected, controversial Bible C&Vs that were shocking to my programmed, idealistic, naive view of God. I kept saying "That is NOT in the Bible!" It always was.
I was so angry that I went out and bought the biggest print, easy English Bible I could find. I read and highlighted every controversial and contradictory Bible C&V that I found. I then bought the KJV Companion Bible for $100 from Pastor Arnold Murray and was given the Torah as a gift from a brilliant Jewish lady doctor / lawyer and found that all 3 "Bibles" basically documented the same things.
The controversial C&Vs started jumping off the page for me. I was so disturbed by my findings that I resigned and let my ordained ministerial license expire.
I am an Atheist. After I was a licensed, ordained minister, I personally studied the Bible cover to cover, highlighted and learned the controversial Bible C&Vs. Knowing the Bible is what made me an Atheist. The Bible is "The Atheist Maker". Somehow, for me, the shocking and controversial knowledge broke the hypnosis. My conscience determined that something was wrong with the Biblical God character - fictional or not. If someone is going to worship, promote, support, believe in and finance the Biblical God, they should at least know what the Biblical God has done - as documented by Bible C&V. Hence, The God Murders website. Maybe the Holy Spirit blinds believers as to what is written. Maybe they are too frightened to read those controversial Bible C&Vs. Maybe they are too evil themselves to realize how evil and insane the Bible God is to have done all that documented murdering. Believers never take a Bible C&V murder charge and attempt to defend God. They just demonize and condemn anyone who exposes these murderous C&Vs. They just worship the Biblical God as if God murdered no one. That is evil. In a US criminal court, a supportive believer could be considered an accessory to murder. The Biblical God does not exist - but the belief in God certainly does.
I took issue with the Biblical God's C&V rap-sheet - whether this God is fictitious or not.
My self-study of the Bible started in 1982. I got my first computer from a therapy client in 1985 who was upgrading. Since then, I have downloaded my study and research through about 15 computers.
I think the reason that I take extreme issue with the evil Biblical God is because I realized my becoming a licensed, ordained Christian minister was wrong. It's painful to know you're public and private dedication was wrong. I was wrong. Since my painful awakening, my 30 year study gave me volumes of evidence as to why I was wrong. I personally needed all that Bible C&V evidence.
The Biblical God is the Judeo-Christian-Islamic "One God of Abraham". This God was introduced to you directly by the Bible or by the interpreted beliefs of others.
If the Bible never existed, neither would this fictitious, supernatural God. The Bible is the source that describes this God to Earth's Humanity.
"The God Murders" website displays the selected, controversial Bible C&Vs that describes this murderous, insane God. Learn about "God's Evil Deeds". Don't believe me or any other man. Why not check out these Bible C&Vs by yourself, for yourself.
I found C. Dennis McKinsey in the mid 1980's and received his awesome newsletter. He then wrote the book "The Encyclopedia of Biblical Errancy". His two (2) excellent books rounded out my Bible education. Dennis started his internet panel in 1995 and I was allowed to be a panel-member. I started my own web-site about 2004 and videoed "The God Murders".
In the early 1990's I found Pastor Arnold Murray doing his TV Bible C&V coverage. His Bible C&V approach richly contributed to my 15,000 hours of Bible study, research and debate. Pastor Arnold Murray and C. Dennis KcKinsey are my favorite Bible C&V sources.
What made me an Atheist was reading, studying and debating the Bible as it was written, C&V.
Then I knew what the Biblical God was documented to have done.
I am an advocate of true democracy. I promote free-thinking in a free-country. By knowing the Biblical God's rap-sheet, I vote that this insane, murderous God has NO authority over me.
I have been a retired National Guard / Reserve Army officer since 1983. If I had been on active duty when President George W. Bush publically announced to the world that "God told him to attack Iraq", I would have willfully disobeyed Bush's illegal orders to murder and injure over a million Iraqis. George W. Bush intentionally lied and brutally murdered human beings. As of 2013, the United States of America has not yet imprisoned George W. Bush and his murderous, blood-thirsty gang.
Now, President Barack Obama is guilty of murder just by his illegal drone strikes. Bush, Cheney, Obama and there participating staffs should serve life in prison.
My conclusion is: "The God of the Bible is not a good God and the Bible is not a good model for humanity."
I personally tend put human beings first and treat all humanity as equals.
I personally have no evidence that any supernatural God exists. The God of the Bible (fictional or not) I have studied and debated extensively. This God's mood-swings and morality is disgusting so I don't find this petty, jealous, murderous and insane Character to be worthy of fear, worship or positive attention. This Character is way too small, insecure and petty to have created the vast universe. I view that Jesus Christ never contributed anything positive for Humanity like electricity, transportation, television, air conditioning, antibiotics or anything else worth while for mankind. Believers would have us fear that Jesus brought Hell and "Eternal-Torment" if He is not accepted. That's too dictatorial and evil for my taste. I personally don't believe in Jesus Christ and I do not find Jesus Christ worthy of anything worthwhile. I do wish that Christians would answer questions as honestly and thoroughly as most Atheists tend to.
I am a hedonist, a voluptuary, a sybarite, a pleasure-seeker by any other name. I sin! I have some favorite sins. I would never let poor Jesus die in vain.
BELIEF
I take issue with faith - especially faith in a belief.
Examples:
I take issue with and challenge the belief of Jesus Christ’s “virgin birth”.
I take issue with and challenge the belief of Jesus Christ’s human body “resurrection”.
I take issue with and challenge the belief that - after Jesus Christ’s crucifixion - dead saints came out of their graves and walked around.
I take issue with and challenge the belief that Noah’s flood-water covered the entire Earth over the height of Mount Ararat.
Perspectives: These, and many other, dogmatic - yet unproven - religious, faith-based beliefs have been around for at least 2,000 years.
There have been at least 10 billion+ Human Beings who have been intellectually exposed to these superstitious beliefs.
Not one man or woman, of those 10 billion+ Human Beings, is documented to have proven that any of these dogmatic, faith-filled religious beliefs are true / factual in 2,000 years.
Logical conclusion: Due to lack of bonafied and verified secular evidence, those religious, dogmatic, faith-based beliefs are rationally judged and proven to be lies.
The belief in the supernatural proves to be a lie.
The belief in miracles proves to be a lie.
If someone can duplicate producing something at will, it is not supernatural.
As a behavioral therapist for 30 years, I did not gave advice. That is not a therapist’s job. You ARE the master of your life. For example, if you were a client / patient in behavioral therapy, “YOUR therapy is your desire to change you to better suit YOU”. Not to suit someone else.
In session, the behavioral therapist asks you what your problems are and then what your options are. You must decide what option is best for you - not somebody else. It personally makes me sick seeing authoritative personalities, especially using a fear-based religion, to tell people they don't know what to value and how to live their life.
The Bible claims, in no uncertain terms, that Jesus "loves" you only if you serve Jesus / God on His terms. If you do not, you will suffer Eternal-Torment. If you personally do not believe that, you prove not to believe the Bible. All this syrupy-sweet “love” you constantly claim is not Jesus’ message.
Did you read on this website "Did Jesus Christ Lie?" If so, you probably never commented on or correct any of the dozens of Jesus' lies, C&Vs, did you? Those Bible C&Vs are not within your value system. Are they?
And you obviously want all who you can influence to live by your values in their lives. Don’t you? Of course, denial is automatic.
If you don't believe in God - why bother? By Christopher Hitchens:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqK4TM97ZCE&feature=youtu.be
C. Dennis McKinsey (Deceased) wrote the "Biblical Errancy" website. In my opinion, it surpasses any on the internet in exposing, defining and capturing Biblical Errancy.
C. Dennis McKinsey
Dennis' two (2) excellent books: "The Encyclopedia of Biblical Errancy" & "Biblical Errancy" (A Reference Guide) are on my shelf and are often referred to concerning my work.
Since the early 1990s, my mentor and friend, was C. Dennis McKinsey who now has passed due to lung cancer.
See all 100 of C. Dennis McKinsey's youtube videos:
http://www.youtube.com/user/klomckin#p/u
http://wheresjesus.multiply.com/journal/item/611/Biblical_Errancy_by_Dennis_McKins
Gary DeVaney (2009)
YouTube: "The Shocking God"
http://www.youtube.com/watchv=_DmjuxqC1MI
