--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I have argued elsewhere (Fighting Words…" description: "\"“I have argued elsewhere (Fighting Words: The Origins of Religious Violence [2005]) that we need to treat ethics in biblical texts just as we treat eth..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebe/hector-avalos-91785_ancient-literature_i-have-argued-elsewhere-fighting-words-t_2573037.jpg" --- # I have argued elsewhere (Fighting Words: The Origins of… ![“I have argued elsewhere (Fighting Words: The Origins of Religious Violence [2005]) that we need to treat ethics in biblical texts just as we treat ethics in any other works of ancient literature. It is a vacuous exercise to pick and choose which atrocities were really ordained by any gods and…” quote by Hector Avalos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebe/hector-avalos-91785_ancient-literature_i-have-argued-elsewhere-fighting-words-t_2573037.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebe/hector-avalos-91785_ancient-literature_i-have-argued-elsewhere-fighting-words-t_2573037.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebe/hector-avalos-91785_ancient-literature_i-have-argued-elsewhere-fighting-words-t_2573037.jpg) > ““I have argued elsewhere (Fighting Words: The Origins of Religious Violence \[2005\]) that we need to treat ethics in biblical texts just as we treat ethics in any other works of ancient literature. It is a vacuous exercise to pick and choose which atrocities were really ordained by any gods and which were not. We should have a zero-tolerance view of any text or collection of texts that at any time endorses genocide, misogyny, and other atrocities. We always judge ancient texts by modern ethical standards, and the Bible should not be treated differently.”” Hector Avalos ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Advocates applying modern ethical standards to ancient religious texts, condemning selective moral judgments and endorsing zero tolerance for genocide and misogyny. **In simple terms:** Ancient texts should be judged by today’s ethics. Key Takeaway Critically evaluate historical works. Themes ethics religion history Mood critical ethical Type Ancient literature:1 Atheism:0 Biblical-ethics:1 Biblical-morality:1 Books:0 Cherry-picking:1 Ethics:1 Genocide:1 Genocide-in-the-bible:1 Misogyny:1 Morality:1 Myths:0 Philosophy:0 Pick and choose:1 Religion:1 Special-pleading:0 Special treatment:0 Biblical Texts:1 Ancient Texts:1 Ethics Biblical:1 Choose Atrocities:1 Bible Treated:1 When to use this quote - academic study - policy making - public discourse Key Concepts morality literature human rights Questions to Reflect On - How do we handle sacred texts? - What criteria should guide moral evaluation? A Different Perspective Balancing respect for tradition with critique is complex; ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ancient literature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ancient-literature/) [Atheism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheism/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Ethics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ethics/) [Genocide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genocide/) [Misogyny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/misogyny/) [Morality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/morality/) [Myths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/myths/) [Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Special treatment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/special-treatment/) ## Related quotes > [Where the Bible is esteemed as the inspired and inerrant Word of God, preaching can flourish. But where the Bible is treated merely as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-piper/where-the-bible-is-esteemed-as-the-inspired-and-inerrant-word-of-god/) [John Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-piper/) > [ “Miller believes, like many theists, that religion brings us beyond the bounds of materialism. (Ironically he insists on a material explanation \[evolution\] for our… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-m-jackson/miller-believes-like-many-theists-that-religion-brings-us-beyond-the/) [G.M. Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-m-jackson/) > [Not taking the Bible (or other texts based on 'revealed truths') literally leaves it up to the reader to cherry-pick elements for belief. There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-tayler/not-taking-the-bible-or-other-texts-based-on-revealed-truths/) [Jeffrey Tayler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-tayler/) > [“If everything must have a cause, of course, this also applies to God; if God can exist in isolation, then why not the universe?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etienne-vermeersch/if-everything-must-have-a-cause-of-course-this-also-applies-to-god-if/) Etienne Vermeersch > [“Instead of breaking or cherry-picking the rules, many just follow the inner rules, which have been instilled during their lifetime and have subtly permeated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-pevernagie/instead-of-breaking-or-cherry-picking-the-rules-many-just-follow-the/) [Erik Pevernagie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-pevernagie/) > [“No idea should be allowed to squeeze out of needing to be explained simply by claiming to be above the rules and beyond our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-j-kirk/no-idea-should-be-allowed-to-squeeze-out-of-needing-to-be-explained/) [T.J. Kirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-j-kirk/) ## More by Hector Avalos > [“By Hays' reasoning, penetrating a rectum with a penis is a violation of how God meant humans to function. However, penetrating a human body…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hector-avalos/by-hays-reasoning-penetrating-a-rectum-with-a-penis-is-a-violation-of/) Hector Avalos Explore all 2 Hector Avalos quotes ## More Ancient literature quotes > [No one has written the way Isaiah does. The royal style, the majesty of the language. He is called the prince of the prophets.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/no-one-has-written-the-way-isaiah-does-the-royal-style-the-majesty-of/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [I thought it was strange that I was called after a woman who killed herself in ancient literature. You just don't call your kid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dido-armstrong/i-thought-it-was-strange-that-i-was-called-after-a-woman-who-killed/) [Dido Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dido-armstrong/) > [Sanity -- that is the great virtue of the ancient literature; the want of that is the great defect of the modern, in spite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-arnold/sanity-that-is-the-great-virtue-of-the-ancient-literature-the-want-of/) [Matthew Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-arnold/) > [“All of us and perhaps all of you read in childhood, while in school, that greatest of all monuments of ancient literature, the Official…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yevgeny-zamyatin/all-of-us-and-perhaps-all-of-you-read-in-childhood-while-in-school/) [Yevgeny Zamyatin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yevgeny-zamyatin/) > [Here and there in the ancient literature we encounter legends of wise and mysterious games that were conceived and played by scholars, monks, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/here-and-there-in-the-ancient-literature-we-encounter-legends-of-wise/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [There is no body of ancient literature in the world which enjoys such a wealth of good textual attestation as the New Testament.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-f-bruce/there-is-no-body-of-ancient-literature-in-the-world-which-enjoys-such/) [F. F. Bruce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-f-bruce/) > [We have Christians against Muslims against Jews. They're making incompatible claims on real estate in the Middle East as though God were some kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/we-have-christians-against-muslims-against-jews-they-re-making/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [...a man estimable for his learning, amiable for his life, and venerable for his piety. Arbuthnot was a man of great comprehension, skilful in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/a-man-estimable-for-his-learning-amiable-for-his-life-and-venerable/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [At bottom, textual criticism for virtually all other ancient literature relies on creative conjectures, or imaginative guesses, at reconstructing the wording of the original.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-b-wallace/at-bottom-textual-criticism-for-virtually-all-other-ancient/) Daniel B. Wallace > [Jesus is a mythical figure in the tradition of pagan mythology and almost nothing in all of ancient literature would lead one to believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-mckinsey/jesus-is-a-mythical-figure-in-the-tradition-of-pagan-mythology-and/) Dennis McKinsey [Browse all 11 Ancient literature quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ancient-literature/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I have argued elsewhere (Fighting Words: The Origins of Religious Violence [2005]) that we need to treat ethics in biblical texts just as we treat ethics in any other works of ancient literature. It is a vacuous exercise to pick and choose which atrocities were really ordained by any gods and which were not. We should have a zero-tolerance view of any text or collection of texts that at any time endorses genocide, misogyny, and other atrocities. 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