Romans for Skeptics

Paul was a bad influence on Christianity. And nowhere is this more evident than in his epistle to the Romans. Here Paul fully exposes his nastiest belief: that salvation is a completely arbitrary decision on the part of God; none of us has anything to do with it. The only free will that exists in the universe is God's.

• The existence and nature of God are self-evident; thus, unbelievers are "without excuse." 1:20
• God abandons those who don't know him to "uncleanness and vile affections." 1:24-26
• God will make you gay! 1:26-27
• Paul condemns homosexuals (including lesbians). This is the only clear reference to lesbians in the Bible. 1:26
• "The natural use" of women is to act as sexual objects for the pleasure of men. 1:27
• "God gave them over to a reprobate mind." 1:28
• Homosexuals (those "without natural affection") and their supporters (those "that have pleasure in them") are "worthy of death." 1:31-32
• Paul asks the very good question: "Is there unrighteousness who taketh vengeance [upon innocent people]?" The obvious answer to this is, yes. 3:5
• Those who slander (or criticize?) Paul are damned by God. 3:8
• The guilty are "justified" and "saved from wrath" by the blood of an innocent victim. 5:9-12
• God gave the law so "that the offence might abound." 5:20
• If you have a living body, you can't please God and Christ isn't in you. 8:8-10
• Everyone is predestined by God to be either saved or damned. 8:29-30, 9:11-12
• No one can oppose Christians since God's on their side. 8:31
• "He that spared not his own Son" shouldn't be trusted by anyone. 8:32
• A Christian cannot be accused of any wrongdoing. 8:33
• If you are a child of the flesh, you are not the seed of God. Whatever that might be. 9:8
• He hated Esau. No one knows why. 9:13
• He blinded the Jews so they wouldn't recognize Jesus as the Messiah. 11:7-10
• Jews are Paul's enemies, but he loves them for their ancestors' sakes. 11:28
• Gentiles used to be unbelievers, but now the Jews are the unbelievers and God saves gentiles through Jewish unbelief. 11:30
• Non-believing Jews will obtain mercy through the mercy of believers. 11.31
• "The powers that be are ordained of God." Whoever resists them will be damned. 13:1-4
• Paul couldn't list the Ten Commandments. [Neither could Jesus (Mt.19:17-19)] 13:9
• Only wimps are vegetarians. 14:2
• "Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind." 14:5
• "He that doubteth is damned ... Whatsoever is not of faith is sin." 14:23
•  Shun those who disagree with your religious views. 16:17