Why would God use the detestable practice of human sacrifice as a way to test Abraham's devotion to him? Why would Abraham attempt to do it without questioning? Was he simply hearing crazy voices? Is God's human sacrifice of his own son, Jesus, any better? 

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When I did a deep dive into Genesis to deepen my faith, I discovered something that completely unravelled it instead. I learned that Abraham left the gods he worshiped in Mesopotamia and took up the Canaanite god, El.

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SOURCES:

• Abraham article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham_and_the_Idol_Shop
• Nanna/Suen/Sin: http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/listofdeities/nannasuen/
• Why the Midrash has Abraham Thrown into Nimrod’s Furnace: https://www.thetorah.com/article/why-the-midrash-has-abraham-thrown-into-nimrods-furnace
• Haran article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harran
• Ur article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ur
• Ur article: https://www.worldhistory.org/ur/

The Tower of Babel story in Genesis 11 is a great example of a Mesopotamian myth. Archaeology has given us loads of ruins and artifacts to help us understand their purpose. In this episode, we look at language in those ancient times, other Tower of Babel myths, and learn a bit about ziggurats.

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SOURCES:

• Tower of Babel article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tower_of_Babel#Dating_the_Tower_of_Babel
• Enmerkar and the Lord of Aratta article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enmerkar_and_the_Lord_of_Aratta
• Ancient Near Eastern Though and the Old Testament: Introducing the Conceptual World of the Hebrew People by John H. Walton

Creationism taught me a literal six-day creation story. But when I took a deep dive into Genesis 1 and 2, I found there were two separate accounts and they clearly contradicted one another. In this episode, we look at those contradictions and consider what that means if you think Moses penned every word of it.

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Get a behind-the-scenes look at my journey through religion and how I ended up not believing in any gods. Remember, it's okay to question your beliefs. And you don't have to take this journey alone.

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You can reach out to me at Vicky@ThatChangedMyMind.com.