Does the bible teach self-sufficiency?

Nope. How about being a sheep? That sounds fun. Doesn’t it? Why not?

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In 2nd Timothy (3:16–17), the author makes a bold statement: That all scripture is useful for teaching, reproof and correction. That’s quite a claim. Is it true? Well, it depends on your perspective. If you’re a religious person, you may very well agree. Many do, especially those in leadership. Yet, what does a skeptic like I find when turning to the bible for guidance? That the purpose of the good book is to exert God’s authoritarianism over believers while training them to be helpless and docile. As a result, the religious community is strengthened by indoctrinating, shaming, and training the faithful to act against their own interests.

To me, teaching involves helping people think critically so that they can apply knowledge in their daily lives. That’s the idea behind teaching a man to fish versus merely giving him food. In this sense, teaching is granting a person self-sufficiency. Yet, is that what the bible does? Consider the following example: (Matthew 7:1–3) Judge not, so that you are not judged. On first glance, it seems like good advice to not judge. Except that the ‘advice’ is couched within a warning, or, more accurately, a threat. What if, instead of that approach, Jesus explained clearly what judging is and how it causes harm? In other words, it would help us be…