what to do with unsavory portions found in the bible(s)?

We often hear religious teachers espouse positions offensive to the spirit of humane rights and dignity. We feel outraged and criticize these statements, but we seem to not want to confront the fact that this ugly speech is in many senses consistent with canonical texts. The speakers themselves reminds us of this point as justification.

We need to edit the texts and create our own communal bibles. We need to worship the way we live. We have already edited our bibles in the way we implement its teachings, but we are yet to fully own up to the editing by making the text to reflect our real lives. We need a massive editing of parts of the text that are not enlightened teachings and may be even downright negative. We have already done the editing by selecting not to live our lives in accordance with unsavory words. We need now to do our very own new text to teach our children and to live by. The process of wresting with the concept of a new text will create communities where dialogical principles will abide within.

It is not God we are afraid of, but what some are capable of doing in the name of their Gods.