Ephesians

Actually, I quite liked the book of Ephesians. It has some good advice on how to get along as a member of the closed society of the believers, much of which could translate to many limited social settings - insulation from the rest of the world is not necessary, by the way! Other than that, we will see a fair number of interesting items!

Eph 3:5,6 - In former generations this mystery was not made known to humankind, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit: that is, the Gentiles have become fellow heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
Here, Paul goes into what I like to call "freeform" religion. Using the term "mystery," he feels free to add on anything he sees fit to his theology, without bothering about finding any scriptural justification for his statement. When asked why there's no support for a statement in the Jewish scriptures, all he has to do is say: "It was a mystery of God, held back from the prophets and handed exclusively to me!" The problem I have with this is that this can be (and is!) done by any person who wants to present himself as a religious leader. This is the biggest problem with any "revealed religion" like the Jewish religion and its offspring.

Eph 4:17-20 - Now this I affirm and insist on in the Lord: you must no longer live as the Gentiles live, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of their ignorance and hardness of heart. They have lost all sensitivity and have abandoned themselves to licentiousness, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. That is not the way you learned Christ!
In setting the believers apart from the rest of their former society, Paul felt it necessary to make them think that they were somehow superior to the people they were leaving behind. This is a common tactic used by cult leaders: demonizing the outsiders, claiming that they are evil, helpless people, worthy only of contempt.

Eph 5:1,2 - Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
Imitating God, at least imitating the things the Bible says God did, would be a disastrous way to live your life. It would include just about every horrible atrocity imaginable, and end up putting you either in a deep prison for 500 years, or in an insane asylum. Just look at the last sentence here, which claims that the death by torture of Jesus was pleasing to God!

Eph 5:4,5 - Entirely out of place is obscene, silly, and vulgar talk; but instead, let there be thanksgiving. Be sure of this, that no fornicator or impure person, or one who is greedy (that is, an idolater), has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
Paul was certainly fond of putting out blanket condemnations for any group of people that he didn't like! If anyone even said some words Paul didn't want to hear - out with them! Also, I wonder where he got the idea that greed is the same as worshipping idols. I really don't think there's a Bible reference that supports this definition!

Eph 5:6-9 - Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes on those who are disobedient. Therefore do not be associated with them. For once you were darkness, but now in the Lord you are light. Live as children of light- for the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true.
Here's another reference giving evidence that the early Christians were an offshoot or possibly an evolved form of the Essenes - the isolationist sect that made the Dead Sea Scrolls. Their documents referred to their people as "the Children of Light," just as Paul does here!

Eph 5:22-24 - Wives, be subject to your husbands as you are to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife just as Christ is the head of the church, the body of which he is the Savior. Just as the church is subject to Christ, so also wives ought to be, in everything, to their husbands.
This shows the deep dangers involved in taking advice from a person who was a career bachelor on how to run a marriage. Here, Paul give some advice that is well-liked by males everywhere. It takes no account of the possibility that a husband might be abusive, or might make bad decisions that could ruin the family - no, the wife is supposed to just let the man do all the thinking, make all decisions, and that's given the status as the word of God to all wives for all time!

Eph 5:28-30 - In the same way, husbands should love their wives as they do their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hates his own body, but he nourishes and tenderly cares for it, just as Christ does for the church, because we are members of his body.
This is the end of Paul's advice to husbands on how they should treat their completely submissive wives - he says with complete innocence, that no one ever hates their own body. He probably never heard of depression, suicide, masochism, or any of the nice little problems available to the human mind.

Eph 6:5-9 - Slaves, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, in singleness of heart, as you obey Christ; not only while being watched, and in order to please them, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart. Render service with enthusiasm, as to the Lord and not to men and women, knowing that whatever good we do, we will receive the same again from the Lord, whether we are slaves or free. And, masters, do the same to them. Stop threatening them, for you know that both of you have the same Master in heaven, and with him there is no partiality.
Paul, like Jesus before him, and Yahweh before either one, had the opportunity to say at least a little something against the horrible practice and institution of slavery. What does Paul do with the opportunity? He supports it, telling slaves to stay in their place, telling the "owners" to be kind. Some moral giant!

Eph 6:12,13 - For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.
A typical statement to whip up the cult followers. Not only are there enemies all around in the real world, now Paul populates the fantasy world with hostile demons and devils, to make the lives of the believers a constant stage of war and hatred, even when neighbors aren't hostile. No wonder people so often go mad when immersed in this stuff too deeply!

Eph 6:16 - With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
Ah yes! The icing on the cake! Paul instructs his followers to use their faith - their belief in everything he says - to keep from listening to anyone else, or any idea that might threaten the system of beliefs he has supplied them with! If this isn't the most anti-intellectual religion in the history of humanity, I'd hate to see its rival!