Religion

[Smegma]

"But thou shalt surely kill him; thine hand shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people. (13:9)
And thou shalt stone him with stones, that he die; because he hath sought to thrust thee away from the LORD thy God..."

Human corruption?

Tihihi, seems the editor let that one slip.

Anyway, isn't it a bit foolish to try and question a man whose intentions seem well. Who cares if he is hypocritical or flawed, we are all in some way.

[a-4-year-old]

in the old testament genisis i believe, it says an eye for an eye and tooth for tooth.

The bible does not always mean exactly what it says, what this means is that someone doing something sinful should expect something similar to happen to them, The only exeption i can see for this rule is to rape rapists and you can't kill someone twice...

Also Jesus had said that if your hand caused you to sin, you should cut it off, or if your eye caused you sin gorge it out.

This is to prove a point, it means that you cannot possibly stop yourself from sinning, if you where blind mute and deaf you would still be able to sin, because thinking about doing something sinful also counts as sin. you wouldn't be able to stop sinning until you died, which is the reason people used to sacrifice animals (to mask their sin)

[Graham]

Ahh I stick my foot in my mouth and I get some help, sweet. Yeah I didn't really think about it but 4 year olds posts is what you should prolly go by Vijtch, like I said before I just stuck my foot in my mouth.

[Dascoo]

If I were to go any major religion, I would go buddhist

EDIT: Actually not the same buddhist as most buddhist do because they worship buddha as a god, so they aren't truely buddhist....

[Demonic]

Buddhists don't even know what buddhism about, and that's a fact. They accept anything and everything said by other religions, it's the most accepting religion alongside hinduism.

Now those are complicated.

[VijchtiDoodah]

Not trying to get off point but care to post the book you got that out of?

Deuteronomy.

If the Bible doesn't always mean what it says, then how do you know that "You shalt not lie with a man as a woman" isn't figurative?

[Dascoo]

Your right it's a lie, let's all lie for now kay?

[Graham]

How is "do not lie with a man as a woman" figurative?
Also did you read the rest of the book when you found the scripture... gives the reason why that verse sounds so harsh.

[VijchtiDoodah]

How are "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth" and "And thou shalt stone him with stones, that he die" figurative?

Mmm...it does give a reason, but so did I: blasphemy.  What I find interesting about those verses are, first, that it actually tells you to destroy the cities of which the inhabitants worship other gods (do you think this is right?) and, second, that it calls blashpemy an abomination.  Since sodomy is also an abomination, according to the quote you gave earlier, should we also stone sodomites?

[a-4-year-old]

do not lie with a man as you would with a woman is not figurative because of the greekThe old testament is written in hebrew, greek is the new testament that was an error on my part words they used that specifically meant sexually.

while an eye for an eye tooth for tooth is a specific example of what would happen to a sinner, it does not just apply to eyes and teeth.

I have found the new international version of your quote, in this extremely popular version of the translation of the bible it says:

6 If your very own brother, or your son or daughter, or the wife you love, or your closest friend secretly entices you, saying, "Let us go and worship other gods" (gods that neither you nor your fathers have known, 7 gods of the peoples around you, whether near or far, from one end of the land to the other), 8 do not yield to him or listen to him. Show him no pity. Do not spare him or shield him. 9 You must certainly put him to death. Your hand must be the first in putting him to death, and then the hands of all the people. 10 Stone him to death, because he tried to turn you away from the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

This is talking about a jewish man who has jewish blood, and who's ancestors where lead out of slavery in Egypt basically says "that god does not exist" at that time, in the old testament, comming out of Egypt was part of their history as much as the freeing of slaves in America. In that time there was no debate about what had happened, the eye witnesses were grandparents. This would only apply to a fool.

[Graham]

I didn't really want to go into this cause it could branch off into other conversations but the Old Testiment is violent.  The Old Testiment is set in teh time where people still had to sacrafice lambs as a forgiveness (or covering) sin. Basically the Old Testiment was the fire and brimstone and The New Testiment is the testiment more focused on love. 

[Nfsjunkie91]

Because Jesus died for the sins of the world, we no longer have to sacrifice animals to atone for our sins.

Just thought I'd kind of try to clear up the whole OT/NT thing a little bit. Just a little though.

[VijchtiDoodah]

I didn't really want to go into this cause it could branch off into other conversations but the Old Testiment is violent. The Old Testiment is set in teh time where people still had to sacrafice lambs as a forgiveness (or covering) sin. Basically the Old Testiment was the fire and brimstone and The New Testiment is the testiment more focused on love.

Then are you saying that, because the Old Testament is violent, what it says is right and wrong doesn't apply anymore?

do not lie with a man as you would with a woman is not figurative because of the greek words they used that specifically meant sexually.

And what of the Hebrew words?  As far as I know, there are two possible translations: the first states that you can't have male-to-male homosexual sex and the second states that you just can't have homosexual sex in a woman's bed.  Ignoring the second for the moment, this leaves open homosexual relationships as well as homosexual sex between two women.

[a-4-year-old]

first, in the bible, man means mankind, few times does man mean gender, here it means both at the same time. That passage means, that people of the same gender may not have sexual relations.

second, i corrected myself and explained, i am sorry for the misscommunication.

Vitch, you could go and quote every individual passage in the bible and still have questions. I've tried to explain the best that i can, and as long as you ask I will try to answer your questions, but if you are looking to prove or disprove something I suggest you take a good long look at what you are trying to do, and consider all your evidence carefully. Philosophers have searched and searched looking for any contradictions in the bible, and none of them found anything.

[VijchtiDoodah]

I've tried to explain the best that i can, and as long as you ask I will try to answer your questions

I appreciate that.

Now then, we'll get back to �  when he comes back to answer that question, but for now let's backtrack a bit:   "Do not lie with a man as a woman" is literal, but "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth" is figurative, what's the criteria for taking a passage either literally or figuratively?

[a-4-year-old]

as a general rule, (with few exeptions) when there are specific examples, like an eye/tooth they are figurative, and when it is general, than it is most likely literal.

also as a general rule, most of what is in the new testament that Jesus had said was figurative, for example, any one of his short stories such as the good semaritan(spelling?) can be taken figuratively.

[Graham]

Then are you saying that, because the Old Testament is violent, what it says is right and wrong doesn't apply anymore?

No man I am just saying it was more violent.. hence the talk of stoning, city destroying and such... Basically don't try to look too deep into everything man.

what's the criteria for taking a passage either literally or figuratively

Read the surrounding scriptures, the Bible really wasn't ment to be cut up into versus and books, it will help.

[a-4-year-old]

Mister �  I pretty much agree, and I have something to add. Look at the comparison between God's wrath and God's grace (old and new testaments) and you can understand a lot of the christian beliefs. Like how we know we need(ed) Jesus to save us from what would have continued as an eternal punishment for our sins.

[VijchtiDoodah]

as a general rule, (with few exeptions) when there are specific examples, like an eye/tooth they are figurative, and when it is general, than it is most likely literal.

Then "And thou shalt stone him with stones, that he die" is literal.  So why don't you attempt to stone people when they choose another god?

[Graham]

as a general rule, (with few exeptions) when there are specific examples, like an eye/tooth they are figurative, and when it is general, than it is most likely literal.

Then "And thou shalt stone him with stones, that he die" is literal.  So why don't you attempt to stone people when they choose another god?

Dude it really sounds like you're gonna just turn whatever we say about that verse into whatever you want it.