HOW do you control humanity and the drunken dregs of our species, especially when they're killing each other in ever-increasing numbers?
That's what God's first people, the Israelites, wanted to know.
JUSTICE! - came the swift reply from on high. Punishment must fit the crime.
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The robber forfeits the equivalent of what he took. The smiter is smited. The killer is killed (Exodus 21).
God didn't opt for our modern sentimental liberalisms; for the designer of humanity knew stronger stuff was needed.
The gang members that kill a defenceless, bare-footed man should forfeit their own lives. A nation needs honest justice for both offender and offended and that can only mean an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth'.
For this reason, God didn't sentence murderers to a handful of comfortable years reading and watching telly. God wouldn't have released a punk terrorist back on the streets to kill.
God would echo the words of Gary Newlove's widow, "Until this Government puts into place an effective deterrent, youths of today know only too well they can play the system and get away with it."
Modern England is crippled with a warped godless version of its Christian heritage believing we should understandingly turn-the-other cheek when kids practice their soccer skills with somebody's head.
But Christian turn-the-other-cheek love was given by Jesus only to those ruled by God's love.
For those governed by self love, God's laws for Israel still stand.
Posted by: Skeptic, nowwhere interesting on 2:23pm Tue 22 Jan 08
An eye for an eye and the world goes blind. Violence begets violence.
Killing leads to more killing.
And here we have a supposedly religious man advocating that one human should have the right to take another humans life - because it says so in a book.
Religion encouraging death in other words.
Thankfully there is no capital punishment within the European Union. It simply does not work.
The ancient, contradictory and highly questionable moral code of the old testament being trumpeted as a way to run our lives; what rubbish. A good way to have one lot of people fighting for eternity with another lot of people who both claim they have a claim on a worthless piece of desert (it says so in our religious code and we will kill anybody who disagrees with us……)
The OT is useful to understand how shepherds living in deserts survived 4,000 years ago but as a way to run society it's as least as nasty as the Koran for [bold]misogeny, homophobia, violence[/bold] , and the OT has more than enough sections rape and murder in the name of the lord (give your daughters away……)
As a source of law - a disaster.
Hence so many religious sects using their interpretation of the books of the OT to their own ends.
So we should follow the Rev's suggestions and get our moral code from the old testment. All of it? Or just some? Where do we draw the line?
Here?
[italic]Exodus 31:15
Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day must be put to death.[/italic] So that's a large percentage of the population...
Here?
Leviticus 24:16
[italic]anyone who blasphemes the name of the LORD must be put to death. The entire assembly must stone him. Whether an alien or native-born, when he blasphemes the Name, he must be put to death.[/italic]
I'd better present myself at the vicarage for execution….
Here? A Bit of incest?
[italic]Genesis 20:12 And yet indeed she is my sister; she is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife.[/italic]
Here? (a good bit of genocide as encouraged by the God of the Old Testament
Hosea 13
[italic]The people of Samaria must bear their guilt, because they have rebelled against their God. They will fall by the sword; their little ones will be dashed to the ground, their pregnant women ripped open."[/italic] Here? A bit of Misogeny? (ok this isn't OT...)
1 Corinthians 14:34-36
[italic]Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience as also saith the law. And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church[/italic] .
Deuteronomy 14:9
I agree with this one; shellfish gives me the runs but I fail to see why a religious code should stop anybody else eating prawns. I premuse they are not on the menu at the vicarage garden party else the vicar would be guilty of not following that which he believes so keenly….
14:10 [italic]And whatsoever hath not fins and scales ye may not eat; it is unclean unto you.[/italic]
Running society the Old testament way just encourages more division in society, more violence, more sectarianism, more hatred.
An eye for an eye and the world goes blind. Violence begets violence.
Killing leads to more killing.
And here we have a supposedly religious man advocating that one human should have the right to take another humans life - because it says so in a book.
Religion encouraging death in other words.
Thankfully there is no capital punishment within the European Union. It simply does not work.
The ancient, contradictory and highly questionable moral code of the old testament being trumpeted as a way to run our lives; what rubbish. A good way to have one lot of people fighting for eternity with another lot of people who both claim they have a claim on a worthless piece of desert (it says so in our religious code and we will kill anybody who disagrees with us……)
The OT is useful to understand how shepherds living in deserts survived 4,000 years ago but as a way to run society it's as least as nasty as the Koran for misogeny, homophobia, violence , and the OT has more than enough sections rape and murder in the name of the lord (give your daughters away……)
As a source of law - a disaster.
Hence so many religious sects using their interpretation of the books of the OT to their own ends.
So we should follow the Rev's suggestions and get our moral code from the old testment. All of it? Or just some? Where do we draw the line?
Here? Exodus 31:15
Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day must be put to death. So that's a large percentage of the population...
Here?
Leviticus 24:16 anyone who blasphemes the name of the LORD must be put to death. The entire assembly must stone him. Whether an alien or native-born, when he blasphemes the Name, he must be put to death.
I'd better present myself at the vicarage for execution….
Here? A Bit of incest? Genesis 20:12 And yet indeed she is my sister; she is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife.
Here? (a good bit of genocide as encouraged by the God of the Old Testament
Hosea 13 The people of Samaria must bear their guilt, because they have rebelled against their God. They will fall by the sword; their little ones will be dashed to the ground, their pregnant women ripped open." Here? A bit of Misogeny? (ok this isn't OT...)
1 Corinthians 14:34-36 Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience as also saith the law. And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church .
Deuteronomy 14:9
I agree with this one; shellfish gives me the runs but I fail to see why a religious code should stop anybody else eating prawns. I premuse they are not on the menu at the vicarage garden party else the vicar would be guilty of not following that which he believes so keenly….
14:10 And whatsoever hath not fins and scales ye may not eat; it is unclean unto you.
Running society the Old testament way just encourages more division in society, more violence, more sectarianism, more hatred.
Posted by: jamesCronshaw, burnley on 2:04pm Thu 24 Jan 08
Dear Kev,
No wonder God isn't a Christian! He must have read your column.
God is an Atheist. whichever religion you are following. God is not part of it.
Dear Kev,
No wonder God isn't a Christian! He must have read your column.
God is an Atheist. whichever religion you are following. God is not part of it.
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