Hello everyone,
This verse caught my eye today. It comes from the book of Exodus, chapter 22, where God has spoken to Moses letting him know the laws that the Israelites must obey.
I dove into Exodus 35:2, concerning a similar fault, in a previous article which you can (and should) read here.
Now, let us begin to look at Exodus 22:20.
The verse, as well as the concept, is very simple. God orders to the Israelites to "utterly destroy" anyone who commits such a horrible crime as to worship another deity. You don't have to worry about going to hell though, because God will forgive you for this murder.
I find it amusing how the Christian God condones murder sometimes, but other times He completely objects to it. What a joke!
Would you kill Gandhi? God demands that you should.
What about Phil Jackson? (Famous NBA Head Coach)
Jennifer Lopez?
If you agree not to kill these people, who all worship another deity, utterly then you are disobeying God, you bad Christian you! Why not kill them, I mean it wouldn't hinder you chances at getting into Heaven.
Why do you [Christians] believe in such a horrible god? You are the first to say verse a is to be taken literally, but verse b was meant to be understood metaphorically. You pick and choose what is right and wrong. Why not just accept the fact that your God is evil, He is a murderer, and the only book written about Him is a lie. Accept it people God is not real; merely a great imagination written down by people long ago, before science was allowed. We are in the 21st century, religion has no place here.
All readers are allowed to comment now, not only registered bloggers, so please let me know what you think/feel about my articles. It really helps.
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It's interesting that out of the 31,173 verses in the Bible, that its detractors must "cherry pick" verses that can be construed as controversial when view through today's social mores.
ReplyDeleteDetractors have yet to figure out that Christians are not bound by Rabbinical law. We are people of the "berit ḥadasha", the New Covenant. But with that said, God is completely unchanging. He is the same now as He was then.
Let me explain.
All things that are not from God are from the devil. Satan uses a wide arsenal to deceive and pull people away from God.
Choosing Satan was, and in fact, still is, choosing death. Worshipping other deities is, in fact, worshipping Satan.
God's chosen people, the Israelites, were only one or two generations away from their time in Egypt, a land ripe with idols. All during their history, the Israelites chose to worship idols. God had to repeatedly punish them for this. It was serious enough that He instituted the death sentence on anyone caught worshiping idols, and as an extension, Satan.
Today we worship all kinds of things, from religious icons and leaders to money and items.
Anything that takes our sight off of God can be considered an idol. If it keeps us from having a relationship with God, it is, in fact, condemning us to death; to an eternity in hell. This is no different than it was in the days of the Exodus.
This bothers the sensibilities of the moral relativist who believe they should be allowed to do anything they want, despite it being contrary to the Word of God, yet still be accepted by him without consequence. It is noteworthy that even in today's liberal society, we are not allow that latitude, yet we expect and demand it from the Creator of the Universe, the ultimate lawgiver. Our duplicity is amazing.
Steve, I am sorry I have been unable to respond to you in forever. Not much to respond about on your post here, just want to say thank you for keeping interest.
ReplyDeleteExodus 22:20 "Whoever sacrifices to any god, save to the Lord only, shall be utterly destroyed."
ReplyDeleteAs I read this verse, I was wondering why you expect Christians to kill people? This sentence says what will happen not who will do it.
In this verse is does not tell anyone in specific to kill, but Moses is instructed to inform the Israelites that they must follow and execute these laws; which were given by God, of course.
ReplyDeleteI would be interested to read the post or scripture where it says man should enforce these laws...
ReplyDeletePsalms 89:
ReplyDelete31 if they violate my decrees
and fail to keep my commands,
32 I will punish their sin with the rod,
their iniquity with flogging;
I've just discovered this blog through a Twitter contact! Thanks very much for it, I too feel how utterly stupid and futile religion is in the 21st Century and often wonder how so called 'intelligent' men like Canterbury can believe in all this medieval twaddle!
ReplyDeleteRead this amusing letter as an answer to a homophob in a radioshow:
ReplyDeleteIn her radio show, Dr Laura Schlesinger said that, as an observant Orthodox Jew, homosexuality is an abomination according to Leviticus 18:22, and cannot be condoned under any circumstance. The following response is an open letter to Dr. Laura, penned by a US resident, which was posted on the Internet. It's funny, as well as informative:
Dear Dr. Laura:
Thank you for doing so much to educate people regarding God's Law. I have learned a great deal from your show, and try to share that knowledge with as many people as I can. When someone tries to defend the homosexual lifestyle, for example, I simply remind them that Leviticus 18:22 clearly states it to be an abomination ... End of debate.
I do need some advice from you, however, regarding some other elements of God's Laws and how to follow them.
1.Leviticus 25:44states that I may possess slaves, both male and female, provided they are purchased from neighboring nations. A friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans, but not Canadians. Can you clarify? Why can't I own Canadians?
2. I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair price for her?
3. I know that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is in her period of Menstrual uncleanliness - Lev.15: 19-24. The problem is how do I tell? I have tried asking, but most women take offense.
4. When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a pleasing odor for the Lord - Lev.1:9. The problem is my neighbors. They claim the odor is not pleasing to them. Should I smite them?
5. I have a neighbor who insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2 clearly states he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself, or should I ask the police to do it?
6. A friend of mine feels that even though eating shellfish is an abomination, Lev. 11:10, it is a lesser abomination than homosexuality. I don't agree. Can you settle this? Are there 'degrees' of abomination?
7. Lev. 21:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if I have a defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear reading glasses. Does my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle-room here?
8. Most of my male friends get their hair trimmed, including the hair around their temples, even though this is expressly forbidden by Lev. 19:27. How should they die?
9. I know from Lev. 11:6-8 that touching the skin of a dead pig makes me unclean, but may I still play football if I wear gloves?
10. My uncle has a farm. He violates Lev.19:19 by planting two different crops in the same field, as does his wife by wearing garments made of two different kinds of thread (cotton/polyester blend). He also tends to curse and blaspheme a lot. Is it really necessary that we go to all the trouble of getting the whole town together to stone them? Lev.24:10-16. Couldn't we just burn them to death at a private family affair, like we do with people who sleep with their in-laws? (Lev. 20:14)
I know you have studied these things extensively and thus enjoy considerable expertise in such matters, so I'm confident you can help.
Thank you again for reminding us that God's word is eternal and unchanging.
Your adoring fan,
James M. Kauffman, Ed.D. Professor Emeritus, Dept. Of Curriculum, Instruction, and Special Education University of Virginia
(It would be a damn shame if we couldn't own a Canadianiox :)
O
Thank you all for the responses, that letter was hilarious, Sarah Diehl.
ReplyDelete@Kenny Howse: I agree, how can one be intelligent and still believe in fairy tales?