Bill wrote:
> [beginning with a quote from Jay]
> I don't expect your understanding on this, or that God is very disciplined,
> just as we would discipline our children for their own good....
>
> Discipline? Who disciplines their children by stoning them to death?
People who believe the bible do:
If a man has a stubborn and
rebellious son, who will not obey the voice of his father or the voice of his
mother, and though they chastise him, will not give heed to them, then his
father and mother shall take hold of him and bring him out to the elders of his
city ... and they shall say to the elders ... This our son is stubborn and
rebellious, he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton and a drunkard. Then
all the men of the city shall stone him to death with stones ... (Deuteronomy
21:18-21, RSV)
Thankfully, most Christians
don't really believe the bible.
Rob
From: Debbie
>Rob writes:
>
> < < If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son, who will not obey the voice
> of his father or the voice of his mother, and though they chastise him, will
> not give heed to them, thgen his father and mother shall take hold of him and
> bring him out to the elders of his city ... and they shall say to the elders
> ... This our son is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice; he
> is a glutton and a drunkard. Then all the men of the city shall stone him to
> death with stones ... (Deuteronomy 21:18-21, RSV)
>
> Thankfully, most Christians dont really believe the bible.
>
> Rob,
>
[.]
>
> You seem to know at least a little bit about the bible, if not quite a bit
> more, so I don't understand why you're insinuating that the above passage is
> intended for Christians when anybody who knows even just a little bit about
> Judaism and Christianity knows that this was one of the civil laws for
> ancient Israel and has no application whatsoever for Christians.
I don't know why you say that.
The only sense I can make of "it was (or
wasn't) intended for Christians" would be if I thought the bible was divinely
inspired and God meant for it to be understood one way or the other. I don't
see any reason to think that. God didn't inspire the bible and didn't mean some
things for Christians and others not.
Moreover, even if you suppose
the bible is divinely inspired and that the passage doesn't apply now, that's a
very weak defense. What the passage recommends is monstrous. If God once
commanded it for somebody, then God was monstrous. Saying he's not like that any
more or doesn't command us to do it doesn't get him off the hook.
> I agree with you that most people who call themselves Christians don't really
> believe the bible, but the above is not an applicable example in support of
> that statement.
It's a perfectly good example.
When the bible says to do something that's obviously foolish or wicked,
Christians are willing to spin rationalizations a mile long about why it doesn't
"really" mean what it says.
Here's another example, though,
if you don't like that one. Jesus said to "take no thought for the morrow."
That's plainly stupid advice, and no economy much past the hunter-gatherer
level could survive if people tried to put it into practice. Nevertheless,
Christians somehow manage to say they believe that while doing things
like borrowing money, signing leases, planning for retirement, acquiring
education, and planning vacations. The fact is, if they believe it, their belief
doesn't amount to much.
I don't think Ive ever met a
Christian who really believed what the bible said, though there are lots who
imagine they do. For a short and highly selective list of things wrong with the
bible, you might look at Mistakes and Contradictions in
the Bible.
Rob
_____
Rob Bass
rhbass@gmail.com
