Slavery is still in? *tick*
Polygamy is ok? *tick*
Genocide? *tick*
Capital punishment? *tick*
Sexism? *tick*
Racism? *tick*
I would like to take a moment to address this "criticism" of Scripture in what I hope will be a logical manner. I want to say, up front, that it is only my opinion and I do not claim to be an expert or biblical scholar.
The Bible is, really, two books. One, it is a historical record of events that shaped Jewish and Christian culture, and two, it is intended to be a blueprint for Godly living. But the "story" centers around one indisputable fact; mankind "fell" with Adam and each and every one of us since then has inherited his sinful nature.
So, let's examine the above statements in light of that fact.
Slavery. Yes, slavery existed in biblical times. It was widely practiced by the Egyptians, Romans and to a lesser extent, the Greeks. As a matter of fact, God's chosen people were generally the slaves; and not the slave owners. However, nowhere in the Bible is slavery condoned. The closest it comes to that is Paul's letter to the Colossians, where he says, "Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to curry their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters,..." (Colossians 3:22-23) And here, he was speaking primarily to Gentiles, to whom slavery was an ordinary fact of life. His point was not that slavery was "ok", but that Christians should strive to do their best in every circumstance.
Again, polygamy existed in pre-Christian times. It is reported in the old testament as a fact. However, when Christ came along, he was pretty adamant that marriage was supposed to be one man and one woman. When the Pharisees attempted to test Him on the matter of divorce, He replied, "Haven’t you read,”... “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female, and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh ’So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” (Matthew 19:4-6) And when He was pressed on the subject, he stated, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard.
But it was not this way from the beginning." (Matthew 19:8, emphasis added) This would seem to rule out polygamy, at least in God's eyes.
Again, genocide existed in the Old testament. There is no doubt that God told Joshua several times, and Moses before him, to leave nothing alive when the Israelites were in the process of winning the Promised Land. But He had a specific purpose for those orders. He knows human nature. He knew that, if these conquered peoples were allowed to live, and intermingle with the Israelites, they would eventually drag them down to their level. (History pretty much proved that He was right on that one.) But in the New testament, Jesus came as the Prince of Peace. He brooked no violence, even on the night He was arrested and turned over to the Jewish elders. Therefore, again, the historical perspective does not support the fact that the Bible supports genocide.
The statement about capital punishment is purely a personal issue on your part. The bible offers ample evidence that God favored capital punishment, for a wide variety of offenses (including homosexuality, you "gay priders"). The commandment given to Moses which is widely translated as "Thou shalt not kill" is actually translated as "Thou shalt not commit murder".
Sexism, remember historical record vs. Godly living. There is no biblical evidence that Jesus was sexist in any way. In the most well known of stories concerning his attitude toward women, He rebuked Martha for wanting her sister to "help in the kitchen". “'Martha, Martha,' the Lord answered, 'you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one.Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.'” (Luke 10:41-42) And while some of the Apostle, Paul's remarks could be construed as sexist, you have to consider the audience he was playing to. In addition, he always balanced his warnings to wives with warnings to husbands that they better earn their wives' "submission".
Again, what racism existed in the Bible, I believe, was not based on the color of a person's skin, or the shape of their nose, but by the god(s) they worshipped. And isn't that the whole point of Scripture; our God is the one true God, Creator of the universe, and worthy of all worship and praise? One need look no further than the parable of the Good Samitaritan to find out God's attitude toward racism. And finally, all vestiges of racism evaporated when God called Paul to carry the Gospel to the gentiles. "It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.” (Isaiah 49:6)
Therefore, to cite these factors as reasons we shouldn't believe the Bible, or adhere to its teachings,
in my opinion, is very short sighted indeed. everything in the Bible is
true, from the historical record to the great commission. And on some level, I expect that the book of Revelation will turn out to be true also. When that day comes, if it comes in my lifetime, I hope I am counted among those who believed Scripture.
(I apologize for being so long-winded, and for any typographical errors which may have sneaked through. As you can see, I am pretty passionate about this subject.)
God bless us all.
