And the Bible says kill disobedient children with a stone, don't be gay, never eat shellfish or you are an abomination. Yes, religions are all nuts. Your not supposed to be gay in Islam either, but some people are gay. They always have been and always will be. Religion is about people trying to control other people.
The Bible things listed above are Old Testament things, written for the nation of Israel, only. Why for them? Because they asked God for it at the time that God gave them the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai.
Stop obeying the Old Testament laws as though they were meant for you, unless, of course, you adhere to them. Rather, obey the New Testament laws of love. Where the strict laws exist in the N.T., they exist as common sense guides. I mean, if you get a butcher's knife out of the drawer, and stab yourself in the arm with it, you will bleed. N.T. laws are laws of nature, that affect you, the nature around them.
Your personal religion is the way you live your life, the things you "religiously" do day in and day out. Everyone's religion is nuts in some ways for certain other people. It is true that, most of the time, in any relations between people, they are always trying to control others at least a little. It is our automatic religious nature.
That's where you fail mr BADecker. You cannot cherrypick the bible, or any other "holybook" for that matter. If you define yourself as Christian, then the entire bible is of importance to you, not just the new testament.
I agree, the old testament is 100% rubbish, but it being 100% rubbish proves that the entire bible is 100% rubbish. For such a "good" god to give such laws to the Israelites, is despicable. I read the new testament for it's emphasis on love, which I like. But I know the bible itself is false by nature.
And your failure is in thinking that it might be any other way than you said, for true Christians. No "cherrypicking" allowed.
The O.T. is NOT rubbish. That isn't what I said. It is what you said. The O.T. has many examples for righteous living that we ALL can use.
The major points of the O.T. are:
1. The promise of the Messiah, the Savior, Who came in the person of Jesus Christ of the N.T.;
2. Examples of good that happens to those who believe God, and evil that happens to those who don't believe Him (Note: A person acts according to what he believes.);
3. Prophesies of what is coming on the earth, that we can all take warning from.
You misunderstand. The Universe was made to be perfect. Mankind threw away the perfection in the Garden when they ate the fruit. Jesus maintained the perfection of the universe since He is God as well as man. The maintaining of that perfection includes keeping the perfection while at the same time perfectly giving people the imperfection that they so eagerly desire - like the imperfection that you show that you desire when you attempt to fight God rather than simply going along with Him and His plan of perfection. God's job is not an easy job. But God can do it, because He is God Almighty.
It isn't the Bible that is false by nature. It is you who are false by nature. If you weren't, you just might be able to see the greatness of God, shining through the wonders in nature and the Bible.
It seems you have not read the bible. Can you justify these laws and acts, commanded onto the Israelites & Moses by God?
1) God will kill any priest that leaves the tabernacle. Leviticus 10:7
2) If priests misbehave at the tabernacle by by drinking "wine or strong drink," then God will kill them and send his wrath on "all the people." "It shall be a statute for ever." Leviticus 10:9
3) God warns Aaron that he might have to burn him to death like he did his sons. Leviticus (10:1-2) 16:1-2
4) If you refuse to kill someone who gives his seed to Molech, God set his face against you and your family. Leviticus 20:4-5
5) Both parties in adultery shall be executed. Leviticus 20:10
6) If a man has sex with his father's wife, kill them both.Leviticus 20:11
7) If a man "lies" with his daughter-in-law, then both must be killed. Leviticus 20:12
Anyone who blasphemes or curses shall be stoned to death by the entire community. Leviticus 24:16
Those 8 are just a few examples of the extreme and utter cruelty found in the Old Testament portion of the Bible. There is no justifying those acts commanded by "God", and so, the only reasonable answers as to why a "good god" would give such laws to his people is
1) He is not a good god, but a evil one.
2) He does not exist and it is all made up.
God made the earth and the universe. You have the freedom to use the Internet. You have food and water, and clothing and shelter. God is a good God for giving this all to you, or at least making it available.
All the strict laws that God gave through Moses in the First 5 books of the Bible, are laws of perfection. Perfection is life. Imperfection is an example of something that is not working correctly. Imperfection means death.
The Bible sites you listed above are not simply things listed according to your simple words preceding the sites. In context, they make some of the best laws for everyone to live by. To see this, all you need do is take a look at America, the poverty, the pain, the pollution, etc., all things that are happening because the people will not obey the laws. God didn't want this trouble for His favored people, ancient Israel. This is why He gave them the best laws.
The direct reason why God gave these good laws to the people was because they asked for them. Exodus 20:18,19
The things and laws that God gave Moses are a pattern of the things in Heaven, before the throne of God - Hebrews 8:5,6:
So, why are you fighting against the good things of God in your heart? However, you have the freedom to do so if you so desire. But, if you continue to fight against the good things of God, you will only wind up destroying yourself. Don't be like the ancient people of Israel were so often - Hebrews 10:39: