At times, we see a dialogue akin to the following:
Atheist Scoffer: What about this Old Testament verse that permits ______ (fill in the blank, slavery, eating shellfish, child sacrifice, etc.)?
Christian Apologetic: We are under the New Covenant. Thus, the rules of the earlier covenant as described in the Old Testament no longer apply.
I understand the reason and logic behind this statement. But it raises the following questions in my mind:
1. Why is the Old Testament in the Christian Bible? It is clearly important source material. But given the Christian faith's focus on salvation through Jesus, would it not more appropriately go with such works as the apochryphal and deutero-canonical books?
2. If one reads and follows solely New Testament scripture and bases his or her actions solely on the New Testament, can he or she obtain salvation? If so, again, why is it part of the Old Testament included in the Christianity's handbook for salvation?
Thank you for your time.
2006-10-12
15:33:57
·
33 answers
·
asked by
MBH
3
in
Religion & Spirituality