Why do some Christians quote the Old Testament?

Question

Christians have no problem with quoting scripture that suits them, but when condoing slavery, stoning people, or selling your daughter comes up, they never have a response, or say that you can't take that literally. How can you believe what you want to believe and disregard the rest?

I see no one here against what I am saying is making an honest attempt to answer my question, not the unexpected.

Wrong Rick, there are passages that condone these activities.

Answer 1

I would like to know the answer to that one too

Answer 2

ACCEPTING AND DISCARDING BIBLE VERSES IS WHAT IT IS ALL ABOUT IN OUR LIFE

Religions are based on using the bible as a religious formula, they accept the scriptures they want to represent their religion and discard the rest of them.

Religion people quote what they quote, christains knew the bible as a whole and if no one does, they are not christian in reality, just of a religious order.

The bible is all about telling you what sinful people is all about, land pirates, no land or water for any they do not want to have it, taking and making slaves of people as did Egypt, others become slaves or employees to a certain one for a certain period, there is war mongers, distruction is every where, and if God wipes out the violence as with a flood, soon after the flood the land pirates rum rampant and created lawless cities as Sodom and Gomorrah where those that break the law outnumber those that might uphold it, God could not even find 10 persons, only Lot was loyal.
Or the Benjamin tribe so near wiped out by the other eleven, for being as Sodom and Gomarrah.
All the horrors of sin are in the Old Testament and still visible in our world today, it is not going to change until Matt.25:31-34 the sheep are separated from the goat and those Rev.7:9-17 who survive the great tribulation with the sheep, the meek and the just are left standing to see the mighty change of the second coming of Jesus.

Answer 3

Slavery was not a Christian tradition. It started even much earlier than the Paraohs time. The powerful family of Kings, the rich and the nobilities are the ones who have slaves who were taken from other conquered countries where people are used for different purposes depending on what one is capable of doing. There are those who were lucky to be commissioned as adviser because they have a gift of knowledge, some as soldiers or gladiators, some laborers and artisans and some as household helpers. There are also who were lucky to be adopted and get paid, there are those are who are less fortunate that stayed chained.
Stoning people to death was traditionally Jewish as crucifixion by the Romans that humiliates the criminals as well as sending messages of warning for the would be offenders. Guillotine, firing squad,electric chairs and lethal injections came later when people were able to make inventions and society decided to get away with brutal executions.
With the traditional belief that it was a woman who caused Adam to sin, the tribes of many nations subjected women as a human with lesser qualities than a man. The God of the Old Testament, had only mentioned to the woman that since she caused the sin of Adam, she will have to serve her husband and her bearing of a child will be with labor pain. It then became a traditional belief that woman was regarded the same way as any property owned by a man, that was human tradition not by God's decree but by leaders adding more than what God had said. That selling of daughters were not only in the Middle East where God was made known but even Chinese, Mayan traditions have those.
I am not answering this question to defend Christians because you are also correct in taking some quotations from the Old Testament to support many claims written in the New Book but of course those that have no relevance to what they are teaching today is dropped. What you did not notice is the many teachings that are totally in defiance to the Laws of God who lives forever.

Answer 4

I see no problem with any of the points about slavery and stoning. The only problem with this is that many of those scriptures are applicable to the jews and not others. ie. if you are a jew even a christian jew then these scriptures apply to you. if you are not then they dont.
The only exception in this are the scriptures that are before judaism came into existence. ie. The Noachide Laws
1. Respect G-d (serve no god but G-d)
2. Respect Possessions (no theft)
3. Respect Life (no murder)
4. Respect Family Life (sexual sins such as adultry, incest etc.)
5. Respect Animals (dont be cruel or eat them while they are still alive)
6. No Blasphemy
7. Establish courts of justice

Answer 5

Your looking at these things based on present day viewpoints. Our concept of slavery is far different from the time of Abraham. People that did not have a way to make a living or were in debt became "slaves" in order for them to re-establish their lives. Their masters provided for them and took care of them. After seven years they were free to lead their own lives. Many opted not to leave and stayed on. It was not punitive or any form of mistreatment. That was established later. You have to remember that until you fully look at the context of a passage and also look at it from a cultural stand point, you can't fully understand aspects of the Bible.

No passage in the Bible instructs Christians to enter into slavery accord to the contemporary description of slavery. No passage in the Bible does God instruct us to sell our daughters or stone people. Did those things happen, yes. It's called sin. Just because it's mentioned in the Bible doesn't mean that it's intended as a derictive. Many things are mentioned to fully describe event. To give you a picture of how things were then.

Answer 6

With regard to slavery, that was a cultural thing. The Bible doesn't deal with stopping everything bc there were other problems that were more important. However, there were laws in place to help protect slaves from being abused by their masters. Additionally, during the year of Jubilee, I think all the slaves were freed and debts were cancelled. Our culture has changed, so those laws don't apply now, but the moral law was renewed with Christ's death bc it guides how we live our lives and is what we'll be judged by.

Answer 7

Christians go by the NT.
That does not make the OT totally useless.
It is profitable for some insights as to God's personality and how He thinks.
There is much history that deserves our attention.
There is poetry and song. Romans 15:4
As respects the law given to the Israelites ....its over!
Colossians 2:14

Answer 8

God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. The Old Testament consists of writings of True Prophets who heard from the LORD God. They have been tried & found true.

The Law came through Moses (1st Covenant with Israel).

Grace and Truth came through Jesus Christ (2nd Covenant with Israei believers and those who believe from all nations).

In Timothy it is written that all scripture Inspired by God is useful for edification & learning & profitable.

Answer 9

Because you are taking it out of context.At least that is what they always tell me.
That is about the only response they can give.
It is a biblical fact that God ordered rape,murder and child abuse but christians always ignore those parts or even deny their existance.They won't admit it but they pick and choose which parts of the bible they want to believe

Answer 10

How can you quote it not even realizing what it means? The OT reveals not only Jesus as our savior through many prophesies, but the need for one. I thank God that I no longer have to follow that old law, I would hate to have to worry about those things that you talk about. But Jesus demolished that law. The only law that Jesus talks about following are the 10 commandments. If you love God, you'll keep 'em.

Answer 11

Grrr! ^^^ This is a REAL QUESTION! You just don't like it!

Christians that hate homosexuality use the OT to support that. (And leave off a few chapters later where eating shellfish is condemned in equally strong language.) Many christians want the "10 commandments" stamped on government owned buildings. The question is valid.

"What criteria do you use to know which bits of the OT to celebrate and which to ignore?"