In the Bible Old Testament (Deuteronomy specifically) God commands the stoning and killing of sinners. ex.21:18-21 of Deuteronomy. Yet the old testament also says THOU SHALT NOT KILL! why they contradict each other? Also in the new testament one of Jesus' most famous quotes about stoning "those without sin..." denounces it. Were people back then without sin? why is God contradicting himself?
2007-01-02 11:54:20 · 11 answers · asked by ? 3 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
sorry if this has already been asked.
also sorry about my previous question it malfunctioned or something.
2007-01-02 11:55:10 · update #1
I'm agnostic by the way.
2007-01-02 11:57:48 · update #2
why do you folks insist my grammar is the problem? King James Version says Exodus 20:13 "Thou shalt not kill" or at least this is in my version.
2007-01-02 12:07:49 · update #3
Many things in the Old and New Testaments are of man not God.
Christ was protecting the woman caught in an adulterous relationship from those that wished to stone her. He simply stated that only those with out sin should cast a stone. The crowd turned away and the woman was saved by Christ. Christ teaches that we are all sinners and our judgements should be judgements of righteousness, not condemnation.
2007-01-02 11:59:16 · answer #1 · answered by Answergirl 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
First of all, you've misunderstood things.
1. The commandment to not kill actually refers to premeditated murder. It's a translation issue. Clearly, you wouldn't say that this command refers to hunting for meat or squishing cockroaches, so obviously the original word was far more specific than the English verb "to kill."
2. Stoning in the old testament was capital punishment. They're not the same thing. Jesus was making an important point to those people. He was not denouncing stoning, but rather explaining that they all deserved to die. Jesus NEVER said that capital punishment was wrong. In fact, he stood in our place to take the execution we all deserved.
2007-01-02 20:12:39 · answer #2 · answered by Privratnik 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
First of all Deuteronomy was written only to the Jews and no one else. The commandment is translated "thou shalt not kill" in the KJV. When it was recorded-the work "kill" could also mean "murder" which is the proper translation in modern English. To execute someone for a sin/crime is not murder, but justice.
There is no contradiction, only your misunderstanding of scripture. I don't mean that to be ugly, just that intrepretation of Scripture requires much skill. A modern English translation like the NLT or NIV will help tremendously.
2007-01-02 20:11:29 · answer #3 · answered by Desperado 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The point Jesus was trying to make was that we are all sinners. Back then as well as today. Therefore, none of us are in a position to pass judgment on others.
The bible is written by people, for people, and by many different people, so there's bound to be some contradictions. Seeing as killing is one of the Original Sins, you'd do best to try to avoid doing that.
2007-01-02 20:00:34 · answer #4 · answered by tinkcph 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
through the times GOD has been giving RULES to people how to live, specially in the old testment, HE changed many times his own rules. All OLD testment is full of rules contradicted ones and some that we can't understand now this days that we live A/C after JESUS ( who is GOD ) well he came to complete all those rules HOW? By using two 1 LOVE GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART AND ALL YOUR SOUL, 2 LOVE YOUR SELF AS YOU LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR .
Two easy rules to fallow that any scholar, ph, geek,nerd or mental disordered person can understand.
So people won't figth anymore about the meaning , or the details.
If you want to see the details read old testment with understanding WHY GOD was giving certain rule in certain time, but remenber those rules are not apply for this days anymore .
We don't live in the old testment We live in the new testment.
When JEsus said "those without sin".. we know that there was no one without sin, HE knew too, BUT they didn't know the differences yet , THey used to live by rules and didn't understand about the freedom that Jesus was bringing to them.
If you have more questions about my comment you can send me email vero289nica @ yahoo.com
2007-01-02 20:17:50 · answer #5 · answered by JUST ME 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Thou shalt not kill is referring to innocent people. God is also a God of Justice. Justice means that laws are set and penalties are set for breaking those laws. It is wrong to punish a person where no law exists. However, once a law is broking it is un-just not to punish. It is unjust to those who obey the law not to punish the law breaker. People knew that adultery was punishable by stoning yet they did it any way. They knew the law, they knew the consequences of breaking the law and justice was served. Kill means to lie in wait for some one and kill them where no law has been broken.
A really good book on this is JACK HYLES ON JUSTICE.
2007-01-02 20:02:30 · answer #6 · answered by tas211 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I am shocked! You are suggesting that the Bible contains errors or contradictions, surely this is not possible for God`s word? There must be some mistake.
2007-01-02 20:04:01 · answer #7 · answered by ED SNOW 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It really amazes me that as soon as someone does not understand a scripture, they automatically calim it to be contradictory which is completely false.
God does not want us to go out on our own and take out revenge on lets say a neighbor who did something to us. God will take vengance upon them in His own time according to His will.
God will instruct as He did with the stoning of the sinners for unrighetous men to be put to death, not because He enjoyed the killing but because it went according to His own law. God will not look upon sin or the sinner, and if the sinner refuses to repent and turn away from their unrightous lifestyle they will be put to death.
Numbers 35:30 Whoso killeth any person, the murderer shall be put to death by the mouth of witnesses: but one witness shall not testify against any person to cause him to die.
A good example is Saddam who was just put to death for his crimes agains humainity. Justice was served according to the word of God. But you cannot priviately take another life and commit murder against another, for you shall too be put to death for that crime.
1Samuel 24:12 The LORD judge between me and thee, and the LORD avenge me of thee: but mine hand shall not be upon thee.
The execution of Saddam was done through the courts and he was found guilty of crimes against humanity and was justly sentenced and executed. This is according to God's law.
There is no concradiction. If you studied the word of God daily the way you are supposed to , you would know the difference.
God told Moses to destroy all those who would not live according to the commandments that he brought down from the mountain, and that is exactly what happened. All of the unrigheous were killed because God ordered it to be done. They were not followers of God's law.
2007-01-02 20:09:26 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes,the old testament, before God died on the cross to take away the sins of the world, before that you were accountable to the highest degree.
God never contradicts himself, you are just looking for flaws.
2007-01-02 19:57:05 · answer #9 · answered by Two Peas 7 · 1⤊ 2⤋
VAST Difference between KILLING and Murder!
Scripture uses the term = You should not MURDER!
~~~~~~~~`
Better read it again.
HE asked anyone without sin to cast the first Stone.
KNOWING that ALL were indeed sinners!
NO CONTRADICTION-- just your poor reading!
2007-01-02 19:58:55 · answer #10 · answered by whynotaskdon 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋