Question About The Bible?

Question

Hey, whats the deal with the bible saying things like you should be put to death if you work on sunday and if you have long hair. It also says you should seclude women when their on their period, and that you can sell your daughter into slavery? How can you guys interpret the bible as literal if it says things like that?

Answer 1

OK so heres a couple myth busters. I am a MA student going for Theology.
Ill tell you from the old testament point of veiw. A good word to use when it comes to the bible is "Politics of Translation". Meaning that a person or institution endorses the translation of a sacred text withits own ideological agenda in mind. Therefore the many translations of the bible are political translations. If one translates the hebrew bible they will arrive to numerous conclusions. Hebrew Words have shades of meaning. Exp: In the old TEst it says God made eve from Adams rib right? Well if u actually translate it frm the hebrew it says from adams side. (which actually makes more sense) IN hebrew Yahweh is the word for God. Yahweh is actually an antcient egyptian deity. He was the God of the written Word, (17th Egyptian dynasty) And another fact - God actually has a wife in the beg. Her name was Asherah. In both the 1st and 2nd temples built they has a staue of Asherah. ..... what do you think?

Answer 2

When was it written? Those were sexist and racist times. Nobody at the time had any idea why we were here, what their purpose was, or what to do with this life they happened upon.
Enter the Bible- a book of laws, guidelines, and reasons to follow them... Punishment and reward in afterlife provides a great deal of motivation for people to do what they are told- and fear of the unknown vs. tangible answers (for the time)... you can see why people would follow.
Centuries later, we have found that many of the customs and practices do not fit in todays society- but as is the case with any practice- old habits die hard, and this is one of the biggest habits humans can face.
Religion can be a good thing for those who allow it to adapt to todays standards. It provides motivation and reason for people to be better people- unfortunately, in many cases, people just want to take the outdated literal interpretation and follow the rules to the t... this is their direct route to heaven. This is the problem with the reward system- too many eyes on the prize, and not enough playing the game... The motivation is to find heaven and not peace, which makes for a very selfish journey.

Answer 3

Sounds to me that you might be in the book of Leviticus or Exodus, one of the Old Testament books for sure. Right? These are laws that God had set for the Nation of Israel. It is not for the people of today. Yes, we do take the Bible literally and to understand the Old Testament, it is good to know about the customs of that day. Remember, it has only been this past century that women could vote. Jesus, in the New Testament brings much compassion and liberation for both women and children. If you are serious about knowing the bible check out a website at www.ttb.org this is a teaching of the whole bible in 5 yrs. You see to really grasp its meaning you need to study it and pray for guidance from the Holy Spirit. Hope I helped a bit, as I am just really starting to study the Old Testament, It used to scare me, but I believe that God is good and one thing I have discovered in the OT, He is faithful to His people. It takes time. Just like studying a subject in any classroom, you don't learn it all in one day.

Answer 4

Look at how some countries are still somewhat that way today and they probably came a long way from where they were.
Some of the laws were written for health and sanitation reasons since they didn't have the means of keeping things 'clean' back then. Some were written so God could show us a difference between living under the law and living under grace after Jesus came. Some to show we can not live up to Holy standards on our own and need to rely on God's mercy.

Answer 5

Actually, you are to be put to death if you work on the SABBATH, which by the Jewish calendar is Saturday, the 7th day of the week--not Sunday, the first day. Also, a man who sleeps with a man is to be executed; you can beat your slave nearly to death as long as you don't actually kill him; a girl who can't prove her virginity on her wedding day is to be killed; and many other things that we civilized people consider barbaric. I dunno, maybe God was just having a bad day when he wrote those laws.

At any rate, Christians will say that they no longer have to follow ANY of those laws, despite Jesus saying that he did not come to do away with the law, and that anyone who breaks them and tells others to do so will be considered least in God's kingdom. But then they make a big fuss when someone refuses to put up the Ten Commandments, which are just a small part of the law that they said they don't have to obey!

Answer 6

That is the Old Testament. The old Jewish Law.

When Christ came, a new covenant was made. If you read the New Testament, Christ will answer all your questions.

1. The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.

2. Long Hair: you need to research who was speaking and to whom. If you are referring to Paul in the book of Ephesians, the Greek male prostitutes wore long hair. Paul didn't want the Christian men to be mistaken for a male prostitute, therefore, he instructed them to not let their hair grow long. This instruction was for them only. It's a letter.

3. Secluding women? That was Old Testament.
4. Selling your daughter? That was Old Testament.

Start reading the New Testament. Jesus freed us from all of the bonds of the Law. That's why He came.

He said He came so we can have freedom and enjoy life.

Answer 7

You have to remember the things you are talking about took place during old testament times. Jesus came to this earth and as a result much changed. That is why blood sacrifices no longer exist. He shed His blood and sacrificed Himself for our sins. No longer does the blood of an animal wash our sins away. Much of it had to do with customs. It never says anywhere that God approved of everything that was written in the bible. The Bible is Gods word but also recorded history.

Answer 8

You missed the law about leaving those who are born with a physical disability out in the wilderness to die. Isn't that just lovely? Christians will tell you that Christ gave them a new covenant and that consequently, those laws no longer pertain. However, in the NT Jesus specifically states in one of the gospels that he did not come to take away the law of the prophets. The Bible is a book you can use to justify whatever stance you want to take. Maybe that is what Jesus meant when he said "Seek and you will find."

Answer 9

people who interpret the bible as literal are ill human beings. a 4 year old child knows right from wrong. it doesnt take a genius to decipher appropriate messages in the book that can be attributed to everyday life but so many only focus on those bad things mentioned in the bible. the bible is replete with metaphors and imagery. most of it's messages are not to be taken literal

Answer 10

when reading and interpreting the bible, it is important to understand the time, and place in which it was written. we must also consider the audience with with the passage was speaking to. many of the things that you mentioned were from the old testament in which those very things were in practice. we must always remember that the bible is also a history book full of things that occurred in the past so that we might learn from them.