Why are christians scared to discuss Exodus 22:18 with me??

Question

I posted a question before about how can you say your 'god' is forgiving after reading that, and got no answers? So i will try again...where is the forgiveness, and if you say he would forgive, how do you explain the inquisition?

Answer 1

Most christians prefer not to think about the old testament. They pick and choose the parts they want to claim and ignore the rest. After all, you didn't include the rest of the verses naming all the other things you can be killed for, including homosexuality.

Answer 2

One - if a person truly repented their life would be spared. They would be shown mercy by both humans and God.

Two - the inquisition took place during a time where people were scared of anything supernatural. The plague was rampant. They had little understanding of science and disease. Corrupt politicians took over positions in the church and used this power in order to control people.

Does this mean that God is like this? No. Does this mean that the true nature of God was represented during this time? No.

Does this mean humans often screw up? Yes.

Don't confuse the acts and laws of man (including religion) with those of God. Two very different things.

Answer 3

Alright, this is from a Roman Catholic. Exodus 22:18 says "a sorceress cannot be allowed to live." In the Old Testament (particullarly the Pentateuch, the first five books of the bible), God is very adament about what will happen to sinners. According the the Catholic Church, witchcraft is magic that is either a)a pact with the devil for power or b)helping evil spirits. Basically a witch is one who has sold her soul to the devil. She is evil. The ONLY sin, according to the Catholic Church, that is unforgivable is to blaspheme the Holy Spirit. Witchcraft is saying that Satan has more power than God, thus blaspheming the very nature of God. Thus, he was actually right in saying that. If they were willing to sell their soul for a little of the devil's power, they just want to become like gods themselves. They obviously don't realize that God has more power than Satan could imagine.

Answer 4

I'm not afraid.

18“You shall not permit a sorceress to live."

This is part of the law of Moses given to the Israelites after they left Egypt. A sorceress would have been an idolater and would have led them astray. They were to rely on God and His power, not witchcraft.

You ask where the forgiveness is? I'd say it's waiting on repentance. A sorceress who repents is no longer a sorceress, is she? If there is no repentance, God is not required to forgive.

This is not a mandate to Christians. This was part of the civil law of Israel. In the New Testament, many sorcerers and magicians were converted. So clearly they repented and were forgiven.

Answer 5

I don't read the bible but being raised by christians I have a bible nearby. Exodus 22:18, "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live." Hmmm.... Doesn't sound like a good god to me. A good god would try to help a witch follow the path of good not destroy them.

Answer 6

I'm not a Christian, but I'll be happy to discuss it with you.

When you discuss Christianity, you have to understand the difference between the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old Testament God was full of wrath, and vengeful. He expected people to live by a certain moral standards in order to be considered "his people". The purpose of including the Old Testament in the modern Bible is so that the readers can understand the need for a savior, and the difference between salvation by grace and salvation through works. Obviously, as you browse through the Old Testament, you see that God's chosen people had to adhere to a certain law, and all of these things had to be followed strictly in order for them to remain holy enough to be in the presence of God (since we know that sin separates us from God). The New Testament brings a different message, that God wanted to make Heaven available to all people ... not just the Israelites and the followers of the law. The New Testament shows God's transformation from vengeful to loving and compassionate. No one, even Christians, would say that the God of the Old Testament was forgiving.

That being said, Exodus is a continuation of the story that began in Genesis, and it illustrates not only God's deliverance of the Israelites through Moses, but what he expected from them in return. God establishes his covenant with his people through the 10 Commandments and communicates the moral, civil, and ritual laws by which they are to become a holy people.

Okay, all that being said ... and understanding that sin separates man from God ... the Israelites wouldn't have been able to allow anyone who practiced magicks to be part of their circle. They were commanded by God not to be "witches" or practice magick so that they could remain holy, and if anyone violated that law, they would be put to death. Its not really about forgiveness, but about the social laws of a people who were trying to uphold a certain moral standard to a God who had saved them from slavery in Egypt.

Like I said earlier, I'm not a Christian, but I get so tired of hearing people use verses to bash the beliefs of others when they don't do any kind of research. Hope this explains things to you.

~A.S.~

Answer 7

In the Old testament God was pretty hard on people and vengeful. I have to say I like a God who fights for His people, and the eye for eye, life for a life thing works for me when it comes to the truly criminal sick people in our world. Jeffery Dahmer, child sex abusers, etc.
The Inquisition was the act of power hungry people who used God to committ horrible acts against innocent people for their own personal pleasures. I believe God dealt with them very harshly when their judgement came.

Answer 8

"You shall not allow a witch to live."?

In the original Bible text, the term, m’khashepah, was used. It was later changed to ‘witch’ by King James. The definition of the original term is a woman who used spoken spells to HARM others, causing their death or loss of property.

I sat here thinking about this for a few minutes..a little confused about "why wouldn't Jesus come to her like the lady at the well?" ...and then I realized which book we're in. Exodus, long before Jesus, in the days of sacrifices and strict rules.

I'm not that learned on Bible stuff, but I know that Jesus brought forgiveness and love into Christianity. Before him it was pretty rough. Before him...no one was forgiven for their sins. Not even Moses was allowed into the promised land! Before him....no one had come to take them up and nail them to the cross!

So in conclusion, the Old Testament is a good history book, but to get the real ideals of Christianity, read the New Testament.

Answer 9

Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!

Answer 10

Exodus 22:18 -- "Let no sorceress live."

So, why did God's law speak so strongly against sorcery? Sorcery was punishable by death because it was a crime against God himself. To invoke evil powers violated the first commandment to have "no other gods". Sorcery was rebellion against God and his authority. In essence it was teaming up with Satan instead of God.

----Taken straight from my Bible.


Now then, if you team up with satan, then your punishment is death, for unlike the Father, satan does not give life and can only bring death. And that was before Jesus came down and granted an alternative way for the people, through his grace, death, and mercy. Now people are granted more of chance to change their wicked ways, but God is STILL not one to be played with.

There you go. I talked about it with you, and I can talk about my wonderful savior all night if you wish. :)

Have a God Blessed night.