Serious questions for Christians from an atheist?

It is so refreshing to have an atheist ask a sincere question.

Your observation is very astute. Gentile Christians do seem to pick and choose what they practice in the Bible. One reason is that the Mosaic Law is often misunderstood.

There are laws pertaining to the temple and the priesthood that nobody can keep today because there is no temple and there is no active priesthood.

There are symbolic laws that God never meant for anybody to actually keep. How silly is it to never wear a wool-blend suit! The keeping of this law is to appreciate that wool keeps you warm and linen keeps you cool, and to blend them is to be lukewarm. So the keeping of this and a few others is to understand the symbolism.

There are cause and effect laws that have no affect on our relationship with God, other than if we continuously break them we cause ourselves sickness and grief. These would include the sanitary laws. Obviously we know alot about bacteria today that they didn't know the, so we understand why washing hands, dishes, etc is important.

The laws that reflect God's nature and character ARE important to keep. God is faithful, so we are not to commit adultery. God is the creator of life, so we are not to murder. God appoints dominion, so we are not to steal. I'm sure you get it.

You asked specifically about eating pork & shellfish. After the flood, God told Noah it was ok to eat all living things. The law of Moses is very specific as to what they could eat. The Japenese have the longest lifespans in the world. They eat all the things prohibited in the law of Moses. My conclusion is that God told the Jews what they could and could not eat in the land of promise. Other peoples and cultures have acheived a sort of equilibrium with the land they live in too.

About decorating your body, I remember reading a verse somewhere in the Bible commanding us to not take a mark on our body, but I have tried to find it numerous times, and can't seem to locate it. If you want my opinion on this topic, I'd say that "If the barn needs painting, paint it.".

You may live to regret permanent decisions you make about your body. A few years ago I remember I met a woman who had all her facial hair permanently removed, and she had her makeup tatooed onto her face. That's nice until the fashions change.

Tatoos of any kind have the potential for regret when you mature and change your mind about what the tatoo says.

Paul admonished "moderation in all things". I think that has a certain wisdom to it.

(I was raised in a christian home and I have read the bible. My question is how do religions choose which parts of the bible to practice and which parts to ignore? How do you decide when something no longer applies?)

Your answer is in the second line the word is religions. True Christianity is not a religion. It is a relationship with our heavenly Father through Jesus Christ as our personal savior.

(Example:

1. When I was a kid we were not allowed to eat pork, shrimp, crab, etc. But there are so many christians that do. The bible says that is wrong. Why do many christians do it anyway?)

How can you say the bible says it is wrong when in the book of acts God let down a blanket for Peter that was full of unclean things including pork, and reptiles and rodents and such:

Act 10:9 On the next day, as these went on the road, and drawing near the city, Peter went up on the housetop to pray, about the sixth hour.

Act 10:10 And he became very hungry and desired to eat. But while they made ready, an ecstasy fell on him.

Act 10:11 And he saw the heaven opened and a certain vessel like a sheet coming down to him, being bound at the four corners and let down to the earth;

Act 10:12 in which were all the four-footed animals of the earth, and the wild beasts, and the reptiles, and the birds of the heaven.

Act 10:13 And a voice came to him, saying, Rise, Peter! Kill and eat!

Act 10:14 But Peter said, Not so, Lord, for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.

Act 10:15 And the voice spoke to him again the second time, What God has made clean, you do not call common.

What God has made clean, you do not call common - This is the answer: Pray over all that you eat, and God's blessing upon it means you can eat it!

(My old preacher use to preach that the bible said that you are not suppose to decorate your body or wear ornaments. Is that true? If it is why do so many christians wear jewelry.

I really mean no disrespect...I really was just wondering.)

It is not the outside that makes a person holy or a Christian, but wrather it is the inward man. God looks at the heart and so judges a man, He does not look at our works. Nor does He respect the outward appearance of a man, but wrather He looks to see if one's heart is true towards Him.

The ritual of religion does not bring us closer to Him, but even the word religion come from the root word relagos which mean to return to bondage. So religion, no matter what form it is, cannot save us, No, that is reserved for Jesus Christ. Receiving Him is what saves, not "don't eat pork".

well first off great question, and well put. I'm a christian I have never heard of a christian not to eat pork shrimp or crab. to me that's strange. I do know in the bible there was a possessed woman and Jesus cast the demons into some pigs who after that drowned themselves. I think that's why the Jews do eat pork. but god blessed the food for us . as far as the decorating the body i think maybe we should ask whats the reason for your decorating, back in the old days they might of decorated them to be viewed as a higher power. I do understand how really you can read the bible and can really put 2 meanings from a scripture. I just use my head and do what i think is right

The Old Testament dietary laws (mainly found in Leviticus and some other OT places) would have put many restrictions on the people of Israel. Essentially the Lord wanted them to stand out be different from the surrounding cultures. There were lots of things done with certain meats in the pagan religions that were unhealthy for human consumption. When people from the surrounding culture come along and see the Israelites not eating this way and there is less disease they might ask, "What's going on here?", "Oh, hey let me tell you about our God!"

By the time of Jesus, many things had changed culturally, even some of those old OT religions. Jesus, in a meeting with his disciples, does a certain prayer over the food they are partaking, and has discussion about cleanliness of heart not of the stomach.

Mark 7.18,19

"Don't you see that nothing that enters a man from the outside can make him 'unclean'? For it doesn't go into his heart but into his stomach, and then out of his body." (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods "clean.")

The Jews seemed to miss the whole subject of keeping their hearts clean, that's what following all those dietary laws were really all about, their allegance to the Almighty God.

As for the jewelry issue, once again we need to read the scripture in the context of the culture. In the OT, jewelry would have been everywhere. On the king, his followers, on many people. When Paul is writing his words in the midst of a Corinth culture, the temple priests and priestesses of many of the false gods promoted in that time, would have been adorned with jewel and gold in glory to whatever god they are worshipping. Paul is simply telling his people not be like that, just keep a simple appearance. And when the question is raised, "How come you people don't dress like this?" "Well, let me tell you about Jesus and what He has done for us!"

Hope all that helps somehow

Jesus Loves You

Pilgrim: Its also refreshing when a person that believes in God gives an objective, rational answer.

I believe in God, but I don't think any religion has or ever will get it right. Humans are fallible so we have to acknowledge our own capability for screwing things up - and that we do.

I prescribe to the idea that many messages in the Bible (for example, but not exclusive to) were never meant to be dogma, but practical rules based on the situation at the time they were written.

Circumcision for instance. In the day, it was important for reasons of hygiene. Now, I don't believe that to be so, but since religious texts are static - the interpretation changes, but ideally the words don't, we have relics for which the original reasoning has lost its relevance and becomes some sort of test of faith.

Circumcision isn't necessary anymore and is considered by a great number of medical professionals as being outdated in practical effectiveness and thus is more mutilation than anything else.

I can see when soap and public sanitation wasn't as readily available as it is now, it was useful. On the other hand, we have soap and public sanitation now so its not a matter of health anymore. If the foreskin was bad, why would God give guys a foreskin? Or is this yet another dogmatic thought that has outlived its usefulness? NO NO NO!!!! You heretic they will say, but are you going to question God? God (or nature or evolution for that matter, whatever floats your boat) is the one who made the foreskin, MAN is the one cutting it off, just like MAN is the one declaring it heretical to not circumcise baby boys.

You just can't escape the fact that no matter how clear God is, man is always going to see it through a clouded lens of his own imperfection - that said, you can't discount that no matter your opinion, you can't say its right with absolute certainty - we are man and that means we have to admit that we didn't really 'get it'.

Unless of course, you are the type that simply can't handle the idea that your vision of God may not be exactly right - it would be threatening wouldn't it?

To me, that's an ego trip - IE - Pride - the second sin, after insubordination.

You say - I'm right. I know.

I say - How are you so sure? Do you really? Maybe, maybe not. Have you considered the possibilities?

In that spirit, I may be wrong and no I'm not sure. This is my opinion.

This is again why I believe in God but don't believe in the overall usefulness of organized religion. I refuse to let another man stand between - all that does in my mind is add another step in the greatest of all telephone games.

When religion helps man, its good.

When religion causes arguments, incites hubris, looses practicality, becomes lost in dogma, and becomes a weapon for personal gain, personal self satisfaction or a method to avoid self analysis at the expense of others, its no longer religion, its a cult.

I think religion, by that definition disappeared long ago. I think that religion is merely a cult that has survived the process of natural selection - which doesn't mean better, just more effective in passing on the traits of survival.

Regardless, I'm sorry you missed out on that good food. Too bad for that, but two paragraphs up I think explains why. Interesting that would happen over shrimp isn't it?

People have their own interpretations of the bible. This accounts for many of the different beliefs within one religion.

I do not recall reading anything about not being allowed to eat pork, shrimp, crab, etc. I find this especially difficult to fathom as Jesus's disciples were fishermen?

Also, many of the church's "rules" now were made by humans, not God. These "rules," like laws of today, can be changed. For example, when my mother was young she had to wear something over her head to church; if she didn't have a hat she had to wear a tissue. That is not the case anymore. When I was "young" (I am only 24 now) I had to dress up to go to church; now people wear jeans. I guess this would answer the question about your old preacher...perhaps he was referring to rules he grew up with?

There are not different interpretations of the Bible. There are different misinterpretations. The Bible should be studied in the context of history, alto it is the "living" word of God and should be applied to our life today. Some Christians don't eat pork or wear jewelry because that is where they're at in their studies and that is what they believe. Further study often changes a person's views. We should never stop studying the Bible and applying it to our lives.

I think in most religions certain things are concerned wrong according to laws or principles in the bible. Whether their parishioners follow them, or it's "enforced" that's a different story.

Someone who wants to be a true Christian would follow the bible. There are some laws that were given to the Israelites that would not apply to Christians today. Such as eating pork.

As far as dress, the bible does say that you should be "modest in apparel not given to external braiding of the hair." That would not mean that it is wrong to braid your hair, but in bible times, that was how the pagans wore their hair. So to remain separate from the nations around them, they needed to be modest. So today, a Christian would not what to wear their hair, makeup or jewelry that would draw attention to themselves or would identify them with a certain group that is not Christian. Like spiky, purple hair with eyebrow, tongue, nose piercings.

There are a lot who profess to be Christian, but don't really know what the bible teaches. The Churches can be to blame for not teaching them or from not telling them the truth. "Tickling their ears, with what they want to hear."

I completly understand you.

It depends on the person and their walk with God.

Christianity is not a religion. It is a relationship between the individual and God.

Don't take me the wrong way, but in the end you are accountable for you and yourself ONLY. Anything you do on this earth is for you in the end....don't actually start being all selfish and all just because of me....but what you do now on this earth determines what you judgement will get in the end.

Now, back to what you said. I personally do not eat pork, and do not wear jewellry , but as i said...it is really all personal. All the dietry laws are decreed in Leviticus in the Bible.

It is all personal....what you think is right/wrong is between you and God.

There is a song the is in my church's hymnal entitled "Make yourself right with God." This pbviously means that what you do is all personal, and that no one can do it for you.

Hope this was helpful

Be blessed

I was raised in the same kind of home. Rules, rules, rules.

Let me tell you what I've come to know, you cant just read the bible and take what is said out of context. You have to consider who was saying it and to whom he was saying it to. There were a lot of cultural customs that applied back then that don't apply now, like the ornaments.

As far as the unclean meat, it does say it's a sin but that's Old Testament law. When Jesus came to be our final sacrifice, he changed all of that.

If you ever choose to read the bible again, do it with someone who can get in deep with you so you can understand what's being said and not take everything at face value and try to apply them to today's standards.

Whatever you decide, be blessed and thank you for your sincere spirit.