Friday morning quote...your opinion please?

i'm sure there are plenty that do.

hi donna

The first part "If a man would follow, today, the teachings of the Old Testament, he would be a criminal" seems to be a distortion if the author is basing that statement upon things like stoning people to death for a particular sin.

Those punishments were handed out by the governing authorities after a trial was held. It isn't like someone saw someone else doing something wrong and they grabbed up some rocks and proceeded to act as their judge, jury, and executioner. Doing that would have been criminal now just like it would have been then.

The second part "If he would strictly follow the teachings of the New, he would be insane" is a matter of opinion. From a godless perspective it certainly doesn't make a lot of sense to do some of the things commanded in the New Testament. If a person were to make their decisions based solely upon what they could see and know about this world then it might be considered crazy to trust in God and walk in faith.

From what I can tell, there are people who follow the teachings of the New and Old Testaments, and many of them are walking around and functioning perfectly well in society. Of course, this assumes that by following the teaching of the Bible, they are putting love into the world and using such tools that are available to all of us as compassion, forgiveness and gratitude. To know and practice these principles will get you neither arrested nor locked-up as a nut case.

The Old testament is one of the nastiest books I have read. OK, I have not read all of it!

I have read a lengthy account of a bunch of uptight barbarians who were into genocide and human sacrifice. They regarded death as an appropriate sentence for many crimes, including:

* belonging to a different religion

* working on the Sabbath

* speaking the name of God aloud

* speaking rudely to one's parents

Very few Christians accept any of this today. Some of them just ignore the bits of the Bible they don't like. Others say some parts are not meant to be taken literally. A few Christians say that God really approved of all the barbaric actions that give the Old Testament such a bad name - but after his son allowed himself to be tortured to death he relented and became more humane.

The New Testament is a whole new kettle of fish. The fact that it is often bound under the same cover as the Old Testament is a bit strange. The moral message has been applauded by many people who are not Christian. The moralistic writing of Saint Paul seem to be reworking the message drastically - lots of silly rules obscuring the original message.

I agree the Old Testament is cruel and barbaric, the New, somewhat less. If people who literally interpret the Bible, they would in fact be either criminal or insane. Sarah Palin for example, is a little bit of both

That's a very accurate Robert Green Ingersoll quote. Here is another one:

"Secularism believes in building a home here, in this world. It trusts to individual effort, to energy, to intelligence, to observation and experience rather than to the unknown and the supernatural. It desires to be happy on this side of the grave."

Well, well, another opinion? That really is the problem, everyone has their own opinion. Instead of reading or hearing the scriptures, believing it is The Word of God and following the teachings, we have our opinions. God is, He is instructing you how to live a better life and be saved thru the blood of His only begotten Son, Jesus. Salvation is come to mankind in The Name of Jesus Christ. Where is the place for opinion? It is believed or it is rejected, and that is exactly what the last 2008 years have been all about. The message is universally the same for everyone with very little room for opinion of any kind. Is that my opinion? Nope, it is my faith.

Ot: how?

Nt: why?

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Do you really expect the laws of so different societies to be equal?

There are very few people alive today that would want to truly live in the times past. The Vikings, the South Americans, and the Japanese and probably a host of other societies were extreme in the way they handled people.

It would really depends were he lives, in the West that is probably true but someone following the OT could quite easily fit in with a Sharia law society for example.

According to your quote that would make me criminally insane! But I am happy :)

hi donna ;-)

good Friday to you

ah well, i dont agree reall, but thats cos i dont think its up to any single person to insult people just cos they believe differently

of course there are things that that COULD be said to be true about, certain actions etc, but beleifs are different, your not a criminal for beleifs and your not insane for beleifs, just diferent

its what you do with, for and about them that defines what and who you are

too deep?

;-D