A little something for those disappointed in not being Raptured today….
Tag Archives: Christians
The Bible vs The Koran, Christians vs Muslims
Very interesting column from Leonard Pitts….
You’ll have to click the link to get your results and read the rest of the column…
OK, put your books away. We’re having a pop quiz.
Below are four quotes. Each is from one of two sources: the Bible or the Koran, although, just to make things interesting, there’s also a chance all four are from one book. Two were edited for length and one of those was also edited to remove a religion-specific reference. Your job: identify the holy book of origin. Ready? Go:
1) “. . . Wherever you encounter [non-believers], kill them, seize them, besiege them, wait for them at every lookout post . . .”
2) “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.”
3) “If your very own brother, or your son or daughter, or the wife you love, or your closest friend secretly entices you, saying, ‘Let us go and worship other gods’ . . . do not yield to him or listen to him. Show him no pity. Do not spare him or shield him. You must certainly put him to death.”
4) “Now kill all the boys. And kill every woman who has slept with a man, but save for yourselves every girl who has never slept with a man.”
All right, pens down. How did you do?
via Here’s reason for us to fear fear itself – Leonard Pitts Jr. – MiamiHerald.com.
Don’t be wedded to every tradition – Other Views – NewsObserver.com
Great Op-Ed from the Reverend Douglas Long in the Raleigh News and Observer yesterday about people using the Bible to define “traditional” marriage.
As Shakespeare said, “the devil can cite scripture for his purpose.”
So, let’s give it a rest.
It’s also a great response to the infamous Dr Laura Schlessinger comments/letter about Leviticus and homosexuality floating around the web…
Here’s an excerpt and a link to the full editorial at the bottom…
Hat tip to Pam’s House Blend where I originally saw part of this….
The truth of the matter is that the Bible is not a good source supporting monogamous and mutual marriage that our society and culture has evolved to embrace.
More systematically than considering a favorite passage here and there, Vaughn Roste, the son of two Canadian Lutheran pastors with a seminary degree of his own, has undertaken a comprehensive study of passages in the Bible, researching more than 800 Biblical references that deal with marriage. He distilled from that study what he refers to as “The 12 Biblical Principles of Marriage.” In summary, in the Bible:
- Marriage consists of one man and one or more women.
- Nothing prevents a man from taking on concubines in addition to the wife or wives he may already have.
- The concept of a woman giving her consent to being married is foreign to the biblical mindset.
- If a woman cannot be proven to be a virgin at the time of marriage, she shall be stoned
- For those who claim these are all Old Testament laws and that the New Testament supersedes them, consider in the New Testament that:
- Women are allowed to marry the man of their father’s choosing … because women are the property of their father until married and their husband afterwards.
- Interfaith marriages are prohibited.
- If a man dies childless, his brother must marry the widow
- Divorce is forbidden, and finally …
- It’s better, according to St. Paul, to not get married at all.
The point is this, anyone can pick and choose a verse or phrase from the Bible which, taken alone and literally, will appear to support their argument. While people of the Judaic-Christian tradition may disagree on the propriety of same-gender marriage, can we at least agree to not misuse the Bible in the process?
More: Don’t be wedded to every tradition – Other Views – NewsObserver.com.
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Lost in the 21st Century 