Educating People About God's Law

[peter991]

Dear God,

When someone tries to defend the homosexual lifestyle, for example, I simply remind him that Leviticus 18:22 clearly states it to be an abomination.

End of debate.

Since you obviously know what you're speaking about, I do need some advice from you, however, regarding some of the specific laws and how to best follow them:

a) When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a pleasing odour for the Lord (Lev.1:9). The problem is my neighbours. They claim the odour is not pleasing to them. Should I smite them?

I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair price for her?

c) I know that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is in her period of menstrual uncleanliness (Lev.15:19-24). The problem is, how do I tell? I have tried asking, but most women take offence.

d) Lev. 25:44 states that I may indeed possess slaves, both male and female, provided they are purchased from neighbouring nations. A friend of mine claims that this applies to Indonesians, but not Australians. Can you clarify? Why can't I own Australians?

e) I have a neighbour who insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2 clearly states he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself?

f) A friend of mine feels that even though eating shellfish is an Abomination (Lev. 11:10), it is a lesser abomination than homosexuality. I don't agree. I'm convinced it is an abomination that is quite serious and must be stopped throughout PNG. Can you settle this?

g) Lev. 21:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if I have a defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear reading glasses. Does my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle room here?

h) Most of my male friends get their hair trimmed, including the hair around their temples, even though this is expressly forbidden by Lev. 19:27. How should they die?

i) I know from Lev. 11:6-8 that touching the skin of a dead pig makes me unclean, but may I still partake of clan feasts if I wear gloves? May I do the same thing when holding a rugby ball, or will playing rugby and touching the pigskin ball make me perpertually unclean in a way that cannot be undone?

j) My uncle has a very nice garden. He violates Lev. 19:19 by planting two different crops in the same field, as does his wife by wearing garments made of two different kinds of threads(cotton/polyester blend). He also tends to curse and blaspheme a lot. Is it really necessary that we go to the trouble of getting the whole village

together to stone them? (Lev. 24:10-16) Couldn't we just burn them to death at a private family affair like we do with people who sleep with their in-laws? (Lev. 20:14) I'm sure that you have studied these things extensively, so I am confident you can help.

Thank you again for reminding us in your own special way that God's word is eternal and unchanging.

Your devoted disciple and adoring fan.

peter991

Edited January 25, 2005 by ChrisP

[ChrisP]

Welcome

I think it would fit well in both...

(And apologies for the Edit I made...)

ChrisP

[bina]

guess your not jewish.... and you dont know people living in mea shearim, jerusalem.... i cant even have a pig a pet in the zoo.......

Edited January 25, 2005 by bina

[PeaceBlondie]

That would be my favorite joke to send to Christian homophobes, except they don't get it. They have this crazy theology (well, they don't even know their preacher/messiah-imitator has the theology) and don't want to think. And we sometimes accuse Thais of not thinking critically.

There aren't that many literal Jews in the world nowadays, even in Jerusalem, where they don't enforce all those laws. And fundamentalist Christians don't obey half the Law of Moses that Hasidic Jews observe, but the fundies insist on hating homosexuality. In contrast, there is no condemnation of consenting adult homosexuality by people with a homosexual orientation in the New Testament - not even a mention of it! Jesus, the Lord of Christianity, said absolutely nothing about same-sex desires or activities, but had plenty to say about opposite-sex desires and activities.

[peter991]

Thanks PeaceBlondie. I saw this article and lifted it unashamedly. I wasn't sure where to even post it. I am glad to see that it is getting a sensible airing on this forum.

I guess that's what I like most about LOS. I did a lot of Internet research on Thailand before my first visit 3 years ago but nothing really prepared me for the way Thai guys treat us older farangs.

Thais respect their elders (both Thai and farang) for a start and they do not have the hang-ups about sexuality that is common in western countries (Australia, USA, UK etc).

This is a pleasant surprise. In conclusion, I strongly suggest that it is possible to find happiness in Thailand. I am coming back to be with the love of my life in two weeks and we cannot wait to see each other again. I'll let you know how it goes. Hopefully I will be lucky like Steven and ChrisP.

[bina]

peaceblondie,

no more literal jews??

two new halachic rules this week in israel:

women cannot wear red after the age of 15

not allowed to sing in the shower, just hum, and only hebrew (read: religious) tunes

[ProThaiExpat]

It would seem only just that people who want to enforce two thousand year old laws from foreign countries on the inhabitants of other countries should set up model communities in accordance with those laws and social mores and live under those laws and customs today including no electricity, suvs. t.v, cellphones, etc.

Religionists are responsible for more inhumanity to man than any other congegaton of mankind by far and continue to be responsible for the majority of unrest and bloodshed in the world today.

One would think that reasonable and educated men would realize this and desist from their prostelitizing. Hhowever, in my experience, there is a blindness that overcomes those who are raised in a religion or those converted to it (including GWB) and thus abandon their reason when it comes to their own dogma. I just don't know, nor can I understand, why this happens to them. Sure power grabbers and oportunists that lead congregations for their own financial gain are understandable, even the power heirarchy of the Catholic Church is undertandable, but why does otherwise well meaning ordinary intelligent and educated people of the world lose all reason when it comes to their relgion It remains a mystery to me.

Anyone have a clue why?

Edited January 27, 2005 by ProThaiExpat

[PeaceBlondie]

peaceblondie,

no more literal jews??

two new halachic rules this week in israel:

women cannot wear red after the age of 15

not allowed to sing in the shower, just hum, and only hebrew (read: religious) tunes

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yes, there are lots of ultra-conservative Jewish groups that try very hard to follow the Law of Moses. But do they sacrifice bulls and other animals on the altar? Do they stone their disobedient children? No, I think in Israel the only people they can kill with government sanction are non-Jews (but that's a separate argument).

Sticking to this thread, I guess my point was beside the point. No Christian groups I know of (even Messianic Christians and Seventh Day Adventists, unless the British Israelites/Worldwide Church of God) follow the rules about clothing weaved with different fabrics, abstaining from intercourse during your wife's menstrual flow, going to the minister after having an inadvertent wet dream, forbidding men with crushed testicles to enter the church building, having intercourse with their brother's widow to raise up children for your brother, stoning adulteresses, using prostitues so long as she's not Jewish, etc.

From what little contact I had with Judaism in the USA, they didn't seem homophobic. But there are very few Jews in Texas, although there are always a few nearby.

[jayenram]

Dear God,

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I don't quote all the original post because it takes up too much space and everyone will have read it before anyway. (Doctor please note).

However, I find it brilliant. If I had the religeous book to actually confirm it's quoted verbatum, I'd send it to all my mate.

[PeaceBlondie]

Dear God,

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I don't quote all the original post because it takes up too much space and everyone will have read it before anyway. (Doctor please note).

However, I find it brilliant. If I had the religeous book to actually confirm it's quoted verbatum, I'd send it to all my mate.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You can send it. I don't have an Old Testament in Thailand, but the post appears accurate, and the point's well taken. Besides, the fundy Christians you send it to are probably too lazy to check out all the references. If they're not too thick, and a teensy part of their mind is open, they'll get the point. But I doubt that it'll change their mind, because the Christian church has gotten that point wrong for so long (roughly 1600 years) that they're likely to not figure it out. I don't just mean the homophobic error; I'm referring to the entire massive error that Christians are supposed to follow the Law of Moses.

Therein lies the problem for homosexuals like us and pacifist Christians such as me: the entire ethical-theological TEACHING of Christianity is so bound up in the Old Testament that the 'Christians' think that following Moses is more important than following the commands of their Lord, Jesus. The New Testament says otherwise, but 99% of the 'Church' is bound up in the Old Testament. I don't see how we'll convince the fundamentalists about homosexuality until we convince them of their error in the origin of their ethics.

[astral]

Jesus, the Lord of Christianity, said absolutely nothing about same-sex desires or activities, but had plenty to say about opposite-sex desires and activities.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Jesus didn't, it was St Paul who put his oar in, when writing the Epistles.