eden wrote:
From Yahoo News comment section: (Note ; I need some Canadians to weedwack my yard)
On her radio show, Dr. Laura Schlesinger said that, as an observant Orthodox Jew, homosexuality is an abomination according to Leviticus 18:22, and cannot be condoned under any circumstance. That is because Gods Word is eternal and unchanging.
The following response is an open letter to Dr. Schlesinger, written by a US man, and posted on the Internet.
Dear Dr. Laura:
Thank you for doing so much to educate people regarding God's Law. I have learned a great deal from your show, and try to share that knowledge with as many people as I can. When someone tries to defend the homosexual lifestyle, for example, I simply remind them that Leviticus 18:22 clearly states it to be an abomination. End of debate. I do need some advice from you, however, regarding some other elements of God's Laws and how to follow them.
1. Leviticus 25:44 states that I may possess slaves, both male and female, provided they are purchased from neighboring nations. A friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans, but not Canadians. Can you clarify? Why can't I own Canadians?
2. 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?
3. 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 offense.
4. When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a pleasing odor for the Lord - Lev.1:9. The problem is my neighbors. They claim the odor is not pleasing to them. Should I smite them?
5. I have a neighbor 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, or should I ask the police to do it?
6. 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. Can you settle this? Are there 'degrees' of abomination?
7. 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?
8. 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?
9. I know from Lev. 11:6-8 that touching the skin of a dead pig makes me unclean, but may I still play football if I wear gloves?
10. My uncle has a farm. 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 thread (cotton/polyester blend). He also tends to curse and blaspheme a lot. Is it really necessary that we go to all the trouble of getting the whole town 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 know you have studied these things extensively and thus enjoy considerable expertise in such matters, so I'm confident you can help. Thank you again for reminding us that God's word is eternal and unchanging.
Your adoring fan,
James M. Kauffman,
Ed.D. Professor Emeritus,
Dept. Of Curriculum, Instruction, and Special Education University of Virginia
P.S. (It would be a damn shame if we couldn't own a Canadian.)
From Yahoo News comment section: (Note ; I need so... (
show quote)
According to the Sharia law:
Theft is punishable by amputation of the right hand
Criticizing or denying any part of the Quran is punishable by death
Criticizing or denying Muhammad is a prophet is punishable by death
Criticizing or denying Allah, the moon god of Islam is punishable by death
A Muslim who becomes a non-Muslim is punishable by death
A non-Muslim who leads a Muslim away from Islam is punishable by death
A non-Muslim man who marries a Muslim woman is punishable by death
A man can marry an infant girl and consummate the marriage when she is 9 years old
Girls' clitoris should be cut (per Muhammad's words in Book 41, Kitab Al-Adab, Hadith 5251)
A woman can have 1 husband, but a man can have up to 4 wives; Muhammad can have more
A man can unilaterally divorce his wife but a woman needs her husband's consent to divorce
A man can beat his wife for insubordination
Testimonies of four male witnesses are required to prove rape against a woman
A woman who has been raped cannot testify in court against her rapist(s)
A woman's testimony in court, allowed only in property cases, carries half the weight of a man's
A female heir inherits half of what a male heir inherits
A woman cannot drive a car, as it leads to fitnah (upheaval)
A woman cannot speak alone to a man who is not her husband or relative
Meat to be eaten must come from animals that have been sacrificed to Allah - i.e., be Halal
Muslims should engage in Taqiyya and lie to non-Muslims to advance Islam
The list goes on
You spoke of Christian Sharia law. I dont recall Jesus ever mentioning the above things. He said that the greatest commandment is to,
love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind, and that second and equally important is to, Love your neighbor as yourself. He went on to say that, The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.
Lastly, why is it that ONLY Old Testament law is mentioned in discussions such as these? When the Bible speaks of the law, it refers to the detailed standard God gave to Moses, beginning in Exodus 20 with the Ten Commandments. Gods Law explained His requirements for a holy people and included three categories: civil, ceremonial, and moral laws. The Law was given to separate Gods people from the evil nations around them and to define sin (Ezra 10:11; Romans 5:13; 7:7). The Law also clearly demonstrated that no human being could purify himself enough to please Godi.e., the Law revealed our need for a Savior.
By New Testament times, the religious leaders had hijacked the Law and added to it their own rules and traditions (Mark 7:79). While the Law itself was good, it was weak in that it lacked the power to change a sinful heart (Romans 8:3). Keeping the Law, as interpreted by the Pharisees, had become an oppressive and overwhelming burden (Luke 11:46).
It was into this legalistic climate that Jesus came, and conflict with the hypocritical arbiters of the Law was inevitable. But Jesus, the Lawgiver, said, Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them (Matthew 5:17). The Law was not evil. It served as a mirror to reveal the condition of a persons heart (Romans 7:7). John 1:17 says, For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. Jesus embodied the perfect balance between grace and the Law (John 1:14).
God has always been full of grace (Psalm 116:5; Joel 2:13), and people have always been saved by faith in God (Genesis 15:6). God did not change between the Old and New Testaments (Numbers 23:19; Psalm 55:19). The same God who gave the Law also gave Jesus (John 3:16). His grace was demonstrated through the Law by providing the sacrificial system to cover sin. Jesus was born under the law (Galatians 4:4) and became the final sacrifice to bring the Law to fulfillment and establish the New Covenant (Luke 22:20). Now, everyone who comes to God through Christ is declared righteous (2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 3:18; Hebrews 9:15).
There is no conflict between grace and the Law, properly understood. Christ fulfilled the Law on our behalf and offers the power of the Holy Spirit, who motivates a regenerated heart to live in obedience to Him (Matthew 3:8; Acts 1:8; 1 Thessalonians 1:5; 2 Timothy 1:14). James 2:26 says, As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead. A grace that has the power to save also has the power to motivate a sinful heart toward godliness. Where there is no impulse to be godly, there is no saving faith.
We are saved by grace, through faith (Ephesians 2:89). The keeping of the Law cannot save anyone (Romans 3:20; Titus 3:5). In fact, those who claim righteousness on the basis of their keeping of the Law only think theyre keeping the Law; this was one of Jesus main points in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:2048; Luke 18:1823).
The purpose of the Law was, basically, to bring us to Christ (Galatians 3:24). Once we are saved, God desires to glorify Himself through our good works (Matthew 5:16; Ephesians 2:10). Therefore, good works follow salvation; they do not precede it.