- Feb 5, 2002
- 166,444
- 56,159
- Country
- United States
- Faith
- Catholic
- Marital Status
- Married
- Politics
- US-Others
I received a copy of an e-mail which was very sarcastic. The sceptic’s words are in red. He wrote:
“Thank you for doing so much to educate people regarding God’s Law. I have learned a great deal from you, 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 cannot give an answer that would satisfy the sarcastic interlocutor without a great deal of time and even then he will only listen if he wants to. But, one has to realize that God deals with different people in different ways within their times, their knowledge and their cultural confines. Also, much of the Mosaic Law was to punish the Israelites for their stubborn, stiff-necked rebellion against God which was not imposed on all men for all time. I suggest that the whole problem here is that our e-mailer has a bone to pick and has very little historical or biblical understanding, or he wouldn’t ask such things.
Here the first example from his list:
1) 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?
In ancient cultures slavery was a way of life. Life was cheap and slaves were property that could be treated and disposed of any which way. That was a fact of life. The very fact that Moses wrote laws to protect the servant with certain legal and moral safeguards put the Israelites light years ahead of the neighboring nations. Slaves with rights—unheard of! But also, the e-mailer should realize that the term slave here can be misleading in that it may very well refer to a bond servant or maid. In early America, many people were able to afford immigration by selling themselves as bondservants for a time. In any regard, over time the full revelation of God impressed men with a more comprehensive understanding and practice of justice and dignity for human life.
Continued below:
Homosexuals and Shellfish | Defenders of the Catholic Faith | Hosted by Stephen K. Ray
“Thank you for doing so much to educate people regarding God’s Law. I have learned a great deal from you, 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 cannot give an answer that would satisfy the sarcastic interlocutor without a great deal of time and even then he will only listen if he wants to. But, one has to realize that God deals with different people in different ways within their times, their knowledge and their cultural confines. Also, much of the Mosaic Law was to punish the Israelites for their stubborn, stiff-necked rebellion against God which was not imposed on all men for all time. I suggest that the whole problem here is that our e-mailer has a bone to pick and has very little historical or biblical understanding, or he wouldn’t ask such things.
Here the first example from his list:
1) 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?
In ancient cultures slavery was a way of life. Life was cheap and slaves were property that could be treated and disposed of any which way. That was a fact of life. The very fact that Moses wrote laws to protect the servant with certain legal and moral safeguards put the Israelites light years ahead of the neighboring nations. Slaves with rights—unheard of! But also, the e-mailer should realize that the term slave here can be misleading in that it may very well refer to a bond servant or maid. In early America, many people were able to afford immigration by selling themselves as bondservants for a time. In any regard, over time the full revelation of God impressed men with a more comprehensive understanding and practice of justice and dignity for human life.
Continued below:
Homosexuals and Shellfish | Defenders of the Catholic Faith | Hosted by Stephen K. Ray
