Letter: Best Not to Laugh at Bible
To the Editor-
Laura Goetz fell prey to her own accusations in her presentation at the 17 June 2013 Common Council meeting. She didn’t accurately present the meaning of the Bible but used parts and pieces to ridicule the Bible, the Word of God.
Like any book, you can make the Bible look silly or weird by taking parts and pieces out of context. Her use of the Bible did provoke laughter, but it was laughter at the true and living God, Jesus Christ, who gave His life on the cross to pay the penalty for the sins of people. If a person takes some time to read and study the Bible in context, such ridicule of the Bible would not take place.
Hebrew slavery did take place, but it was nothing like slavery that occurred in the USA. Emancipation came every 7th year. The woman sold into slavery could not be sold outside of Israel and if the owner was unfaithful, she was to be redeemed by her family. If the woman was given to the owner’s son, she was to be treated as a daughter. Slavery was not commanded in the New Testament and in fact it was the teaching of the New Testament that brought about modern abolition of slavery.
The planting of two different crops in a field is not the same as a vegetable garden. I see only one crop planted in a field today. I don’t see potatoes and corn planted in the same field. The food laws of the Old Testament were to externally set the Jewish people apart from their neighbors and make them a distinct nation of God, an example of God’s goodness to all other nations. Jesus, declared all foods clean as seen in the writings of the Apostle Paul. Christians can eat all foods. We are to be set apart as a holy nation within nations by how we live our lives in conformity with the teaching of Jesus, not by beards, clothing or food laws.
The Bible is consistent throughout Old and New Testament that homosexual behavior is wrong because it is sin, because it is damaging to humans who are not created to be involved sexually man to man or woman to woman – or man to beast or woman to beast either.
Carle Zimmerman gave eight characteristics of a declining civilization in his book, Family and Civilization, published in 1947. These characteristics were patterns derived from study of past civilizations that fell into ruin. Number eight reads, “There is a tolerance for and spread of sexual perversions of all kinds, especially homosexuality but including many others such as rape, incest, bestiality, etc. This generally marks the final stage of societal disintegration.”
The Bible is a book to be listened to and practiced – resulting in eternal and abundant life. It’s not wise to laugh at it.
Ray Haas
Stevens Point