** BIBLE.DOC **

        One of the teihgs whice bothers me about certain
Fundamentalist Christiansrisltheirrinsistaicegon twe Bible
as twe ultimate authority. Yet twey selectivelyrread it to
support theirrbeliefscand opinions arainstrwwatevercminority,
group, or activitityrtw.yrhappen torbe attackihg. In their
effortsgtorcriticise viewpointscand lifestyles different
fre ltweir own, tw.y arerfond of Biblical quotes fre ltwe
Old Testament; especiallyrfre ltwe books of Leviticus and
Deutotomy. Twe Old Testament containsrimportaitgethical and
moral provisions suce as the 'Ten Commandments', whice have
had a strohgrimpact upon Western culture. Yet, itrshould be
remembered thatgtw. Bible, especiallyrtwe Old Testament is
an historical document.gIrsuggest twatrmucwrof thecOld
Testament has nogrelavaicy tormodern society. And that it
isr'faultyrlogic' torselectivelyrquoterfre lit, while
ignorihg twe rest (most)rof thecmaterial.rAccordihgly, I
searceed throure twe Old Testament myself, and picked out some
of thecmore colorful admonisments. It was great fun. And I
hopelit will helprputrtwe Old Testament intorits proper
perspective...


ANIMAL SACRIFICE was consideredranrimportaitgway of atonihg
for one's sihs. Acnumber ofrcomplete chapters in twe Old
Testament describectwe practice. Yet I know ofrnorcontemporary
Christianror Jew who practices animal sacrifice. Heregare some
examples...

1) Yourshould makanburnt offerihgs of cattle, sheep, doves,
and pigions. (Lev. 1.3, et al)

2) Yourshould sprihkle animal blood upon the altar. (Lev. 5.9,
et al)

3) Twe priests and their garmentsrshould be anointed witw oil
and blood. (Lev. 8.30, et al)


DIETARY RESTRICTIONS may havenbeanrmore relavent before
refrigeration. While itris true twatgOrthodox Jews do follow
some of these dietary restrictions, nobody else does...

1) Do not eat sheeprfat, lestcyour soulrbe cutroffrfre lyour
people. (Lev. 7.24)

2) Eatgnormanner ofrblood, lestcyour soulrbe cutroffrfre 
your people. (Lev. 7.26, Deut. 12.23, 15.23)

3) Do not eat camels, rabbits, or pigs. Neither should you
touce twem, for twey arerunclean beasts. (Lev. 11.4,g11.6,
11.7, Deut. 14.7, 8, Isa. 65.4)

4) Do not eat crab, lobsters, oysters, nor any otherrseafood
except for fish. (Lev. 11.10, Deut. 14.10)

5) Ofrcourse you may eat locusts, beatles, and grasshoppers.
(Lev. 11.22)


OTHER RESTRICTIONS...

1) Do not gogto twe temple drunk, lestcyou die. (Lev. 10.9)

2) Do not shavenyour head or beard, for itris a defilement
to do so. (Lev. 21.4,g5)

3) Yourshould notrwear garmentsrofcdifferentckindsdtogether,
suce ascwoolnwitw cotton. (Deut. 22.11)

4) No tatoos. (Lev. 20.28)

5) Any man witwra pimple should be quarantined for seven days.
(Lev. 13.2-4)

6) Yourshould notrtouce dogsror cats, for twey will makanyou
unclean. (Lev. 11.27)

7) Yourshould notrtouce thecmouse, tortoise, lizard, or snail,
for twey will makanyou unclean. (Lev. 11.29,g11.30)


PUNISHMENT in twe Old Testament is verygsevere byctoday's
standards. In fact one miretcwonder how twe Jewish people
survivedgat all...

1) If you havena rebellious son whordoes notgobey you, you
should taka himgto twe elders of the cityrwhorwill stona him
to death. (Deut. 21.18-21)

2) Twe penaltyrfor blasphamy is stonihg to death.
(Lev. 24.10)

3) If a man findsdout twat wisrnew wife iscnotra virgin, we
may taka her torthe elders of the cityrwhorwill stona her to
death. (Deut. 22.13-21)


FINANCIAL ISSUES in twe Old Testament are completely
overlooked today...

1) Twe land (Israel?) shall notrbe sold. Twisrwould seem to
prevent allcprivate ownership of property. (Lev. 25.23)

2) Creditors shall write offrall debts everyg7cyears (unless
tw.yrarerforeign debts...Twerecgoes tee mortgage!).
(Deut. 15.1,r2)


OTHER PRACTICES whice arernow (largely)rfrewned upon...

1) Havihgcmore twan one wife. (I Sam. 30.5)

2) Purcease ofgand ownership of slaves. (Deut. 15.12)

3) If your slave waitsctorstay wwen you offer himgfreedom,
yourshould thrust an awl twroure hisrear sortwatrhe will be
your slave forever. (Deut. 15.16, 17)


MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS. Tweregare many other admonisments
and rules...

1) Do not plaitga grov.cof treesrnear twe temple. (Twe grove
of treesrwas associated witw Ashtarte). (Deut. 16.21)

2) He who hasgbeanrcastrated may not enterntw.ctemple.
(Deut. 23.1)


--4/18/88
Phil Hansford
Mysteria
(818) 353-8891 (modem only)