Exactly. It sounds like a joke, doesn't it.

But there it is in black and white:

Exodus 22:18

And, please read it in context.


I highlight it because its obviously written by superstitious people who believed in magic other than by God. It caused thousands of deaths and even today evangelicals call anything secular "witchcraft".

Now, Jesus proclaimed that ALL the laws of the OT were to be followed - that he had not to over turn them ONE JOT.

If you are Xian, you MUST accept this.


Obviously, the modern, luke warm Xian probably doesn't believe that there are real witches - which means they neglect the source that claims there ARE witches.

Face it, there are so many superstitious claims and so many violent, ugly orders in the Bible that a person should be ashamed of carrying it around.

Matthew 5:17-18 "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled."


This means that NONE of the old laws are to be ignored until Heaven and Earth pass.

Earth is still here, if you haven't noticed.



btw, thanks for the opportunity to show how Xians even ignore their savior.
Which Xian has obeyed the following?



And what I wonder, b, is if the OT doesn't count anymore than what about the Ten Commandments? Do they still count?

Of course I understand that. But it is also supposed to be the word of God. How do you decide which aspects of the word of God you are meant to follow and which you aren't?


Some people consider Wiccans to meet the definition of witch. The OT also has some rather nasty things to say about homosexuals, apostates, atheists and people of other religions too.


I don't have time to look these up right now. Do you not see that you are applying humanist principles by picking and choosing the parts of the Bible you wish to follow: You decide what's moral then discard the parts of the Bible that differ.

The fact that it requires interpretation undermines the claim that it is the word of God.

Do you feel that it was acceptable in pre-Christ Israel to murder suspected witches?

Is homosexuality therefore OK it 21st century Europe/America?

So, RF are you claiming that witches existed? What about pixies?

And notice that for the some 500 years or so under Mosaic Law, people were free to kill witches - whatever that means.

RF, what is a witch in the context of the OT, in your opinion?

And, I might add that it says you should KILL them (not suffer them to live - lets not parse words) which is the OPPOSITE of what Jesus says to do for your enemy.

Face it, RF, the theology is all over the place. You'd like to erase the OT but without it you just have yet another cult of personality and not some connection to a People that was expecting a Messiah.

That sounds like an opinion you hold.  How can we know it is truth? 

In any case, fortunately salvation does not depend on ones ability to interpret scripture.  Salvation only requires a choice to believe in God and your own inability to save yourself.  If you believe, you can ask God yourself and he will answer, you do not need his word to accept his gift.


The state does not commit murder.  It kills.  Our soldiers do not murder and capital punishment (whether right or wrong) is not murder.


Scripture gives one or two examples of a sorceress if I recall.  I don't know why they can perform signs, scripture does not say.  I am quite happy that those social laws don't apply to me.
 

Interesting question.  I would have to vote against it since comparable sins are not considered worthy of death.  If I were appointed to make law, it would have to be consistent.  If adultery and bestiality were punishable by death then I might vote for it, but that's not going to happen is it.


Because it is a statement of what is right and wrong.  It did not prescribe a punishment so it was not a social law for Israel and it was not a condition of the covenant.


Not at all.  I contemplate such things.  If one of my daughters announces she is gay I will treat it the same as when (especially my younger) tells me she hates me or does some other deed of disrespect.  I will tell her I love her and then I will not allow the behavior in my domain and I will tell her why it is wrong. 

No, I suspect God is perfectly clear.  I find all the trouble with the receiver.


Just a hunch, but I suspect those people had their minds made up already.


You may want to research the legal definition of murder.


The same thing I do when an atheist or a homosexual comes to my house.  I invite them in.


Some of them don't make sense in today's society so I will stipulate that those that have to do with hygiene and food preparation, etc. are not included.  I will presume you mean the ones dealing with morality.  But even these were written for a different society with different capabilities in dealing with moral indiscretion.  One of the purposes of these laws was to demonstrate that regardless of the circumstances, man was incapable of following God's rules.   As a result, the penalties were intentionally harsh.  This part of God's plan is complete and so too are the social laws. It seems almost silly to think they should apply today.  Though this will never happen so I needn't worry about it too much I will consider this a test and so I suppose I would vote against it because it fails to account for the purpose of the laws so long ago. Don't get me wrong though, I have nothing against a democracy legislating morality, it is one of the purposes of law.



We ignore none of it.  We recognize the intent and we follow the intent.  We can know about these social laws and the covenant by the NT scripture instruction.  Paul and Peter and John have quite a bit to say about this topic.


You are reading too much into my example.


I find the research faulty and the conclusion unjustified.