Some thoughts on peoples usage of Leviticus

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I notice JK has taken up quoting Leviticus in response to the recent supreme court ruling on anti-sodomy laws.

Some more wisdom from Leviticus to go along with JK's:

"And whosoever lieth carnally with a woman, that is a bondmaid, betrothed to an husband, and not at all redeemed, nor freedom given her; she shall be scourged; they shall not be put to death, because she was not free. And he shall bring his trespass offering unto the LORD...and the sin which he hath done shall be forgiven him."
--Lev. 19:20

Forgive the man, scourge the woman.

"And all that have not fins and scales in the seas, and in the rivers, of all that move in the waters, and of any living thing which is in the waters, they shall be an abomination unto you: They shall be even an abomination unto you; ye shall not eat of their flesh, but ye shall have their carcases in abomination."
--Lev. 11:10

Apparently crab and lobster are as abominable as homosexuals.

Similar examples abound. Please note I am not attacking the bible per se--only those that feel like Levitical law was a pretty good idea and use it to excuse their hostility towards homosexuals.

If they can't let the homosexuality slide, perhaps they should also make sure they are following the rest of the laws also.

Or perhaps they should admit that it's all a bit silly and stop using a smorgasboard approach to the bible to justify their point of view.

Sorry, bit of a pet peeve. Rant over.
 
19:20 -

The woman's spoken for. She's either married, or an indentured servant (that's what I assume "a bondmaid" is), or otherwise not free to pursue relationships with just anyone. Nothing is specified about the man. He just has to do the right sacrifice. That's what Leviticus is all about. "Did you sin this way? Then FEED ME, SEYMOUR." Frankly I don't think there are enough pigeons and sheep in the world to follow Leviticus to the letter.


11:10 -

Keeping Kosher's a b*tch, ain't it? Still, I have to think that there were probably some pretty good cleanliness reasons why people 4000 years ago would not want to eat lobster.
 
Then there is the prohibition about having sex with your wife right after birth and making her live in a hut during her menses.

Of course most of the bible was made up long after the fact si it would be wierd to claim that it actualy came from the mouth of Moshesh.

Then there is the part where they say you have to treat non-jews the same as jews, as long as they follow the laws.
 
From Beleth:
Still, I have to think that there were probably some pretty good cleanliness reasons why people 4000 years ago would not want to eat lobster.
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I can't help feeling that this "health reasons" idea is a red herring. Pigs, for instance, appear to have been regarded as a low-caste food in the whole region, and they are, essentially, a peasant's animal. The pig is also not a great traveller, and may have been indentified with (despised) settled living by the nomadic Hebrew tribes. Similarly, lobsters will have been a food of the coastal cities with which the nomads had very poor relations, if the Bible's anything to go by. Dried fish, on the other hand, may have been a useful protein source, so that's left in. The rules - scales, chewing the cud and so on - were drawn up to encompass what was already traditional, and encompassed a lot of other foods. Over time the structure was elaborated by the priests, who are very prone to doing that.

Perhaps.
 
Then there is the prohibition about having sex with your wife right after birth and making her live in a hut during her menses.
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Something to note about most (not all) the laws in Leviticus, is that they are strict prohibitions. Breaking the (most of) the rules in Leviticus just makes you "unclean." If you are unclean, you should not enter in the presence of God (a temple, etc.) until you have become clean (via the prescribed rituals.)

It's not necesarily saying "don't do this" it's saying "if you do this, wash up before you come see me."

(obviously I'm disregarding the various whip them, stone them, disember them, whatever laws, and only speaking of the unclean bits.)
 
Re: Re: Some thoughts on peoples usage of Leviticus

arcticpenguin said:

And you presume that JK would not agree with this?
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Frankly I think he'd love it, but I'd love him to pipe up and say so in order to show more people what he's like.

Denouncing homosexuals with the bible is more socially acceptable than this, though it shouldn't be.
 
BobM said:

Something to note about most (not all) the laws in Leviticus, is that they are strict prohibitions. Breaking the (most of) the rules in Leviticus just makes you "unclean." If you are unclean, you should not enter in the presence of God (a temple, etc.) until you have become clean (via the prescribed rituals.)
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Until you become unhandicapped also :)

It's not necesarily saying "don't do this" it's saying "if you do this, wash up before you come see me."

(obviously I'm disregarding the various whip them, stone them, disember them, whatever laws, and only speaking of the unclean bits.)
Click to expand...

Of course, but if someone's going to go thumping the bible to justify their hostility, they'd better be following the whole thing.
 
As a final note I would like to quote my favorite part of leviticus, the one that sets out exactly how much the regulations in the rest of the book can be counted upon:


Regulations About Mildew (chap13)
47 "If any clothing is contaminated with mildew-any woolen or linen clothing, 48 any woven or knitted material of linen or wool, any leather or anything made of leather- 49 and if the contamination in the clothing, or leather, or woven or knitted material, or any leather article, is greenish or reddish, it is a spreading mildew and must be shown to the priest. 50 The priest is to examine the mildew and isolate the affected article for seven days. 51 On the seventh day he is to examine it, and if the mildew has spread in the clothing, or the woven or knitted material, or the leather, whatever its use, it is a destructive mildew; the article is unclean. 52 He must burn up the clothing, or the woven or knitted material of wool or linen, or any leather article that has the contamination in it, because the mildew is destructive; the article must be burned up.
53 "But if, when the priest examines it, the mildew has not spread in the clothing, or the woven or knitted material, or the leather article, 54 he shall order that the contaminated article be washed. Then he is to isolate it for another seven days. 55 After the affected article has been washed, the priest is to examine it, and if the mildew has not changed its appearance, even though it has not spread, it is unclean. Burn it with fire, whether the mildew has affected one side or the other. 56 If, when the priest examines it, the mildew has faded after the article has been washed, he is to tear the contaminated part out of the clothing, or the leather, or the woven or knitted material. 57 But if it reappears in the clothing, or in the woven or knitted material, or in the leather article, it is spreading, and whatever has the mildew must be burned with fire. 58 The clothing, or the woven or knitted material, or any leather article that has been washed and is rid of the mildew, must be washed again, and it will be clean."
59 These are the regulations concerning contamination by mildew in woolen or linen clothing, woven or knitted material, or any leather article, for pronouncing them clean or unclean. "


From http://www.biblegateway.com/cgi-bin...age=english&version=NIV&showfn=on&showxref=on


Let's not forget these other great bits of advice from God:

(chap7)22 The LORD said to Moses, 23 "Say to the Israelites: 'Do not eat any of the fat of cattle, sheep or goats. "

(chap19) 19 " 'Keep my decrees.
" 'Do not mate different kinds of animals.
" 'Do not plant your field with two kinds of seed.
" 'Do not wear clothing woven of two kinds of material. "

(chap27)26 " 'No one, however, may dedicate the firstborn of an animal, since the firstborn already belongs to the LORD ; whether an ox or a sheep, it is the LORD's. "
 
neutrino_cannon said:
As a final note I would like to quote my favorite part of leviticus, the one that sets out exactly how much the regulations in the rest of the book can be counted upon:


Regulations About Mildew (chap13)
Click to expand...

<snippetysnipp>


From http://www.biblegateway.com/cgi-bin...age=english&version=NIV&showfn=on&showxref=on
Click to expand...

I much prefer the next chapter, where it deals with mildew on houses. Mildew on clothing isn't all that common anymore, but houses now...

And the sequence ends like this:

Leviticus 14:

54 These are the regulations for any infectious skin disease, for an itch, 55 for mildew in clothing or in a house, 56 and for a swelling, a rash or a bright spot, 57 to determine when something is clean or unclean.
These are the regulations for infectious skin diseases and mildew.
 
Leviticus was written thousands of years ago. This is year 2003 of the gregorian calendar... Some people need to get real.
 
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