Too many people use Bible as a menu

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

The problem is that so many people use the Bible as a menu; they rarely follow all the commandments. We pick and choose the laws we wish to follow the way I would like to pay Comcast for the channels I want. They ignore the rest.

Don't get me wrong: I am just as guilty as the rest of your readers in treating the Bible as a menu. Contrary to popular belief, there are 613 commandments, not just 10. And that's just in the Pentateuch, the first five books.

At least one writer has quoted the commandment to "choose life." One must realize, however, that a choice is enabled. There are many choices made in Bible stories, and most would agree that many of those choices were less than ideal. But the point is that choices are allowed. Penalties are often exacted for poor choices, but they are by God's directive, not man's.

I am not a religious scholar, so please excuse my lack of chapter references. Here are a few questions to ponder: are you eating shellfish (of course, we're in Southern Maryland), pork or cheeseburgers (both prohibited)? Catfish is off the menu, as is shark fin soup (neither have scales) and any animal that is hunted but not killed humanely.

Forget about idle gossip; please skip your tabloids. Is the produce you are growing mixed in one field? You might want to start over on it, or at least let it lie fallow in its seventh year. Have you taken the Lord's name in vain lately? Have you ever worked on the Sabbath and forsaken church to do so? Or cleaned your house or car on the Sabbath? Shown anger to your parents? And please, don't tell me you are not sizing up something your neighbor has and considered buying the same; coveting is prohibited, so keeping up with the Joneses likely is, too.

We are human. We are weak. We make mistakes. We want to fix them.

Abortion is an unfortunate and horrible choice, but it is that: a choice. According to OpenEducation.net, abstinence does not seem to be the sole answer. Education may be the key to minimizing this tragedy.

Let he who is without sin cast the first stone. If you want to quote from the New Testament, stay alert. You are probably violating plenty of laws in there, as well. We can save that for another letter.

David Kanter, Hughesville