Faith and Science: Does the Bible Condone Barbarism?

Believers in the Judeo-Christian traditions hold the Hebrew scriptures or certain
parts of it as the inerrant, unadulterated spoken word of the living creator God.
Among believing Christians for example, the bible is held as an eternal source of
morality and wisdom that can and will survive the test of time and scrutiny. But is
this really true? Can the Hebrew scriptures written over 2,000 years ago stand the
test of scrutiny in today?s world? Are the morality and wisdom taught in this
important document universal, eternal, and absolutely perfect, even today? This
article will attempt to address some of these questions. Readers are encouraged to
review the quotations and add their comments.

The first issue to be discussed is the treatment of women regarding. A few examples
of specific situations and how they should be handled are presented.

In Genesis 19, Lot, a righteous man of God was visited in Sodom by angels who came
to warn him to leave the City due to an impending destruction by God, at nightfall a
sexually charged mob of local men descended on Lot?s home demanding the visitors be
released so they could have homosexual intercourse with them. To pacify the mob Lot
makes the following offer in verse 6, ?Behold now, I have two daughters which have
not known man; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do ye to them as is
good in your eyes: only,?? So Lot?s daughters were offered to be raped by an unknown
number of men. The angels did not rebuke Lot for making such an offer, nor did God
say anything about it in the remaining 65 books of the bible. The honorable thing to
do would have been for the visitors to have offered themselves for the protection of
two vulnerable women, but clearly this did not happen. So the question remains. Did
God support this action?

In the Book of Judges 19, a Levite (the clan that produced all the priests) took a
concubine, however due to some dispute with the husband the woman returned to her
father?s house in Bethlehem. The husband later went to persuade her to return
bringing with him his servant and two donkeys. After five days of negotiation the
father releases them to return to the husbands place. On the return journey it gets
dark so they stop at Jebus to spend the night. But the master realizes this town
does not have any Israelites to host them so they continue on to Gibeah. But at
Gibeah there is no place for them to stay so they camp out in the City square. Then
an old man on his way back from his farm offers to host them for the night. From
verse 22 ? Now as they were making their hearts merry, behold, the men of the city,
certain sons of Belial, beset the house round about, and beat at the door, and spake
to the master of the house, the old man, saying, Bring forth the man that came into
thine house, that we may know him. 023 And the man, the master of the house, went
out unto them, and said unto them, Nay, my brethren, nay, I pray you, do not so
wickedly; seeing that this man is come into mine house, do not this folly.024
Behold, here is my daughter a maiden, and his concubine; them I will bring out now,
and humble ye them, and do with them what seemeth good unto you: but unto this man
do not so vile a thing. 025 But the men would not hearken to him: so the man took
his concubine, and brought her forth unto them; and they knew her, and abused her
all the night until the morning: and when the day began to spring, they let her go.
026 Then came the woman in the dawning of the day, and fell down at the door of the
man's house where her lord was, till it was light.?

So another episode where the women are presented to pacify a homosexual mob. In this
case the mob accepts the visitor?s concubine and gang rape her all night. Upon
release she drops dead at the door step. No attempt was made by the righteous host
or the righteous concubine-taking man to sacrifice themselves for vulnerable women
to be spared. But lets see what happens next. ?027 And her lord rose up in the
morning, and opened the doors of the house, and went out to go his way: and, behold,
the woman his concubine was fallen down at the door of the house, and her hands were
upon the threshold. 028 And he said unto her, Up, and let us be going. But none
answered. Then the man took her up upon an ass, and the man rose up, and gat him
unto his place. 029 And when he was come into his house, he took a knife, and laid
hold on his concubine, and divided her, together with her bones, into twelve pieces,
and sent her into all the coasts of Israel.?

So after saying nothing while his wife was gang raped to death this man then cannot
even give her a decent burial, he rather takes a knife and cuts the body into pieces
and sends the pieces to each tribe of Israel. So the question is concubinage, gang
rape with spousal approval, and dismembering the body of rape victims, are these
doctrines inerrant, perfect and to be taught eternally for all generations? Is this
the works of a supreme creator being?

In the book of Deuteronomy certain rules and regulations are given regarding rape
victims
023 If a damsel that is a virgin be betrothed unto an husband, and a man find her
in the city, and lie with her; 024 Then ye shall bring them both out unto the gate
of that city, and ye shall stone them with stones that they die; the damsel, because
she cried not, being in the city; and the man, because he hath humbled his
neighbor?s wife: so thou shalt put away evil from among you.

So the woman is to be stones because the neighbors? property rights have been
violated.

During times of war the god of the Old Testament explicitly commands rape of the
conquered tribes. In Deuteronomy 20,

013 And when the LORD thy God hath delivered it into thine hands, thou shalt smite
every male thereof with the edge of the sword:
014 But the women, and the little ones, and the cattle, and all that is in the
city, even all the spoil thereof, shalt thou take unto thyself; and thou shalt eat
the spoil of thine enemies, which the LORD thy God hath given thee.

So the women are now for the enjoyment of the conquering army.

This can be seen in Number Chapter 3 after a war with the Midianites Moses, his
chief priest and other elders went to inspect the conquered area but Moses rebuked
the army captains saying

014 And Moses was wroth with the officers of the host, with the captains over
thousands, and captains over hundreds, which came from the battle. 015 And Moses
said unto them, Have ye saved all the women alive? 016 Behold, these caused the
children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against the
LORD in the matter of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the
LORD. 017 Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman
that hath known man by lying with him. 018 But all the women children, that have
not known a man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves.

So here we are explicitly told that god wants the mass murder of all the survivors
except the virgins who are to be raped by the Israelite men. So in this case the
Hebrew generals were punished for sparing the lives of the survivors. And note that
the women of this defeated tribe are blamed for plagues and other misfortunes, but
not the virgins.

Sadly the bible sinks to all time low of spelling out how a man can sell his
daughter into slavery. Exodus 21:
007 And if a man sell his daughter to be a maidservant, she shall not go out as the
menservants do. 008 If she please not her master, who hath betrothed her to
himself, then shall he let her be redeemed: to sell her unto a strange nation he
shall have no power, seeing he hath dealt deceitfully with her. 009 And if he have
betrothed her unto his son, he shall deal with her after the manner of daughters.
010 If he take him another wife; her food, her raiment, and her duty of marriage,
shall he not diminish. 011 And if he do not these three unto her, then shall she go
out free without money.

So it is clearly spelled out for us how we can buy and sell female humans to
satisfy certain social, sexual and economic purposes.

One common argument made by Christians today is that these Old Testament laws are
not applicable today. Is that true? Well to check this claim we shall consult the
man himself Jesus H. Christ, who came down to earth as a human and lived among men.


Mathew 5
017 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to
destroy, but to fulfil. 018 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. 019
Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach
men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall
do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.?

So it is clear Jesus does not condemn any of these ancient practices but rather
warns us that we should not add or subtract even one atom from them. They are to be
practiced as written in the Old Testament. Also those who practice and teach the law
will go to heaven while those who do otherwise will be refused entry into the
kingdom of heaven. So when Christians say the Old Testament does not apply simply
tell them they are wrong, it does apply and always will according to the words of
Jesus himself.

So coming back to our question for this article. Why does the bible support
barbarism? Well we can see that is does, the reason being it was written by ancient
barbarians and illiterate desert nomads based on their culture at the time. Today at
least 95% of these laws will get you in jail in any nation of the world. So is the
morality of the bible eternal? The answer is no. Is the bible the inerrant undiluted
word of the living god? The answer is no. Is the bible factual and scientifically
supported. The answer is no. In conclusion this fossilized document needs to be
retired or updated.

kwaku ba ?September 2010