Wednesday, February 7, 2024

18 acts aren't "sins" in Bible...or are they?

Jane Andrews, Critical Financial (via MSN.com, 2/6/24); author A. J. Jacobs; Seth Auberon, Sheldon S., Shauna Schwartz, Dhr. Seven, Ashley Wells (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

18 misunderstood acts the Bible says aren’t actually sins
Christians tend to assume that the Bible condemns a wide array of behaviors, but the reality is surprising.
I wanna know what it commands
Here, Critical Financial zooms in on 18 so-called “sins” that may not be as bad as we once thought. It's not clear what the point of this article is, maybe to just gather up more followers for the largest religion in the world (Catholicism/Christianity).

But making it easier is not the way to please most people who want to be better since so much of what we believe is cultural and temporal. (Many Catholic men are mad at "fake" Pope John Paul II for weakening the faith and watering everything down, like an anti-pope, while other Catholics celebrate him for opening up the Old Church and modernizing it).

We only get one chance a year to air our doubts.
Shouldn't the Bible be personal, literal, and timeless? Apparently not, not by a long shot. Let's look at a few examples and decide whether there's an impersonal (universal) law at play or just the Jew's tribal God's view at play.

1. Questioning Faith: Having doubts and asking questions are not signs of rebellion or weakness but can actually strengthen faith. Characters in the Bible like Thomas and Job (Joe'b) [as well as Adam and Eve] questioned God, which illustrates that doubt [and the pursuit of knowledge] is a human experience.

I want to wear pants like a man, morality police!
2. Dressing "Alternatively": Dressing in an eccentric or even way-out style is unconventional, but looking a little odd isn’t a sin the Bible ever mentions. [It does however mention dressing in drag, crossdressing, wearing the other gender's clothes in public (Deuteronomy 22:5 A woman must not wear men's clothing, and a man must not wear women's clothing, for whoever does these things is detestable to the LORD your God. (biblehub.com) -- a possible biblical death penalty offense. Oh yeah, the Bible commands us to kill lots of people, enemies, family members, children, sinners...]
  • My trans daughterson is going to love this one.
    Deuteronomy 22 on how you can dress
    : This verse prohibits cross-dressing (Hebrew lo yibash). Scholars, historical authorities, and leaders hold different opinions on correctly interpreting and implementing this commandment (Deut. 22:5). Some argue the act of cross-dressing is an abomination. Others maintain cross-dressing is only a manifestation of a different bad intention, such as deception, idolatry, or [gay sex work] [12].
I'm punk so, I dress how I want. F-you!
Go right ahead if you like looking like a [gay] Goth, wearing platform shoes as high as stilts [like the Glam bands of the 70s], or a hippie kaftan down to your toes [like a heathen, just don't do that Punk or Emo stuff or full body tattoos (Leviticus 19:28 You must not...put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the LORD (biblehub.com), and spikes, and crazy hair, or revealing clothes that might tempt the weaker sex to rape you, or anything like that.

Bikini sluts of the 4th century Roman Empire
It's hypocrisy to act like the Bible is cool with people dressing alternatively. As A. J. Jacobs found out, the Book is very specific on how males and females are to dress. So veil that hair and face like the religion you laugh at for believing their sacred book].

Who wrote this MSN article? Critical Financial
 
We only charge as much interest as market bears
3. Charging Interest ("Usury"): While excessive interest rates are warned against by the Bible, the act of charging a "reasonable" amount of interest isn’t universally condemned by everyone. So that makes it okay, right? (Deuteronomy 23:19 Do not charge your brother interest on money, food, or any other type of loan (biblehub.com).

Everyone's doing it. I did it better, like Madoff.
I mean, bankers and tax collectors gotta eat. And now that it's "standard practice," who are we to question the financial system in which we participate? That's Caesar's business, right, Jesus?

Same with drinking alcohol or spirits, right? Moderation. Just get a little drunk, which the Buddha warned against, but Jesus and the Apostles probably partied on wine every night or when plotting against the imperial Romans who overran their society....

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