Whats the Old Testament Doing In Christianity?
This is, to me, one of the most puzzling things about modern “Christianity”. It claims to follow Jesus, yet it promotes the opposite of his teachings! For instance, Jesus utterly refuted the Old Testament laws of conduct. He spoke out against the dietary rules, the hypocrisy of washing the body while the mind is unclean, the shunning of “undesirables.” He was very clear that the Old Testament was not a worthwhile guide. Yet Christians routinely dredge up 2000 year old rules of behaviour, to judge their neighbours with. And very selectively! How many people do you hear railing against the sins of … • Wearing poly-cotton blends (Leviticus 19:19), • Shaving and cutting your hair (Leviticus 19:27), • Eating shellfish, turtle soup, escargot, etc (Leviticus 11:10-30), • Playing football with pigskin (Leviticus 11:6-8 — “Of their flesh shall ye not eat, and their carcass shall ye not touch”), • Using a dish that has touched the ground, say, at a picnic (Leviticus 11:33)… and on and on. A
