Jesus versus the Old Testament: conflict and paradox

[mopaul]

many assholes claiming to be modern christians seem to prefer the old testament with it's angry, vengeful god, and then the so called followers of christ are taught to disregard all that hatred and vengeance of the old testament god.

why do the old and new testament's differ so in tone and texture? and doesn't this glaring contradiction ever give believers pause?

[mopinko]

1. kurt vonnegut

* For some reason, the most vocal Christians among us never mention the Beatitudes. But, often with tears in their eyes, they demand that the Ten Commandments be posted in public buildings. And of course that's Moses, not Jesus. I haven't heard one of them demand that the Sermon on the Mount, the Beatitudes, be posted anywhere.
"Blessed are the merciful" in a courtroom? "Blessed are the peacemakers" in the Pentagon? Give me a break!

[Jade Fox]

4. It would be nice to see Liberal Christians,,,,

giving as much "press" to the Beatitudes etc. as Vonnegut suggests.

[Eric J in MN]

6. Here is a link to the Kurt Vonngegut essay from May 2004

http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0512-13.htm

[BlueJazz]

2. It's easy to validate one's illogical thinking and prejudices

..when you can "pick and choose" which ones to believe.

[DoYouEverWonder]

3. Didn't Jesus say something

about being the fulfillment of the OT? Isn't the OT the book of the Jews? When fristians want to quote the OT, I just say, "I didn't know you were Jewish?"

IMHO, a christian is someone who follows the teachings of Jesus, not the OT or even most of the NT.

[teach1st]

5. I'm not a Christian...

..but those on the radical religious right don't seem to be Christians either.

Call them on it. Call them on it every time.

"Wouldn't you agree that it would be more appropriate to have Jesus's own words displayed in courtrooms?" Turn the other cheek, blessed are the meek, the peacemakers, etc.

"The Old Testament seems to forbid engaging in professional football (pig skin and Sabbath). Are you as opposed to pro football as you are to gay lifestyles?"

Remind them about Lot's daughters: Genesis 19:36 (KJV), "Thus were both the daughters of Lot with child by their father."

Never let the theocratic right get away with their hypocrisy.

[Boomer]

8. Please don't encourage them

>> "Thus were both the daughters of Lot with child by their father." <<

That Biblical example is followed in a lot of Red states, like my own West Virginia.

[Eric J in MN]

10. Regarding laws in the Old Testament, they would claim that

a dream of St. Peter in which God told him that unclean animals are ok to eat is license for them to pick which Old Testament laws are "moral" and still need to be followed and which are there for no purpose.

Phelps granddaughter (the gay-hating family) said this on "The Al Franken Show."

[TahitiNut]

7. IMHO, the Old Testament needs rabbinical teaching supplements.

While the Christian 'Old Testament' differs significantly and extensively from the Torah (more properly, the Mishnah), it's study and interpretation, even in the time of Jesus 600 years before the written Torah (Babylonian Torah or Jerusalem Torah), was heavily dependent on rabbinical interpretation. The (Christian) Old Testament is the result of extensive selection and edition by the Church in order to portray Jesus Christ as the inheritor of the teachings of Judaism - i.e. a continuation and fulfillment of a faith tradition. The early (Christian, or Roman Catholic) Church engaged in extensive 'framing' of Christianity as the inheritor of other faith traditions, including paganism.

[Eric J in MN]

9. Jesus words weren't all of forgiveness.

Jesus says in the New Testament that for divorced people to re-marry is like adultery.

[teach1st]

12. Yes, but taken as a whole...

...the teachings of Jesus as depicted in the Bibles are miles ahead of the Old Testament as far as being enlightened, compassionate, and civil.

[Protagoras]

11. Just remember Brady's line from Inherit the Wind-

"I do not think about things...that I do not think about"

:D