Reply #9: As has been said in many exhausting conversations on DU..

[noel711]

The Bible as we know it today (and not the countless translations and editions)
is a collection of ancient writings that is used as the basis of faith for most
Christian denominations.

Those writings reflect several ancient civilizations, most of which cannot speak
to us today. Most educated denominations know that interpretation (sometimes spoken of as 'hermenutic') is necessary to glean a contemporary understanding of the scripture.
Most denominations try to see beyond the cultural baggage of the past to find the wisdom and guidance of the traditional past. WE are not THEM. But we still share some commonality.

In the ancient civilization, there was a detailed understanding of the strata of society-
slavery was simply part of the culture, as was patriarchy. Looking back, its easy for us to judge, but society was structured for survival. The Bible does not forbid slavery; it was a part of life, but scripture presents ways of living with it for the good of the people. Scripture had strong prohibitions against abuse. People of means were commanded to care for their property (i.e. slaves and women) with compassion. I'm on my way out the door this morning, so sorry, no quotations for now. But scripture is full of them; my suggestion: google a concordance... a concordance is a vehicle to find specific quotations by typing in just one word: slave/slavery...you'll get bible quotes.

Through science and technology, the human race has advanced in many ways. Socially, we have grown to a more equitable culture, social boundaries are not as clearly defined in western culture, but there still exist some culture that reflect the same hierachies present in the biblical culture of old: slavery, patriarchy, etc.

P.S... as to homosexuality... the so-called biblical laws forbidding homosexuality aren't about what our culture considers homosexuality. There were laws against 'homosexual' rape; laws against masturbation; laws against bestiality (basically, to a culture fighting to survive, they felt that sperm was precious, and anything that caused sperm to flow without causing a baby was a waste... they were all about propagation and survival)... laws against using temple prostitutes (men and women) as a way of expiation of sin. None of these laws apply to our contemporary view of committed gay relationships. That's because there was no biblical interpretation of romantic love, which evolved during the middle ages. What we may see as romance in the bible is really erotic love.. but that's another thread to post..