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BIBLICAL
PRECEPTS: QUESTIONABLE GUIDELINES
Compiled by Donald Morgan
(Note: Some of these are unlikely because they contradict common sense. Others would not emanate from a god who possessed the character attributes that are normally attributed to the Christian God. Many others are so onerous that they are ignored by Christians, in general, who often prefer to practice selective morality: that is, they choose the least onerous biblical precepts and guidelines while ignoring the others.)
Genesis 3:16, Corinthians 11:3-9, Ephesians 5:22-24, Colossians 3:18, Thessalonians 2:5, Peter 3:1-6 The husband is to rule over his wife. Wives are to be subject to their husbands even when the husband is disobedient to God. Man is the image and glory of God, while woman is the glory of man. Man was not created for woman but woman for man.
Genesis 3:16 Women should suffer pain during childbirth. (Note: This verse was used by the Church to oppose the use of anesthesia during childbirth.)
Genesis 4:13-15 Cain--who murdered his brother Abel--is promised protection by God.
GE 15:18 Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and part of Iraq belong to the Jews only.
Genesis 17:10 "This is my covenant, ...every male among you shall be circumcised." (Note: God seems to have an obsession with this--the words circumcise, circumcised, circumcising, circumcision, uncircumcised, uncircumcision, foreskin, and foreskins appear 157 times in the KJV. Although the KJV correctly translates the oldest Hebrew and Greek manuscripts, versions since the KJV attempt to soften this apparent obsession by creatively translating these words in a different fashion wherever possible.)
Genesis 17:14 A child is to be punished when his parents neglect to have him circumcised.
Genesis 27:18-24, 28:14-15 Jacob--who had cheated his brother Esau of his birthright--is given special blessings by God.
Genesis 31:17, Genesis 36:6, Deuteronomy 21:15, Judges 8:30, Samuel 5:13, Kings 11:3, Chronicles 14:3, Chronicles 11:21, 13:21 Polygamy is condoned. (Note: David is one of the polygamists. He is an angel of God, Samuel 19:27, and always fulfills God's will, Acts 13:22.)
Genesis 38:8-10 A man who refuses to impregnate his widowed sister-in-law is put to death.
Exodus 20:4 We are not to make likenesses of anything. (Note: This seems to preclude all photographs, paintings, statues, etc.)
Exodus 20:5 We are not to worship a likeness. The children to the third and fourth generation will be punished for infractions.
Exodus 20:8-11, 31:15-17, 34:21, 35:1-3 No work of any kind is to be done on the Sabbath, not even lighting of a fire. This commandment is permanent. Death is required for infractions. (Note: This would require even that essential services, such as hospitals, police departments, etc., shut down on the Sabbath.)
Exodus 20:26 You should not go up steps to a high altar; you might expose yourself. (Note: Men wore skirts at this time.)
Exodus 21:7-11 A father can sell a daughter into slavery to pay a debt. A daughter sold into slavery is not released at the end of six years as is an ordinary male slave.
Exodus 21:12 Whoever strikes a man so that he dies is to be put to death--except that, in some cases, God will appoint a place to which the offender may flee instead.
Exodus 21:15 Whoever strikes his father or mother is to be put to death.
Exodus 21:16 Whoever steals a man is to be put to death. (Note: This is in spite of the fact that a father can sell his daughter into slavery; see Exodus 21:7-11.)
Exodus 21:17, LE 20:9, DT 21:18-21 A child who curses his parent(s) is to be put to death. A stubborn and/or rebellious child is to be put to death.
Exodus 21:20-21 A slave owner is to be punished if he strikes his slave and the slave dies shortly thereafter. If the slave lives a day or to and then dies, the slave owner is not to be punished. A slave is the same as money to his owner.
Exodus 21:23-25, Leviticus 24:17-21, Deuteronomy 19:21 An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, etc.
Exodus 21:28-32 When an ox gores a man to death, the ox must be stoned. If the ox has gored a man previously, the animal's owner must also be put to death; in the case of the goring of a slave, the only requirement is that the owner of the ox must pay thirty shekels to the owner of the slave.
Exodus 22:16-17 An unbetrothed virgin is required to marry her seducer.
Exodus 22:18, DT 18:10 A witch or sorcerer is to be put to death.
Exodus 22:20 Anyone who sacrifices to other gods must be destroyed.
Exodus 22:29 Firstborn children should be sacrificed to the Lord.
Leviticus 3:17 The eating of blood and fat are prohibited forever.
Leviticus 10:9 Drinking strong drink in the tabernacle of the congregation will result in death.
Leviticus 11:7, Deuteronomy 14:8 Eating pork is prohibited.
Leviticus 11:20 Eating shellfish is prohibited.
Leviticus 12:2 A woman who has a child, especially a female child, is unclean and purification rites are required.
Leviticus 15:2 When a man has any bodily discharge, it is unclean.
Leviticus 15:4 Any bed that a man with a discharge lies on is unclean.
Leviticus 15:5 Anyone who touches an unclean bed must bathe and is unclean until evening.
Leviticus 15:6 Anyone who sits on anything that a person with a discharge sat on must wash his clothes and bathe, and is unclean until evening.
Leviticus 15:7 Anyone who touches the skin of a person who has a discharge must wash his clothes and bathe, and is unclean until evening.
Leviticus 15:8 Anyone who is spit upon by a person who has a discharge must wash his clothes and bathe, and is unclean until evening.
Leviticus 15:9-10 Whatever [saddle] a person with a discharge sits on is unclean. Anyone who touches it must wash his clothes and bathe, and is unclean until evening.
Leviticus 15:11 Anyone who is touched by a person with a discharge who has not washed his hands must wash his clothes and bathe, and is unclean until evening.
Leviticus 15:12 Any clay or wood utensils that are touched by a person with a discharge are unclean and must be broken or washed.
Leviticus 15:13-15 When his discharge has stopped, the person who had the discharge will count off seven days, wash his clothes and bathe. On the eight day, he must present two birds to the priest for an atonement for having had a discharge.
Leviticus 15:16 When a man has an emission of semen, he must bathe his whole body, and he is unclean until evening.
Leviticus 15:17 Any clothing or leather that has semen on it must be washed, and it is unclean until evening.
Leviticus 15:18 When a man lies with a woman and there is an emission of semen, both must bathe, and they are unclean until evening.
Leviticus 15:19 A woman who is menstruating is unclean. Anyone who touches her is unclean.
Leviticus 15:20 Anything which a woman who is menstruating sits on or lies on is unclean.
Leviticus 15:21 Anyone who touches the bed of a woman who is menstruating must wash his clothes and bathe, and is unclean until evening.
Leviticus 15:22 Anyone who touches anything which was sat upon by a woman who is menstruating must wash his clothes and bathe, and is unclean until evening.
Leviticus 15:24 If a man lies with a woman who is menstruating and any of her discharge touches him, he is unclean for seven days. Any bed he lies on is also unclean.
Leviticus 15:28 After her flow stops, a woman who was menstruating must count off seven days before she is considered clean again. On the eighth day, she must present two birds to the priest for an atonement for having had a menstrual discharge.
Leviticus 19:13 Hired help must be paid every day.
Leviticus 19:19 Cattle must not be allowed to breed with a different kind.
Leviticus 19:19 A field must not be sown with more than one kind of seed.
Leviticus 19:19 A cloth garment made of two kinds of material must not be worn.
Leviticus 19:26 Flesh with blood in it must not be eaten.
Leviticus 19:27 The hair on the temples should not be rounded off.
Leviticus 19:27 The edges of a beard should not be clipped.
Leviticus 19:28 Tattoos and the like are prohibited.
Leviticus 19:29 Do not make your daughter a prostitute.
Leviticus 19:31 Do not consult mediums or wizards.
Leviticus 20:10-12, Deuteronomy 22:22 Adulterers (in some cases) must be put to death.
Leviticus 20:13 Practicing male homosexuals are to be put to death. (Note: Female homosexuality is not considered in the OT though it NT. See Romans 1:26-32.)
Leviticus 20:14 If a man has sexual relations with both his wife and his mother-in-law, all three of them must be put to death.
Leviticus 20:15-16 If a person engages in sex with an animal, both the animal and the person must be put to death.
Leviticus 20:18 If a man has sex relations with a woman who is menstruating, both shall be excommunicated from their people.
Leviticus 20:27 A medium or wizard is to be put to death.
Leviticus 21:9 If a priest's daughter becomes a prostitute, she is to be burnt with fire.
Leviticus 21:14 A priest (or descendant of Aaron) must not marry a widow, a divorced woman, a woman who has been defiled, or a harlot, but only a virgin.
Leviticus 21:17-23 A priest (or descendant of Aaron) with crushed testicles (or almost any other physical deformity) is not to be allowed near the sanctuary.
Leviticus 24:16 Whoever blasphemes the name of the Lord must be put to death.
Leviticus 25:44-46, Deuteronomy 15:17, EP 6:5, CN 3:22, TS 2:9, Peter 2:18 Slavery is an everlasting institution. Slaves are to obey their masters in everything.
Leviticus 27:3-7 Males are more valuable than females.
Leviticus 27:29 Human sacrifice is condoned.
Leviticus 27:30-32 A tithe, a tenth of everything, is to be given to the Lord.
Numbers 3:10 An unauthorized person who acts as a priest must be put to death.
Numbers 5:2-3 Anyone who has a discharge or who has touched a corpse is unclean.
Numbers 5:12-31 A woman suspected or accused of adultery is to be tested by making her drink the "water of bitterness," or holy water mixed with dust from the floor. (Note: There is no such test for men.)
Numbers 19:16 Whoever touches one who is slain in the field with a sword, or a dead body, or a bone of a man, or a grave, is unclean for seven days. (Note: Isn't one who is slain in the open field with a sword also a dead body? Why the distinction between the two?)
Numbers 19:22 Whatever an unclean person touches is also unclean. Anyone who touches an unclean thing also becomes unclean.
Numbers 31:18, 35, Judges 21:12 Young virgins are considered a spoil of war and can be taken for the use of the victors.
Deuteronomy 4:19 Be careful when you look at the stars and planets not to be enticed into worshipping them.
Deuteronomy 13:2-5 Anyone who causes someone to turn to another god must be put to death.
Deuteronomy 13:6-10 A man is required to slay his friends and members of his own family who are guilty of worshipping another god.
Deuteronomy 15:1-3 Every seven years, a brother (meaning a fellow Israelite) should be released from his debt. Only a foreigner should be required, again, to honor his debt.
Deuteronomy 17:12 A man who shows contempt for a judge or priest must be put to death.
Deuteronomy 18:20-22, Ezekiel 14:9 If a prophet's words do not come true, he is a false prophet and must be put to death. This is true even if he has been deceived by God himself.
Deuteronomy 22:5 One must not wear the clothing of the opposite sex.
Deuteronomy 22:6-7 If you want to live a long time, you must not take a mother bird from her young, but you may take the young from the mother.
Deuteronomy 22:10 You must not plow with an ox and an ass together.
Deuteronomy 22:13-21 A bride in whom "the tokens of virginity" are not found is to be put to death. (Note: The bridegroom who falsely accuses his bride gets off with a fine.)
Deuteronomy 22:23-24 A betrothed virgin who is seduced in the city is to be put to death unless she cries for help.
Deuteronomy 22:28-29 A virgin who is raped must marry her rapist (if they are "found").
Deuteronomy 23:1 A man whose testicles are crushed or whose "male member" is cut off may not enter the sanctuary.
Deuteronomy 23:2 A bastard--and his offspring to the tenth generation--are to be punished for his illegitimacy and cannot enter a congregation of the Lord.
Deuteronomy 23:10 A man who has a seminal emission during the night is unclean and must go through a purification process.
Deuteronomy 23:12-14 The Lord must not be allowed to see human excrement (it is indecent).
Deuteronomy 23:19-20 Money must not be lent at interest to a brother (meaning a fellow Israelite). Interest can only be collected from foreigners.
Deuteronomy 24:1-4 A man may divorce his wife simply because she displeases him.
Deuteronomy 25:5-10 A man has an obligation to produce a child for his widowed sister-in-law.
Deuteronomy 25:11 A wife who grabs her husband's opponent by his "private parts" must have her hand cut off and is to be shown no pity.
Judges 21:21 The Benjamites are commanded to take wives by hiding in the vineyards and then seizing the "daughters of Shiloh" as they come out to dance.
1Kings 5:13, 9:3, 15 Forced labor is apparently sanctioned inasmuch as the Lord consecrated the house that Solomon built for the Lord using forced labor.
Proverbs 13:24, 22:15, 23:13 Children are to be disciplined with the rod-- if beaten with a rod, they will not die. (Note: Many Christian parents have inadvertently beaten a child to death following this precept.)
PR 26:4 Do not answer a fool. To do so makes you foolish too.
Proverbs 26:5 Answer a fool. If you don't, he will think himself wise.
Proverbs 31:10-31 The able wife is to bring only profit and no loss, rise before dawn, buy land prudently, plant a vineyard with her earnings, keep her lamp burning all night, gird herself to work, be generous to the poor, lend a hand to the forlorn, talk shrewd sense, offer kindly counsel, and never be idle.
Isaiah 56:4 A eunuch who keeps the Lord's Sabbath will receive special rewards.
Hosea 4:14 The sins of female prostitutes and adulterers can be excused when the men themselves set a bad example.
Mathew 5:22 Do not get angry. Anger is a sin.
Mathew 23:9 Do not call any man on earth "father."
Mathew 5:18-19 The OT law is to remain in effect until heaven and earth pass away.
Mathew 5:28 Whoever looks upon a woman lustfully commits adultery in his heart. (Note: This precept could cause some to think that they might as well commit adultery as to do so only in the heart.)
Mathew 5:29-30, 18:8-9, Mark 9:43-47 If your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. (Note: Many believers insist that this admonition, and others like it, are to be taken figuratively, although others take even this admonition literally. The problem is that there is no clear and decisive method to determine whether a passage is meant to be taken literally or figuratively. God could have foreseen this problem and should have provided an unambiguous solution.)
Mathew 5:33-37 Make no vows or oaths. They arise from evil (or the Devil).
Mathew 5:38-44 Turn the other cheek. Love your enemies. Do good to those that hate you.
Mathew 5:40 If any man would sue you and take your coat, give him your cloak also.
Mathew 5:42, Luke 6:30, 35 Give to everyone who asks. Lend to everyone who wants to borrow.
Mathew 5:48 Be perfect.
Mathew 6:6 Pray in private.
Mathew 6:25-34, Luke 12:22-31 Take no thought for tomorrow. God will take care of you.
Mathew 7:7-8, Luke 11:9-10 Ask and it will be given. Seek and you will find. Everyone who asks, receives.
Mathew 19:12, Romans 8:13 A man should consider castration, thereby making himself a eunuch, for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. If you live after the flesh, you shall die, but if you put to death the deeds of the body, you shall live. (Note: During the dark and middle ages, saints castrated themselves by the thousands in order to become more godly. Even now, the practice continues in some sects.)
Mathew 22:37, Mark 12:30, Luke 10:27 Love God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength. (This is, of course, an impossibility.)
Mathew 23:3 Practice and observe everything the Pharisees and scribes teach.
Mark 10:2-12, Luke 16:18 Divorce is wrong, and to remarry is to commit adultery.
Mark 10:29, Luke 18:29 A man who leaves his house, wife, brothers, parents, or children for the sake of the kingdom of God will receive special rewards.
Luke 12:33, TI 6:8 Sell your possessions and give to charity. Be content with having only food and clothing. (Note: Many believers claim that the first injunction applies only to those who are wealthy or have a problem with wealth. That this is not the case is clear from the context. It is also clear that the Disciples practiced this principle; see Acts 2:44-45 and 4:32-35. This is in sharp contrast to the concept of abundance that many evangelists preach and to the personal wealth they often amass.)
Luke 14:26 One cannot be a disciple of Jesus unless he hates his mother, father, wife, children, brothers, sisters, and even his own life.
Luke 14:33 "... any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple."
Luke 18:1, 1TH 5:17 Pray constantly. Don't give up.
Romans 1:26-27, 32 Men and women who commit unnatural sexual acts deserve to die.
Romans 13:1-4, Peter 2:13-14 Be subject to every human institution. All authorities (laws and governments) are from God. (Note: This would include those of a Nazi Germany, yet believers seldom follow this injunction. Even Jesus and his Disciples violated this principle.)
1Corinthians 3:18 Become a "fool" (for Christ) in order to become wise. (Note: A fool is still a fool.)
1Corinthians 6:1-8 Christians should never go to court against each other, but should, instead, let the church settle their differences.
1Corinthians 7:1-38 Men and widows should not marry. Although it is well for a man to remain chaste, the temptation to immorality is a valid reason to marry; a man should marry if he cannot control himself. Yet, a man who is already married should live as if he were not. He that is unmarried is concerned about how he can please the Lord while he that is married is concerned about pleasing his spouse. It is better to remain single so as to attend to the Lord without distraction.
1Corinthians 10:24 Put your neighbor's good ahead of your own.
1Corinthians 11:3-10 A woman is to keep her head covered while praying or prophesying.
1Corinthians 11:14 It is a shame for a man to have long hair. (Note: Why is it, then, that most portrayals of Jesus show him with long hair?)
1Corinthians 14:34-35 Women are to be silent in church. If they have any questions, they are to ask their husbands at home. It is a shame for women to speak in church.
2Corinthians 13:12 Greet each other with a holy kiss.
Colossians 2:8 Philosophy is to be shunned.
1Thessalonians 5:16 Rejoice always.
1Thessalonians 5:18 Give thanks no matter what the circumstances.
2ThessaloniansH 3:10 Anyone who doesn't work should not be allowed to eat.
1Timithy 2:9, 1Peter 3:3 Women should not braid their hair, or wear gold or pearls or costly attire.
1Timithy 2:11-12 Women are to learn in silence (from men) in all submissiveness.
1Timithy 2:12 Women are not permitted to teach or have authority over men.
Titus 1:10-11 There are many who must be silenced.
James 4:7-10 Humble yourselves before God: be miserable, grieve and cry, let laughter be turned to sorrow. The Lord will then exalt you.
James 5:14-15 Use prayer and anointing to cure illness.
1 John 1:9-11 Do not allow anyone into your house who is not a fellow believer.
Source : www.infidels.org/library/modern/donald_morgan
(ICRA)