SIGNER OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE; SURGEON GENERAL OF THE CONTINENTAL ARMY; RATIFIER OF THE U. S. CONSTITUTION; ?FATHER OF AMERICAN MEDICINE?; TREASURER OF THE U. S. MINT; ?FATHER OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS UNDER THE CONSTITUTION?

The Bible, when not read in schools, is seldom read in any subsequent period of life? [T]he Bible? should be read in our schools in preference to all other books because it contains the greatest portion of that kind of knowledge which is calculated to produce private and public happiness.¹⁰⁶

 

 

 

 

John Witherspoon

 

SIGNER OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE; RATIFIER OF THE U. S. CONSTITUTION; PRESIDENT OF PRINCETON   [C]hrist Jesus ? the promise of old made unto the fathers, the hope of Israel [Acts 28:20], the light of the world [John 8:12], and the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth [Romans 10:4] ? is the only Savior of sinners, in opposition to all false religions and every uninstituted rite; as He Himself says (John 14:6): ?I am the way, and the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by Me.?¹³⁷ [N]o man, whatever be his character or whatever be his hope, shall enter into rest unless he be reconciled to God though Jesus Christ.¹³⁸ [T]here is

Enforcing Christian morality in the past included support for slavery, women not being allowed to vote and Prohibition.  Show me in the Bible where slavery is permitted, morally righteous and backed by God.

 

Christianity's support for monstrosities like Wal Mart, Standard Oil and the robber barons of the past and present have nothing to do with free market principles.

 

Good Sumeritan laws have nothing to do with christianity, they are from King Hummurabi's "Hammurabic Code", the first written law in the known world that was even applied to royal officials.

Show me a Christian nation where slavery is practiced.

Show me a Christian nation which did not abolish slavery a long time ago.

 

Slavery is still practiced in the world but not by any Christian society.

 

How does Christianity "support" corporations?

 

Your comments are a bit weird.

Enforcing Christian morality in the past included support for slavery, women not being allowed to vote and Prohibition. Show me in the Bible where slavery is permitted, morally righteous and backed by God.

Christianity's support for monstrosities like Wal Mart, Standard Oil and the robber barons of the past and present have nothing to do with free market principles.

Good Sumeritan laws have nothing to do with christianity, they are from King Hummurabi's "Hammurabic Code", the first written law in the known world that was even applied to royal officials.

Yes, *THAT'S* why they are named "Good Samaritan" laws, because they refer to the Hammurabic Code, and not the the account of the Good Samaritan.  After all, if they were based on the story of the Good Samaritan, they would be named them after him, not after the Hammurabic Code.

The Ten Commandments were Jewish before they were Christian by oh, a few thousand years.  Sermon on the Mount, delivered by a Palestinian Jew to other Jews. 

Umm, yeah, that's right, the Ten Commandments were given to the Israelites about 1400 years before Christ came to preach fulfillment of the Law and salvation unto the Jews first. 

Let's see--Nan dislikes Christians and hates corporations.  Sounds familiar.

 

The CCP membership finally come through, Nan?

 

I must apologize to Nan.  On another thread I accused him of spreading hate, and I came away thinking that he was a liar and a bigot.  After reading the above post, however, I now understand his biggest problem isn't attitude....it's ignorance.  Much of what he "knows" about Christianity is based upon misinformation and not on a careful study of the subject.  Sure, evil institutions such as slavery have been used by their apologists to justify them, but this is a failing of the individuals who do this, not of Christianity.  Christianity is pretty clear on how humans should treat one another.  Remember the "Golden Rule?"  Where do you think that came from?

I don't know what you are talking about when you accuse "Christianity" of supporting "monstrosities" such as Wal Mart and Standard Oil.  Wal Mart is a retail store that was begun as a corporation in the State of Arkansas, of all places.  You can make the argument that Wal Mart has hurt small town businesses, but I am absolutely clueless where Christianity has had any role in this one way or the other. 

 

"Good Sumeritan?"  This iced it.  The parable in the Bible, New Testament in fact, is of the "Good Samaritan", and is a story about a traveler from Samaria that assists a Jew that had been robbed and beaten.  The Samaritan helped the injured man despite ethnic differences and animosities that existed at the time between Jews and Samaritans (check out Luke 10).  The term "Good Samaritan" began to refer to anyone that helped a stranger for altruistic reasons.  The story has nothing to do with the ancient Sumerian race or the Code of Hammurabi.  Good Samaritan Laws are laws that provide legal protection for individuals that provide assistance to strangers in emergencies.  I felt a little embarassed for you on that one. 

 

Yes, the Ten Commandments preceeded the start of Christianity by just under 1,500 years, and Christianity is the worship of a Jewish carpenter from Nazareth that came from the bloodline of King David.  That is why our shared religious value system is referred to as "Judeo-Christian" principles.  We even give Judiaism top billing.  Where Chrisitians break from Jews is that we believe that Jesus was the Jewish messiah, while Jews do not.  We incorporate the teachings of great pre-Christian Jewish teachings as part of our faith, not take credit for them.  True, there are some Christians that are anti-Semites, but I can't explain that for the life of me. 

 

Might want to do a little research next time before you spout off about religion. 

The best answer to Nan, and people of his sort (who speak before acquiring the knowledge about what they speak) is the word itself:

 

1 Corinthians 1 - 19

¹⁰ Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. ¹¹ For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe?s household, that there are contentions among you. ¹² Now I say this, that each of you says, ?I am of Paul,? or ?I am of Apollos,? or ?I am of Cephas,? or ?I am of Christ.? ¹³ Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?
¹⁴ I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, ¹⁵ lest anyone should say that I had baptized in my own name. ¹⁶ Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas. Besides, I do not know whether I baptized any other. ¹⁷ For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect.

¹⁸ For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. ¹⁹ For it is written: 

      ? I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
      And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.?<sup>[a]

20</sup> Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?

Does Halacha Permit Jews to Own Slaves?   Halacha is a body of works dealing with Jewish ethics from Toranic and Exile times.  I used ot teach a course in it.

First, note that "Slavery" in the Torah generally refers to temporary indentured servitude to one's creditor. Such slavery was permitted under Jewish law. However, the treatment of Jews towards their slaves was much more humane than that of the surrounding culture, for a key element of Judaism is to remember that Jews were once slaves in Egypt (in fact, this is the central theme of the holiday of Pesach). In Judaism, the slave was protected. Exodus 21:2-11 defines the rights of the servant. Quoting from the Hertz Penatateuch and Haftorahs: Slavery, as permitted by the Torah was quite different from Greek and Roman Slavery, or even the cruel system in some modern countries down to our own times. In Hebrew law, the slave was not a thing, but a human being; he was not the chattel of a master who had unlimited power over him. In the Hebrew language, there is only one word for slave and servant. Brutal treatment of any slave, whether Hebrew or heathen, secures his immediate liberty. Jewish law required that a slave could go free in the seventh year of service (Exodus 21:2), although his family would not be freed; although if he came into servitude with a wife, that wife would also be freed. The slave could, however, indicate that they perferred bondage to freedom. Every fiftieth year (the "Jubilee"), the slaves with their families would be emancipated, and property (except house property in a walled city) would revert to its original owner. (Lev XXV:8-55). In Judaism, there is also the concept of an "Eved Canani", a non-Jewish slave, who is the property of a Jew, as is discussed in Vayikrah 25:46. This concept of slavery is nothing like slavery that occurred in America to the Negroes. The slaves were not kidnapped, but rather were purchased from themselves; i.e., they were offered a sum of money, or guaranteed shelter and food, in exchange for becoming slaves. The obligation to treat your slave humanely applies to both Jewish and non-Jewish slave, as does the obligation to make sure they have all necessary comforts, even at the expense of their master's own comfort (e.g., if there are not enough pillows for all, the master must provide his slaves with pillows before himself). Slavery is clearly discussed in the Torah, especially in reference to Canaan, who was cursed by his grandfather Noach to be destined to be the slaves to the rest of mankind, as stated and repeated a number of times in Beraishis 9:25-27. Is slavery moral? We live in a society where same sex marriages, partial-birth abortions, and mercy killings are considered moral by many--and perhaps even the majority--of our society. Additionally, it is considered "sport" to watch two men get together in a ring, and attempt to injure each other, and we roar in approval when one has managed to draw blood from the other and knock him unconscious. We must realize that what we consider moral or immoral is the sum total of the society in which we live. In Judaism, we've been blessed with the Torah, which tells us very clearly what is moral and immoral, and directs us to elevate ourselves above our society and accept the Torah's definition of morality. When the Torah says that theft is forbidden, this is not because society has determined that theft is forbidden, but because G-d is telling us so. Hence, it is forbidden to steal even in situations that society would not necessa