EXACTLY! I mean, it's not like the woman was gathering sticks on the Sabbath day! </sarc>
"32And while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man that gathered sticks upon the sabbath day.So the question is...is God a barbarian for ordering such a barbaric practice? Is it anti-Semitic to criticise the practice? Is it admirable for members of a religion to follow their scriptures/commandments or not? Were the people of Israel barbarians for following what God commanded of them?
33And they that found him gathering sticks brought him unto Moses and Aaron, and unto all the congregation.
34And they put him in ward, because it was not declared what should be done to him.
35And the LORD said unto Moses, The man shall be surely put to death: all the congregation shall stone him with stones without the camp.
36And all the congregation brought him without the camp, and stoned him with stones, and he died; as the LORD commanded Moses." --Numbers 15:32-36 (KJV)
Jesus seems to have gotten it a lot more right, IMHO, but while I certainly don't mean that as a disparaging comment on those who are not Messianic, it does raise some interesting questions, doesn't it? Will people look back and call AD 2005 conservative Christians "barbarians" for not ignoring scriptural references against homosexuality, for example?
I like this little caveat -
"... or possibly because the stoning never happened."
I guess that covers the Washington Post "reporter" N.C. Aizenman dosen't it.
I suppose Dan Rather could have just said " if THESE ARE REAL " and been covered also.
Here's my answers:
1. Yes.
2. No.
3. Sometimes.
4. Yes.
How did I do, professor?