One of my favorites points to bring up with those who defend middle eastern religion and their “God” is that it is actually of vital importance that we disobey “His” commands.

Case and point: Take a look at the 10 commandments of the “Lord”. One of the most sacred of commands deals with how to behave during the Sabbath. AND according to the Hebrew “God” we must all engage in murder every weekend!

Here’s what “God” has to say about the Sabbath:

Exodus 31:14:
“Observe the Sabbath, because it is holy to you. Anyone who desecrates it is to be put to death; those who do any work on that day must be cut off from their people.”

Exodus 35:2
“For six days, work is to be done, but the seventh day shall be your holy day, a day of sabbath rest to the LORD. Whoever does any work on it is to be put to death.”

And if that is not enough to bring the point home, there is a small story to give readers an example of what “He” meant:

Numbers 15:32-36
“While the Israelites were in the wilderness, a man was found gathering wood on the Sabbath day. Those who found him gathering wood brought him to Moses and Aaron and the whole assembly, and they kept him in custody, because it was not clear what should be done to him. Then the ORD said to Moses, “The man must die. The whole assembly must stone him outside the camp.” So the assembly took him outside the camp and stoned him to death, as the LORD commanded Moses.”

Make no mistake, “God” is very serious about “His” commandments. Any form of disobedience will result in immediate horror! Please read Leviticus 26:14-40 for a detailed description of what happens when one disobeys any of “His” commands.

So what are we to do about this? Wal-Mart is open on the Sabbath, so is Best Buy and thousands of other organizations where people labor on weekends. Do we follow “God’s” command?

Of course not! It’s simply ridiculous to kill people just because they work on a certain day of the week. And here is the rub: Every weekend that passes and we don’t kill a human being is another weekend that we have completely disobeyed “God”.

In fact, in order for a moral society to function at all, it is crucial that we ignore this commandment and many others. In other words, neither “God” nor the Bible serves as a moral compass for our civilization. Think about all the things that we ignore in a civilized society: Slavery, beating/selling women, killing homosexuals, etc. A simple look around you will reveal that we have and continue to defy many of “God’s” commands.

But wait! Isn’t the word of “God” inerrant? Can “God” be wrong? Well, according to the Bible, no!

Isaiah 40:8
The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.

Psalm 19:7-9
The law of the LORD is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever. The decrees of the LORD are firm, and all of them are righteous.

What about Jesus? What does “He” have to say about following these laws?

Matthew 5:17-19
Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

There you have it. Regarding “God’s” law, Jesus keeps things “status-quo.”

So, what becomes of a “God” who is constantly ignored on moral grounds? I’ll leave this for you to answer.

But before we bring this article to an end, what shall we make of those who profess that “God’s” law is perfect? Those who profess that we get our morality from the Bible?

I’d like to propose that these persons have never actually read the Bible or, even worse, are very good at ignoring little things like murder.

Thanks for reading,

Notes:

All Bible quotes taken from Today’s New International Version.