Posted by Tammy on June 02, 1998 at 13:11:01:
In Reply to: Explain this one posted by Carlos on June 02, 1998 at 11:55:40:
: Blue said:
: "You should go through the book of Judges, chapter by chapter or story by story, and let them draw their own conclusions. You have decided that the book is a bunch of tall tales, and therefore are indoctrinating them to believe what you believe. It's OK to tell them what you believe, but you have stated plainly that they don't know the literature. They must first know the content."
: Here's some content for you. In Judges chapter 11 (I think) there is a story of a man who makes a ridiculous vow. He tells God that, if the Israelites win a battle, that he will sacrifice to God the first thing that walks out his front door when he gets home. That first thing is his daughter, who after a suitable period of mourning is dutifully sacrificed.
: Now, there is a reasonable explanation for this story. The book of Judges was assembled centuries after the events it purports to depict. The editor(s) needed to explain a certain ritual that Isralite women had incorporated from their absorption of one of the pagan tribes. So the editor(s) invented a story of a faithful Israelite to explain the pagan practice. This explanation, which I took from Isaac Asimov's Old Testament commentary, is accepted by most scholars. Fundamentalists, Mormon and otherwise, have a harder time explaining the passage.
: Any takers to justify human sacrifice?
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I've been reading a commentary on the Hebrew Bible by Rabbi Telushkin. This incident is a mistake in judgment. It was obviously wrong for this man to kill his daughter. In theory, when you make an oath, or promise, you should keep your word. But one shouldn't make frivolous oaths. And when two Biblical commands appear to conflict, (should I keep my promise, or should I refrain from killing?) it should be apparent which takes precedence.
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