Religious tolerance

Beam her up Scotty????

Leviticus 25:44 does indeed state

New International Version
"'Your male and female slaves are to come from the nations around you; from them you may buy slaves.

New Living Translation
"However, you may purchase male and female slaves from among the nations around you.

English Standard Version
As for your male and female slaves whom you may have: you may buy male and female slaves from among the nations that are around you.

Ana how should the Bible be taken?

Yes they are bible verses. They were part of the rules of the time.

The cover the hair in church is in the New Testament. But the last part of it says that it is a custom. Thankfully. When I was first a chrisitian, I was very glad to read that it was a custom of the time.

I think the burning with passion bit, was so that people dont get consumed, rather than have an outlet for it.

I will try not to speak at all, or not get too serious on this thread I think!

Are you saying, granjura, that you believe every word in the Bible is true and must be taken literally?

And in answer to your question I'd say 'with a pinch of salt'.

I was about to jump in and post an apology as I didn't mean to start a Holy War, but actually this has opened up some searching questions about the Bible and the Old Testament in particular.

Apparently Levitacus was written by Moses and is part narrative and part law. So the references in the OP are to Law.

Am I wrong is thinking some of the passages sound like parts of Sharia Law?

Well I thought it funny and not disrespectful or whatever.

It intrigues me that in church services, even people who I know do not regard the bible as literally true or to be taken totally at face value still say "This is the word of the lord" after the lessons from both OT and NT. Why say it if you do not believe it? Beats me.

Donald Trump claims frequently that 'The Bible' is his favourite book of all time. When asked what his favourite verse would be, he can't or won't answer!

I was playing for a service this morning and one element of it was that people were asked to discuss examples of people using the excuse that it was god's will to do things that were unacceptable. People came out with all sorts of parochial things. I was dying to say: "Well, take your pick from any religions over millennia, where powerful men have invoked god as an excuse to feather their own nests, to consolidate their power base and to oppress women - and still do." As the resident agnostic musician I kept my mouth zipped!

Not nearly enough smiting, if you ask me, Jane10.

I doubt his favourite verse is on adultery

No Ana- I do not- which is why I am not a Christian as I could not accept that one is supposed to 'pick and choose' and say and repeat things I did not believe. How do you 'pick' - who decides? Some things 'picked' by some Christians are refuted by others, be it locally by different Churches- but even more over the world- many countries in Africa for instance, believing just that- that everything in the Bible has to be taken literally (which justifies the persecution of gays, for instance, as their Christian duty).

Yes, I know that granjura. Just wondering why you asked me, specifically, how the Bible should be taken...

Ah sorry, in direct reply to this comment you made:

'Are you saying, granjura, that you believe every word in the Bible is true and must be taken literally?' which you asked me directly- so made sense to reply to you.

No, I'm referring to your post to me of 16.42, granjura*.

Ana how should the Bible be taken?

Which preceded the post you've quoted.

Ah yes, you are correct. So it was in response to this earlier post Ana:

'But it did give me a wry smile or two at the idea of taking bible verses literally.'

Anya - I've seen this kind of quote so many times over the last few years, it's not funny any more - or was it ever.
Since the efforts of Dawkins and Hawkins et al have fizzled out the unbelievers seem to have run out of steam.
We don't bother them, why do they bother us?
We're only deluded idiots, leave us alone.

I'm still perplexed as to why you would ask me how the Bible should be taken, given that you are an atheist and presumably don't give it any credence at all!

Tricia - no-one is getting at you personally, or any other believer. But those of no religion cannot ignore the subject in the UK as it is institutionalised. So, however much we might wish to ignore it, it does not ignore us!

I play for many services and hold many in the congregation in very high regard. I respect their views and they respect mine. It is not a problem, as I do not voice those views in an inappropriate context.

You are not against christianity though are you Luckygirl as far as I can make out?

Well maybe not on here Luckygirl. But I've seen this kind of thing so many times on other forums, and it's always the non-believers who start the discussion.
Why is this?