The Standard

Issue date: 5/2/08 Section: Opinion

Recent letters about concealed-carry laws have brought religion into the argument and botched the context of Biblical teachings. That combined with the recent activity of Brother Jed types has led me to want to correct a few misguided notions. Deuteronomy 13 was written to the Jewish people in a time that few of us presently living would ever understand. That aside, most Christians view the Old Testament as a learning resource. The inspired word of God, yes, filled with valuable lessons, yes, but a record of the Old Covenant. The one that was fulfilled by Jesus Christ to bring about the New Covenant, the one recorded in the New Testament. Christians are called to save, not to slaughter. A True Christian is the last person from whom you should fear death. "Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: 'It is mine to avenge; I will repay,' says the Lord. On the contrary: 'If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head' Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." -Romans 12:19-21. Jesus condemns violence "Put your sword back in its place,' Jesus said to him, 'for all who draw the sword will die by the sword"-Matthew 26:52 no True follower would make threats. I'm sure someone reading this will bring up the Crusades, to which I can only answer that I believe those men had strayed from Biblical Christian teaching. The first church, the model, built by men who had lived with Jesus and learned from Him were not men of violence. As for the antics of over-zealous evangelists, I remind them of Matthew 7:1-5 ("Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye."), Romans 3:10 ("As it is written: "There is no one righteous, not even one"), Colossians 3:12 ("Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience."), and John 8:1-11. Yes, Jesus commanded the adulteress to leave her life of sin, but first he spared her life, we should seek to bring people into a right relationship with God, but we should do so, as Jesus did, with compassion and humility.



Eric Rogers

junior, theater

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