Bible Passages that Could Get You Killed

[cbayer]

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/02/18/bible-passages-that-could-get-you-killed.html


Photo by Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA, via Lando

A pastor died trying to charm a snake because it says so in the Bible. Professor Candida Moss look at other Biblical directives that could get you killed.

Pastor Jamie Coots, a snake-handling minister from Middlesboro, Kentucky and former star of the National Geographic reality show Snake Salvation, died after being bitten by a snake in church.

History has no shortage of vocation-induced tragi-ironic deaths. Jimi Heselden, manufacturer of the Segway, was pronounced dead on the scene after driving his “vehicle” off a cliff and into a river. Alexander Bogdanov, Lenin’s right hand man and pioneer in the field of eternal-life blood transfusions, died after – you guessed it – an elective blood transfusion. And now Pastor Jamie Coots has moved on to his eternal reward after receiving a snake bite. Three individuals whose fervent belief in their inventions, hypotheses, and God led them to take chances others might not.

Where Coots is different is that he was just following the Bible as he interpreted it. Coots was just reading the Bible literally. It’s something that many Americans do on a daily basis. But God’s Holy Word is more dangerous than you’d think. Here are five Biblical ideas that should come with a “do not try this at home” warning.

1. Snake-Handling

Snake-handling, a popular practice among some branches of charismatic Christianity, is grounded in a literal interpretation of Mark 16:17-18 in which those who “take up serpents” will remain unharmed.

more at link

[carryingtheload]

1. Every Religion

Every religion has its pecularities. Snake handling is just one of them.

[cbayer]

2. Welcome to DU and to the Religion group, carryingtheload.

I agree and the article points out some of the other peculiarities which can be found in some religions.

[gopiscrap]

7. welcome to DU

[Brettongarcia]

3. The author Dr. Candida Moss is Prof of Theology, Notre Dame. Other fatal elements in Christianity:

How about the place where God tells us to "eat anything"? Because it is not what goes into our mouths, but out of them, is important. So eating rotting, disease-laden food is, presumably, OK.

Far worse though, are the parts that tell us to ignore all the things of this "world." Like that oncoming truck? Worse, this is not just PART of Christianity; it is at the very heart of its ascetic message at least. Priestly asceticism is known to be physically dangerous; people fast until they starve to death for example.

[cbayer]

4. God says "eat anything"?

Can you point me to the scripture that says that, because I can't find it. In fact, most of what I find are food prohibitions.

Would also appreciate a citation for the idea that people should ignore all things of this world.

[Brettongarcia]

13. Mat. 15.11 ff.; Acts 10.13 ff.; etc.

Christianity wanted to remove Jewish food prohibitions on pork, shellfish, etc..

But it overstated its case.

Look up the "world" in a Bible concordance. Denigrating physical, material things is the flip side of talking up spirit, in many dualistic systems.

The Bible flirted with that.

[cbayer]

16. Since you couldn't be bothered, I will post the passages you cite here.

What goes into someone's mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them."

And there came a voice to him: “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.”

Neither of those say "Eat anything" and they specifically don't say eat spoiled or poisoned food. Removing Jewish prohibitions is a completely different issue. Since I believe the prohibitions were put in place because of health concerns and that those health concerns probably changed, changing the rules makes sense.

I'm not going to look up anything. You make blanket statements without evidence and when asked to provide it, provide things that don't say that at all.

[trotsky]

18. Dang.

You make blanket statements without evidence and when asked to provide it, provide things that don't say that at all.

Lost another irony meter.

[Brettongarcia]

19. Larger context: Peter is being told he can eat almost anything

As for Jesus? While making another point mainly, he however in passing suggests that putting almost anything in our mouth cannot defile us. Though Jewish food laws and sanitation, the moral implications of physical uncleanliness, suggest otherwise; even in a religious sense.

[cbayer]

20. But you said "anything" and that is not what it says.

It says that what you put in your mouth is less important that what comes out of your mouth.

Pretty good message if you ask me.

I am tempted to, but will not, correct all of the grammatical errors in your post.

[trotsky]

21. You can't force your definitions on anyone, cbayer.

You should be careful, too, about going down the path of criticizing others' grammar.

See post #12 in this very thread.

[okasha]

25. In the actual larger context

that is, in the First Century Mediterranean, where members of the early church were beginning to preach among gentiles, it means that Jews so engaged need not observe the kosher laws. Notice that "defile" is a ritual word describing ritual "uncleanness," not an indication of a health hazard. Specifically it's less important to worry about whether your meal is kosher than to commit a sin (to defile yourself) by your words. Lying, for instance, or giving false tesitmony.

[hrmjustin]

8. No that is not what it means.

[rrneck]

5. I worry less about that than Bible passages that get other people killed. nt

[cbayer]

6. True that. This is a bit tongue in cheek, though.

[struggle4progress]

9. That's pretty sloppy stuff from a supposed Biblical scholar

Maybe the internet is making the whole country stupid

[Act_of_Reparation]

10. What? No machine-gun posting of hyperlinks to backwater internet theologians?

Maybe the internet is making the whole country stupid

Oh. I see what you did there.

[cbayer]

12. I think it's goal is to be a rather tongue in cheek warning against

literal interpretations of the bible.

[Brettongarcia]

14. And? Warnings about "false spirits" is a warning about spiritual readings

[cbayer]

17. I have no idea what you are talking about.

[trotsky]

15. Every Christian takes at least part of the bible literally, cbayer.

It is simplistic and naive to just declare that "literal interpretations" are bad.

[struggle4progress]

24. Ah. Well, humor is a matter of personal taste, I guess

[edhopper]

11. I am more interested

in people who use the Bible to justify killing others.

[WovenGems]

22. I am a big brother

If your religion says you can mistreat a woman and that woman is my sister then you just volunteered for a vivisection.

[cbayer]

23. I am a mother of daughters and I'm with you.