At 05:11 AM 6/13/2006 -0300, you wrote:
Serious question: what's the reason for God not wanting people to eat shrimps?
Unfortunately, I don't think there is a simple answer. And this could quickly digress into broad theological arguments. But I'll give it a shot anyway.
Some have already responded that seafood in the times of the Old Testament was somewhat dangerous to eat from a health standpoint (and still is to an extent). But, personally, I don't believe this was the "reason" it was given as a "law" to the Hebrews.
As a summary, it's my opinion that the "law" of the Hebrews (such as the 10 commandments and the 600+ others that came about later) were brought about to clearly show how mankind could never hope to be "good" if left to his own devices - even if given a clear blueprint of right and wrong. They were also intended to be observed so as to show a "separation" between Hebrews and other nations. In other words, to set the Jews apart in terms of their actions. And, for the most part, the Hebrews failed them miserably and often. Also, the laws, rituals, and other aspects in the OT essentially point to the coming of Jesus Christ as the Saviour. I'm not trivializing those laws - indeed they were vital for the Hebrews of that time because that was the covenant they had with God. Jesus's arrival, however, 'fullfilled' that covenant and began a new one.
Of course, as with any summary, there's a lot left out. Hopefully that didn't add more confusion.
I don't have the origins of this thread handy, but the subject line is a little disturbing to me (even though I imagine the words were meant more for 'shock' value). So I'll add a little more.
I do not believe God "hates" people. But I also believe God is infinitely "just" - if we ignore Him, ignore what He's done for us, ignore the way He would want us to behave, we are condemned. To some, that may seem like hate but I don't take it that way.
Another confusing thing is that most non-believers equate Christians with the God they worship. In other words, they believe God can't be real, or that Christianity is foolish because Christians often do not practice what they preach. But Christians are still human - completely fallible. And, IMO, Christians are perhaps even more fallible than others because not only do they have their human nature to contend with, but also the spiritual battle raging around them. And, lastly, as seen from some of the recent posts, those who claim to be Christian may not be Christian at all (or lack an understanding of the teachings of Christianity) - especially looking into history.
-Charlie _______________________________________________ Post Messages to: [email protected] Subscription Maintenance: http://leafe.com/mailman/listinfo/profox OT-free version of this list: http://leafe.com/mailman/listinfo/profoxtech ** All postings, unless explicitly stated otherwise, are the opinions of the author, and do not constitute legal or medical advice. This statement is added to the messages for those lawyers who are too stupid to see the obvious.
