Your favorite moral lesson from the Bible

[Dr.Drock]

Eye for Eye
38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’[h] 39 But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. 40 And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. 41 If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. 42 Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

Love for Enemies
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Matthew 5 NIV - Introduction to the Sermon on the Mount - Bible Gateway

I think people need to remember these passages the next time the subject of war comes up, or in terms of our current wars.

And on a smaller scope, how you treat ppl, even if you don't like how they treat you. The old "kill them with kindness" train of thought.

 

[Douger]

Now the firstborn said to the younger, 'Our father is old, AND THERE IS NO MAN ON THE EARTH to come in to us as is the custom of all the earth. Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve the lineage of our father.' So they made their father drink wine that night. And the firstborn went in and lay with her father, AND HE DID NOT KNOW WHEN SHE LAY DOWN OR WHEN SHE AROSE.

"It happened on the next day that the firstborn said to the younger, 'Indeed I lay with my father last night; let us make him drink wine tonight also, and you go in and lie with him, that we may preserve the lineage of our father.' Then they made their father drink wine that night also. And the younger arose and lay with him, AND HE DID NOT KNOW WHEN SHE LAY DOWN OR WHEN SHE AROSE.

"Thus both the daughters of Lot were with child by their father. " (Genesis 19:23-25, 30-36, NKJV)

 

[Dr.Drock]

Drunken incest is your favorite moral lesson?

 

[Avatar4321]

I was always impressed with the faith of Daniels Friends in refusing to worship as the King prescribed.

 

[Big Black Dog]

Thou shall not covet thy neighbors ass.

 

[The Infidel]

"Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves.

Matthew 7:15

 

[High_Gravity]

Thou shall not covet thy neighbors ass.

Whats the punishment if you already did that?

 

[High_Gravity]

Thou shall not steal.

 

[The Infidel]

Thou shall not steal.

Just helping...

 

[Avatar4321]

Pride cometh before the fall

 

[Sunshine]

Job 2: 9 & 10

9Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die.

10But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.

You can't let negative people run your life for you.

 

[earlycuyler]

Matthew 19:14

New International Version (NIV)

14 Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”


Matthew 10:14

New International Version (NIV)

14 If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet.

Ephesians 5:22-33

New International Version (NIV)

22 Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.

25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing[a] her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28 In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church— 30 for we are members of his body. 31 “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” 32 This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. 33 However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

 

[kiwiman127]

Revelation 11:18 - The nations were angry; and your wrath has come. The time has come for judging the dead, and for rewarding your servants the prophets and your saints and those who reverence your name, both small and great — and for destroying those who destroy the earth.

 

[Foxfyre]

Lately I seem to be pulled back into Genesis and the stories of the earliest patriarchs of the Old Testament. The story that is most often used by advocates of government 'benevolence' is in the story of Cain and Abel based on this verse shortly after Cain murdered Abel:

Genesis 4:9 - Then the LORD said to Cain, "Where is your brother Abel?" "I don't know," he replied. "Am I my brother's keeper?"

In my opinion most people incorrectly interpret this to mean that the 'evil' Cain was shrugging off any responsibility for Abel with the moral lesson that we are obligated to care about and care for others.

I believe that is not what he was saying at all.

The moral lesson to be had here is that in Old Testament language, the word for 'keeper' in the ancient Hebrew implied ownership and responsibility for good stewardship. In this case it would apply to the sheep and goats in their father's flocks. To imply that Cain was the 'keeper' of Abel would imply that Abel was a slave or subserviant to Cain. Cain was actually saying that Abel was his own man, fully capable of being responsible for himself.

The moral lesson is when we see ourselves as the 'keeper' we are subjugating people to second class, inferior, incapable, or victim status and that is wrong.

Too often government does exactly that.

 

[eots]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ldI2FJQ_oE&feature=relmfu]Messed-Up Bible Stories 5: Tower of Babel - YouTube[/ame]

 

[Sunshine]

Messed-Up Bible Stories 5: Tower of Babel - YouTube

Why the Tower of Babel? - Ascent of Humanity

The Biblical story of the Tower of Babel provides one of the central metaphors of the book. In the story, the builders sought to build a tower that reached to heaven—a metaphor for the attempt to reach the infinite through finite means. Similarly, human beings through their technology—social and material—have sought to create a perfect world, a Utopia. Social technologies, such as systems of law, and physical technologies of energy, materials, and biota, have created an edifice that reaches high indeed. We call it civilization, but are we really any closer to Heaven? Are we better off today than the hunter-gatherer, the Roman peasant, the 1950 American? No matter how many problems we solve, the sky seems just as far away as ever.

 

[Avatar4321]

The Tower of Bable is an interesting story. It's one of the earliest known attempts of a totalitarian regime to control the world. And the mercy the Lord showed in confounding the languages... truly an amazing story.

 

[Foxfyre]

Messed-Up Bible Stories 5: Tower of Babel - YouTube

Why the Tower of Babel? - Ascent of Humanity

The Biblical story of the Tower of Babel provides one of the central metaphors of the book. In the story, the builders sought to build a tower that reached to heaven—a metaphor for the attempt to reach the infinite through finite means. Similarly, human beings through their technology—social and material—have sought to create a perfect world, a Utopia. Social technologies, such as systems of law, and physical technologies of energy, materials, and biota, have created an edifice that reaches high indeed. We call it civilization, but are we really any closer to Heaven? Are we better off today than the hunter-gatherer, the Roman peasant, the 1950 American? No matter how many problems we solve, the sky seems just as far away as ever.

I take a more practical view when teaching theology. In my opinion, the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden was a metaphor or illustration of how sin entered into and spoiled God's perfect creation.

The story of Cain and Abel shows how sin spread into the family.

In the story of Noah, sin had spread into the society/community.

And in the story of the Tower of Babel, sin was dispersed into all the world.

My definition of sin: That which harms ourselves and/or others and therefore spoils God's perfect Creation.

 

[Dr.Drock]

Thanks for everyone's input.


Anyone have a thought towards my personal selections?

 

[Sunshine]

Messed-Up Bible Stories 5: Tower of Babel - YouTube

Why the Tower of Babel? - Ascent of Humanity

The Biblical story of the Tower of Babel provides one of the central metaphors of the book. In the story, the builders sought to build a tower that reached to heaven—a metaphor for the attempt to reach the infinite through finite means. Similarly, human beings through their technology—social and material—have sought to create a perfect world, a Utopia. Social technologies, such as systems of law, and physical technologies of energy, materials, and biota, have created an edifice that reaches high indeed. We call it civilization, but are we really any closer to Heaven? Are we better off today than the hunter-gatherer, the Roman peasant, the 1950 American? No matter how many problems we solve, the sky seems just as far away as ever.

I take a more practical view when teaching theology. In my opinion, the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden was a metaphor or illustration of how sin entered into and spoiled God's perfect creation.

The story of Cain and Abel shows how sin spread into the family.

In the story of Noah, sin had spread into the society/community.

And in the story of the Tower of Babel, sin was dispersed into all the world.

My definition of sin: That which harms ourselves and/or others and therefore spoils God's perfect Creation.

And what story teaches how sin entered the internet?