Everything you type reminds me of a fundamentalist. Should I accept the Bible as truth when it advocates:
slavery (basically, it says that anyone who isn't an Israelite is free game)
stoning people of different faiths
animal sacrifice (among other things, you must sacrifice an animal at the temple to repent for having sex with an engaged slave)
killing of babies (Wilhelm's covered one instance of this)
rape (again, anyone who isn't an Israelite is fair game)
murder (Uh... ^)
genocide (by both god and Moses, as well as many others under god's command)
...and various other moral screws? Should I accept it when it clearly has no regard for the science of the day (such as evolution and other things), and when the people who do believe in it refuse to admit to such scientifically proven things as, I don't know...GLOBAL WARMING?
Let's take the subjects you posted one at a time...
Slavery
"I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt so you would no longer be their slaves. I broke the yoke of slavery from your neck so you can walk with your heads held high." ~Leviticus 26:13~
"In that day the Lord will end the bondage of his people.He will break the yoke of slavery and lift it from their shoulders." ~Isaiah 10:27~
"So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and dont get tied up again in slavery to the law." ~Galatians 5:1~
Clearly, God's purpose of freedom is stated sveral times in the Scriptures; it was man who used slavery to opress people, not God.
Stoning Practicioners of Other Faiths
Perhaps you're referring to passages such as this...
"Then they put their hands over their ears and began shouting. They rushed at him, and dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. His accusers took off their coats and laid them at the feet of a young man named Saul. As they stoned him, Stephen prayed, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. He fell to his knees, shouting, Lord, dont charge them with this sin! And with that, he died. Saul was one of the witnesses, and he agreed completely with the killing of Stephen. ~Acts 7:57-8:1~
Now, remember that this happened before Saul of Tarsus was redeemed by God. Saul was a ruthless butcher of Christians, until God Himself turned his life around. Once he repented, God forgave him, and changed his name to Paul, whom Jesus would soon take on as a disciple. He went from murdering Christ's followers to helping them. No doubt that was a miracle of God. Later on, Jesus Himself deals with the issue of stoning someone, and demonstrates His authority to grant freedom through grace.
As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd. Teacher, they said to Jesus, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say? They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger. They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone! Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust. When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, Where are your accusers? Didnt even one of them condemn you? No, Lord, she said. And Jesus said, Neither do I. Go and sin no more. ~John 8:3-10~
Animal Sacrifice
"First, Christ said, You did not want animal sacrifices or sin offerings or burnt offerings or other offerings for sin, nor were you pleased with them (though they are required by the law of Moses). Then he said, Look, I have come to do your will. He cancels the first covenant in order to put the second into effect. For Gods will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time." ~Hebrews 10:8-10~
And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heavens Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. And since we have a great High Priest who rules over Gods house, let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting Him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christs blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water." ~Hebrews 10:19-22~
Simply put, the sacrifice of Jesus Christ (His death, burial, resurrection, and ascension) erased the requirements of the Law and the Old Covenant. We now live under a New Covenant, which promises eternal forgiveness through faith in Christ, and submission to Him as Lord and Savior.
Killing Children
Jesus came into this world to prevent death, not endorse it. Every time society has started killing babies, God sent a deliverer. Pharoah was killing children, and God sent Moses to free the Israelites from (what else?) slavery. Herod killed children, and God sent Jesus as the final payment for suffering and death. Whenever mankind or Satan starts destroying life, God sends someone to bring life. One instance of Jesus resurrecting the dead (which He did many times) is detailed below. It's a perfect example of mankind's plans being opposite those of God.
"While he was still speaking to her, messengers arrived from the home of Jairus, the leader of the synagogue. They told him, Your daughter is dead. Theres no use troubling the Teacher now. But Jesus overheard them and said to Jairus, Dont be afraid. Just have faith. Then Jesus stopped the crowd and wouldnt let anyone go with him except Peter, James, and John (the brother of James). When they came to the home of the synagogue leader, Jesus saw much commotion and weeping and wailing. He went inside and asked, Why all this commotion and weeping? The child isnt dead; shes only asleep. The crowd laughed at him. But he made them all leave, and he took the girls father and mother and his three disciples into the room where the girl was lying. Holding her hand, he said to her, Talitha koum, which means Little girl, get up! And the girl, who was twelve years old, immediately stood up and walked around! They were overwhelmed and totally amazed." ~Mark 5:35-42~
Rape
But if the man meets the engaged woman out in the country, and he rapes her, then only the man must die. Do nothing to the young woman; she has committed no crime worthy of death. She is as innocent as a murder victim. Since the man raped her out in the country, it must be assumed that she screamed, but there was no one to rescue her." ~Deuteronomy 22:25-27~
Under the Old Covenant, the penalty for rapists was death, while the victims were not harmed. This is true justice, since as indicated in the above passage,
the woman involved did nothing wrong. Through Jesus, the eternal penalty for that crime (spiritual death) has been erased, just like any other crime...but only for those who put aside their selfish nature and follow Christ. It's that simple.
Murder
See the above verses for stoning; it applies equally to this.
Genocide
Under my entry about animal sacrifice, I posted this Scriptural reference:
"He cancels the first covenant in order to put the second into effect. For Gods will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time." ~Hebrews 10:8-10~
Now, what makes you think that the New Covenant in Christ would cover only a portion of sin? It staes clearly that Christ removed all eternal consequences for sin, even genocide. What He asks in return is for us to love, trust, and embrace that gift. If we refuse, then we have sealed our own fate. As for being a "fundamentalist", I think you and I have different definitions of that word. In my opinion a fundamentalists is one who not only preaches the rules, but takes it so far as to impose hatred, jealousy, and human wrath, which God says we have no right to commit. Just because there's someone willing to tell the truth, and you don't like it, doesn't make them an automatic extremist.
