October 24, 2007

Don't Forget to Rip the Old Testament Out of Your Bibles

by PG

From the AP:

Several state lawmakers are returning copies of the Quran to a state panel on diversity after one lawmaker claimed the Muslim holy book condones the killing of innocent people.
In a letter to colleagues, state Representative Rex Duncan says "most Oklahomans do not endorse the idea of killing innocent women and children in the name of ideology." At least 17 other legislators have notified the Governor's Ethnic American Advisory Council that they too will return the gift.
From Numbers 31:14-18:
14: And Moses was wroth with the officers of the host, with the captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, which came from the battle.
15: And Moses said unto them, Have ye saved all the women alive?
16: Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against the LORD in the matter of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the LORD.
17: Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him.
18: But all the women children, that have not known a man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves.
Thinking Christians know that their religious tradition is not devoid of killing innocent women and children, and try to understand how God's command heard by Moses that the Jews slay the unrighteous can be distinguished from God's command heard by Muhammad that Muslims spread their religion by force.

October 24, 2007 3:13 PM | TrackBack
Comments

My religion Prof would kill me if I didn't quibble here: Moses didn't command Jews, he commanded Israelites. The term "Jew" didn't exist yet, and given that it derives from the "tribe of Judah", which was the primary surviving tribe after the northern Israelite kingdom ("Israel" or "Samaria") was destroyed, its ahistorical when talking about text from the Torah.

Posted by: David Schraub at October 25, 2007 2:59 AM

Please post the list of names of the representatives who refused the Koran. I want to know if my representative is among the idiots who acted so hatefuly.

Posted by: David Lewis at October 25, 2007 12:01 PM

In fairness to the Oklahoma legislature as a whole, those who refused the gift were a minority, and Republican House Speaker Lance Cargill said he would accept the Koran and give a Bible in return. It's fine to say, "No, thank you" to a religious gift. The problem arises when your refusal is couched in an insult to the people who practice that religion. If someone offered me a fundamentalist Christian tract, I might say "No," but I certainly wouldn't say, "No, because fundamentalist Christians are hateful bigots and I don't want any of their crappy ideology littering my house." Most people learned how to refuse something graciously at a young age, but I guess Rep. Rex Duncan's mama didn't teach him such manners. Hopefully the other legislators managed to say no in a more polite fashion.

From the Tulsa World, the legislators in question are:
Sen. Cliff Branan, R-Oklahoma City
Sen. Randy Brogdon, R-Owasso
Sen. Bill Brown, R-Broken Arrow
Sen. Todd Lamb, R-Edmond
Sen. David Myers,R-Ponca City
Sen. Nancy Riley, D-Tulsa
Sen. Mike Schulz, R-Altus
Rep. Gary Banz, R-Midwest City
Rep. Doug Cox, R-Grove
Rep. David Derby, R-Owasso
Rep. Rex Duncan, R-Sand Springs
Rep. George Faught, R-Muskogee
Rep. Guy Liebmann, R-Oklahoma City
Rep. Scott Martin, R-Norman
Rep. Mark McCullough, R-Sapulpa
Rep. Mike Reynolds, R-Oklahoma City
Rep. Susan Winchester, R-Chickasha

Posted by: PG at October 26, 2007 3:45 PM
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