The Catholic Church holds it can restore as
much Jewish moral and Jewish biblical law as it wishes
The Roman Catholic Church teaches that Jesus made the Jewish Law obsolete. But it denies that this means that he changed morality for that cannot be done. The law is not abolished but fulfilled in Jesus. The Church is careful to say that Jesus did not reverse the law or declare it wrong. So if the law is immoral then it reflects on Jesus's morals.
Jesus Christ took responsibility for giving Moses a law that demanded that gay men be stoned to death along with statue worshippers and mediums and others. He went as far as to start the Sermon on the Mount by saying he had no intention of ever contradicting the law. The law was dropped by Christianity after his death for it could not afford to antagonise the liberal societies of Greece and Rome. Or perhaps it is more accurate to say Christianity just ignored the law after his death? It can't just ignore it and it cannot complain if gangs start to take it seriously and go around bloodletting.
It is wrong to think Jesus ever meant to contradict the law. He could have
done accidentally for the law contradicts itself so why would he be guaranteed to
be consistent? There is nothing in the New Testament that says the law is ever
wrong. Even when Jesus made all foods clean it could be meant to mean that he
magically took away whatever it was that made them dirty or unclean. It would
not amount to saying, "Food is clean no matter what the law says." Jesus told
the adulteress that she deserved stoning - he just got those who were to stone
her to see that they should leave her alone for they were no better themselves.
The story only says she was saved then. The would be stoners were not going to
kill her according to the law but were going to stone her without authority. But
what about after that? If she had been in danger of being stoned and the law was
applied correctly Jesus would have told them to stone her.
The Church accepts the teaching of the Prophet Jeremiah that God told him that
the Covenant with God and his people would be replaced by a new one. The
Catholics think they have the new covenant. Jeremiah made it clear that the
covenant was NOT new in its provisions but in its effectiveness (Jeremiah
31:33-34). In other words, it was a repeat of the Jewish covenant but it would
be obeyed. Strangely the Church teaches all that and does not admit that the
nasty laws of the Covenant must then be still in force.
Paul in Galatians 3:23 says the people chosen by God were locked in chains of
the law of God until faith was revealed. This states that there was no faith as
in relationship with God - he does mention a few exceptions such as David and
Abraham - until the Christian faith was founded. It seems to contradict his
doctrine that salvation by faith alone was demanded and implied by the law.
The Church however still holds that the Law, as it came from God was right to
order the stoning of gay people and adulterers and others to death. The Church
claims it can authorise the state to reinstate such laws.
Here is a chunk from the website of Catholic theologian and internet apologist
expert Robert Sungenis: “
Now, let’s deal with the issue of Old Testament law. DiNovo is certainly correct
in arguing that the Mosaic Law is obsolete. We are not under it any longer. In
fact, anyone who puts themselves under the Mosaic Law will be condemned (Gal
3:10-12; 5:1-4). The New Testament makes a specific point of the Old Covenant’s
obsolescence in several places (2 Cor 3:6-14; Hebrews 7:18; 8:7-13; 10:9). This
would include the laws against homosexuality and the laws against eating
shellfish. But what DiNovo doesn’t tell you is that, in the New Covenant (which
replaced the Old Covenant), the Church re-established the moral code of the
Mosaic Law, including the condemnation of homosexuality. Under the stipulations
of the New Covenant, the Church has the right to re-establish any law from the
Old Testament she desires to have (cf., Mt 16:18-19; Acts 15:1-12). That is why
we see 9 of the 10 commandments re-established in Romans 13:9-10 (minus the law
on Sabbath-keeping). That is why St. Paul can continue to denounce homosexuality
in Romans 1:18-24 and 1 Cor 6:9 and 1 Tm 1:10, since he, as a New Testament
apostle, has the authority to either keep or dispense with Old Testament moral
and civil provisions. He does so in other ways in, for example, 1 Cor 9:9 when
he uses the Old Testament law against muzzling the ox as a support for his wages
as a minister.
Most Catholic theologians would agree with the Church having the power to
restore any Old Testament law it likes. But they would say that the Church
cannot change the rule banning homosexuality for even the Church cannot make
immorality moral. To be a Catholic then means that you have to approve of the
Church restoring the Inquisition to liquidate adulterous people and heretics and
gay people if it so decides. Or perhaps it can order the state to do it for it.
That is quite fanatical. Religions that lead to murder start off with teachings
like that. They break down your belief that killing such people is necessarily
wrong. It is only wrong because the Church doesn’t say it is right but not wrong in
itself.
The Bible and the Church order you to take the Bible extremely seriously for it
is the word of God. If you really obey you will go a lot further than settling
for saying that the Church can restore or reject as many of the rules of the Law
as it pleases.
The claim made by the Churches that the law is a civil law for the people of God
and thus is not binding on us is nonsense. Not a single word of the Jewish law
speaks of it as being a civil law. It often does not go into the detail that
civil law would require. The warning that the law is binding or you will be
punished not by the state but by God means it is religious law not civil law.
Civil law forces but obedience to divine law is a matter of free will. See
Deuteronomy 30. "The word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart,
that you may observe it. See, I have set before you today life and prosperity,
and death and adversity; in that I command you today to love the LORD your God,
to walk in His ways and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His
judgments, that you may live and multiply, and that the LORD your God may bless
you in the land where you are entering to possess it". It says the word of God
is in the heart of the people meaning they see it makes sense and it is
meaningful for them and the word is about the commandments given in the Law.
And perhaps this religious law is not for us? Not a single word of the Old
Testament says it is temporary. It is for us too. Jesus said he had not come to
abolish it.
Jesus supposedly abolished the stoning law when he told people who were going to
stone a woman to death for adultery that the first stone should be cast by the
person without sin. But this case had nothing to do with the law. It was a lynch
mob who wanted to stone her not the proper authorities. And he did say the
sinless person had a right to stone her. The episode confirms the validity of
the stoning law.
Jesus told the Jews off for not stoning people to death if they cursed their
parents, "Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your
tradition? For God commanded, saying... `He who curses father or mother, let him
be put to death.' But you say..." Mat. 15:3-4. "For laying aside the commandment
of God, you hold the tradition of men..." [Jesus] said to them, "All too well
you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition. For Moses
said, 'Honor your father and your mother; and 'He who curses father or mother,
let him be put to death.' But you say..." Mark 7:8-11
Peter was given the power to bind and loose and that is technical rabbinical
language. Jesus gave that power according to Matthew 16. It refers to the right
of Jewish ministers and leaders to interpret and apply the Law of Moses. It is
about binding people to the law and aquiting them if they innocently break it.
The text reaffirms the Law of Moses and its authority.
We conclude that the Church does not deny in principle that a person should be
stoned to death. It might not allow it but it is not forbidden for being wrong
in itself. The Church cannot say it is wrong in itself. We conclude that the
Church's stance on the law is quite liberal and the Church disobeys the law by
failing to adopt it and endorse it in full. But the Church is clear that the
Christian makes a core and major error if she or he thinks the law is wrong in
anything or that Jesus fixed it.
WORKS CONSULTED
Alleged Discrepancies of the Bible, John W Haley, Whitaker House, Pennsylvania,
undated
Christ and Violence, Ronald J Sider, Herald Press, Scottdale, Ontario, 1979
Christ’s Literal Reign on Earth From David’s Throne at Jerusalem, John R Rice,
Sword of the Lord, Murfreesboro, Tennessee, undated
Early Christian Writings, Editor Maxwell Staniforth, Penguin, London, 1988
Essentials, David L Edwards and John Stott, Hodder & Stoughton, London, 1990
Eunuchs for the Kingdom of Heaven, Uta Ranke-Heinmann, Penguin Books, London,
1991
God’s Festivals and Holy Days, Herbert W Armstrong, Worldwide Church of God,
California, 1992
Hard Sayings Derek Kidner InterVarsity Press, London, 1972
Jesus the Only Saviour, Tony and Patricia Higton, Monarch, Tunbridge Wells,
Kent, 1993
Kennedy’s Murder, John R Rice, Sword of the Lord, Murfreesboro, Tennessee, 1964
Martin Luther, Richard Marius, Belknap Press of Harvard University Press,
Cambridge Massachusetts, 1999
Moral Philosophy, Joseph Rickaby SJ, Stonyhurst Philosophy Series, Longmans,
Green and Co, London, 1912
Not Under Law, Brian Edwards, Day One Publications, Bromley, Ken, 1994
Radio Replies Vol 2, Frs Rumble and Carty, Radio Replies Press, St Paul,
Minnesota, 1940
Religion of Peace? Why Christianity is and Islam Isn't, Robert Spencer, Regnery
Publishing Inc, Washington, 2007 - a curious book in that it simply doesn't
mention how Christian Scriptures incited believers, eg Calvinists, to attack and
destroy other believers who were thought to be heretics and doesn't mention the
infallible decrees of the Roman Catholic Church commanding the violent
destruction of heretics but wants to give the impression that unlike the Koran,
the Christian Scriptures and the Christian religion do not make calls for
religious violence
Sabbath Keeping, Johnie Edwards, Guardian of Truth Publications, Kentucky
Secrets of Romanism, Joseph Zacchello, Loizeaux Brothers, New Jersey, 1984
Set My Exiles Free, John Power, Logos Books, MH Gill & Son Ltd, Dublin, 1967
Storehouse Tithing, Does the Bible Teach it? John R Rice, Sword of the Lord,
Murfreesboro, Tennessee, 1954
Sunday or Sabbath? John R Rice, Sword of the Lord, Murfreesboro, 1943
The Christian and War, JB Norris, The Christadelphian, Birmingham, 1985
The Christian and War, Robert Moyer, Sword of the Lord Murfreesboro Tennessee
1946
The Encyclopaedia of Bible Difficulties, Gleason W Archer, Zondervan, Grand
Rapids, Michigan, 1982
The Enigma of Evil, John Wenham, Eagle, Guildford, Surrey, 1994
The Gospel and Strife, A. D. Norris, The Christadelphian, Birmingham, 1987
The Jesus Event, Martine Tripole SJ, Alba House, New York, 1980
The Kingdom of God on Earth, Stanley Owen, Christadelphian Publishing Office,
Birmingham
The Metaphor of God Incarnate, John Hick, SCM Press, London, 1993
The Plain Truth about Easter, Herbert W Armstrong, Worldwide Church of God,
California, 1957
The Sabbath, Peter Watkins, Christadelphian Bible Mission, Birmingham
The Ten Commandments, Herbert W Armstrong, Worldwide Church of God, California,
1972
The Truth that Leads to Eternal Life, Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of
Pennsylvania, Brooklyn, New York, 1968
The World Ahead, November December 1998, Vol 6, Issue 6
Theodore Parker’s Discourses, Theodore Parker, Longmans, Green, Reader & Dyer,
London, 1876
Those Incredible Christians, Hugh Schonfield, Hutchinson, London, 1968
Vicars of Christ, Peter de Rosa, Corgi Books, London, 1995
War and Pacifism, Margaret Cooling, Scripture Union, London, 1988
War and the Gospel, Jean Lasserre, Herald Press, Ontario, 1962
When Critics Ask, Norman Geisler and Thomas Howe, Victor Books, Wheaton,
Illinois, 1992
Which Day is the Christian Sabbath? Herbert W Armstrong, Worldwide Church of
God, California, 1976
THE WEB
The Law of Moses: Is It Valid Today?
www.ark_of_salvation.orgJewish_law.htm
The Law of Moses and the Law of Christ by Arnold Fruchtenbaum
www.ariel.org/ff00006c.html
Is Old Testament Law for New Testament Christians
www.souldevice.org/writings_law_gospel.html
BIBLE QUOTATIONS FROM:
The Amplified Bible