Actions Punishable By Death in the Old Testament

A spooky reminder of where humanity used to be until recently ...

Thank God most people have evolved and no longer believe in this insanity. Followers of Old Testament (so-called) prophets and laws would put you to death for the following actions ... (and worse - they'd self righteously say it makes God happy for them to murder you.)

Actions Punishable By Death in the Old Testament
Included in the list (more available at the link)
Adultery. (which includes premarital sex) (Leviticus 20:10-12, man and woman)
Rape of an engaged woman. (Deuteronomy 22:25)
Being the victim of rape. (Deuteronomy 22:23-27)
Lying about virginity. (assumed guilty unless proven innocent) (Deuteronomy 22:20-21)
Male Homosexuality - (Leviticus 18:22)
Being a stubborn/rebellious son gets you stoned to death (Deuteronomy 21:18-21)
Being an alcoholic gets you stoned to death as well. (Deuteronomy 21:18-21)

Worshiping idols (Exodus 22:20, Leviticus 20:1-5, Deuteronomy 17:2-7).
Blasphemy (Leviticus 24:14-16,23).
Breaking the Sabbath (Exodus 31:14, Numbers 15:32-36).
Practicing magic (Exodus 22:18).
Being a medium or spiritualist. (Stoning) (Leviticus 20:27).
Trying to convert people to another religion. (stoning) (Deuteronomy 13:1-11, Deuteronomy 18:20).
Apostasy - If most people in a town come to believe in a different god. (Kill everybody, including animals, and burn the town.) (Deuteronomy 13:12-15)
Being a false prophet. (Deuteronomy 13:5, Deuteronomy 18:20, Zechariah 13:2-3)

Put to death for lying about virginity. WOW. Just ... WOW.

Being a false prophet. And who decides which people are false prophets?
The brain dead indoctrinated do. Talk about spooky ...

If you are born with the gift of prophecy/mediumship ... the jealous ninnies would stone you to death. What a waste of a precious gift.

Put to death for 'blasphemy'. Tricky one. One persons blasphemy is another persons truth. Anyone who claims to speak for God, and really isn't, is guilty of blasphemy.

Apostasy? Waking up and seeing that the old testament 'prophets' really weren't speaking for God would be considered apostasy and an offense worthy of death. You'd also get put to death for teaching other religions .... so don't dare bring Old Testament indoctrinated people freedom with the fresh air of truth. They'd use the threat of murder to keep the so-called OT prophets religion alive and running. Stagnation.

Of course there are also the 'do not eat shellfish' laws ... and the 'no birth control' laws. (Onanism). Apparently God doesn't want humans to eat shell fish or to 'pull out early' or else He gets ticked. It's okay for you to own slaves and treat others harshly and even murder them for telling a lie, but don't you dare eat a clam or a lobster or God will smite you down ... according to Old Testament laws. (eye roll)

And there are some laws that are disputed. It's unclear if they are death penalty laws or 'shunning' laws.
Having sexual activity with a woman who is menstruating and/or being an uncircumcised man are two things that could get you murdered. Can you imagine having idiots debate if you should be put to death for not being circumcised or for having sex with someone during their period??? YIKES.

Luckily a large chunk of humanity has evolved away from thinking God would tell set these laws. Evolved humanity will punish a crime in a JUST manner using a punishment that fits the crime. (and telling a lie about being a virgin isn't a crime ... neither is being born homosexual ... neither is eating shellfish ... etc).

Humanity still has many issues to deal with. But at least we are shedding the O.T. neanderthal mentality. I don't quote Freud often. But I think he nailed it with this -

Civilization began the first time an angry person cast a word instead of a rock.
- Sigmund Freud

Just wanted to honestly say I love your threads on these topics. S&F.

reply to post by FlyersFan

This theme must be in the air.
I've written a dozen or so threads about the non-ritual laws of the Pentateuch, which I'll be putting up at a later date.
I'll be trying to analyse what they say about the God who endorses them.
Of course they were laws designed for a particular kind of society, and heavily influenced by the customs of the other societies that were around at the time.

Scary that the fundies still want this happening and I bet some of those laws a lot of the normal religious want brought back in.
I have been having an argument with some twit on youtube (a Muslim) who wants gay folk put to death and calls the western society "filthy" despite being born in the uk, wearing top sports gear and enjoying the freedoms we have here.
Religious Fundies are holding back our specie...I know we will not let them take over and If they try I hope many will step up and fight against them.
Great read as per usual FF.
S&F

reply to post by FlyersFan


Hi ...I somehow think that you are missing the complete picture about God and His righteous judgements .Keep in mind that someone who has been infected (with sin) no longer has the ability to consider what is right and what is wrong ,especially when sin becomes appealing to our twisted minds .The Law was never given to help us become righteous but so that sin would abound .Jesus and His sacrifice was given to over ride mans attempt to be righteous before a Holy and righteous God . We like sheep have all gone astray ...there are none that are righteous ,no not one .Thanks be to God who has made a way to justify many ...peace

reply to post by FlyersFan


And horrifically, some societies today still behave like that!

S/F, FF!

the2ofusr1
Hi ...

Hi back.

I somehow think that you are missing the complete picture about God and His righteous judgements .

You assume that it really was God telling people to murder other humans because they 'lie about being a virgin' or because they were born homosexual or because they 'pulled out during sex' . Do you REALLY think a loving God is going to tell people to murder other human beings ... burn them to death or bash their brains in with rocks .. all because the person eats shellfish???

That makes no sense.

Jesus said we must forgive seven times seventy times. And yet the Old Testament laws say a woman should be put to death for being raped. Can you see how these are direct opposites??

reply to post by FlyersFan


Such a good thing we got away from those "barbaric" beliefs. I know my life is better surrounded by amoral sluts and drunks whose only care in life is material and sensual pleasures. Sure was great growing up in a broken home with godless drunks who cheated on each other.

If only the rest of the world was as enlightened as us westerners then they too could see how great it is to follow every selfish desire at the expense of family and community.

boymonkey74
I have been having an argument with some twit on youtube (a Muslim) who wants gay folk put to death and calls the western society "filthy" ...

And he can't see that he's acting like a neanderthal. He actually thinks that by murdering an innocent human being, he'd be doing something that would make God happy. Pretty darn spooky that people think that way, isn't it? And to think that it was the 'norm' for a big chunk of the world 4,000 years ago. What a frightening (and 'filthy') world that must have been.

NihilistSanta
Such a good thing we got away from those "barbaric" beliefs.

They are barbaric.

I know my life is better surrounded by amoral sluts and drunks whose only care in life is material and sensual pleasures.

A person who lies about being a virgin doesn't deserve to be put to death.
A person who is uncircumcised doesn't deserve to be put to death.
A person who doesn't believe in the O.T. God doesn't deserve death.
An alcoholic doesn't deserve death ... he/she deserves TREATMENT and/or jail time for crimes.

A just and evolved society makes the punishment fit the crime.
And being a raped woman isn't a crime ... she doesn't deserve death either.

@2ofusareone....''The Law was never given to help us become righteous.... '' __________________________________________________________________________________...... Oh really? So what are christians supposed to do witn the Biblical verses that teach that those who keep the law are righteous? Did God play a prank on people by giving the Law and saying those who keep it are ''righteous'' (Ezekiel 18:9)and not actually meaning it?

FlyersFan

the2ofusr1
Hi ...

Hi back.

I somehow think that you are missing the complete picture about God and His righteous judgements .

You assume that it really was God telling people to murder other humans because they 'lie about being a virgin' or because they were born homosexual or because they 'pulled out during sex' . Do you REALLY think a loving God is going to tell people to murder other human beings ... burn them to death or bash their brains in with rocks .. all because the person eats shellfish???

That makes no sense.

Jesus said we must forgive seven times seventy times. And yet the Old Testament laws say a woman should be put to death for being raped. Can you see how these are direct opposites??

How do you expect prophetic events like the birth of Christ to manifest if the bloodline was corrupted due to rape or infidelity? What if all of the Israelite s had embraced homosexuality? How much would have changed? Seems like God needed a ready made culture to place the messiah into in order to fulfill his mission here.

How many of the examples listed in the OP are incredibly damaging to a small nomadic community? Disobeying your parents for instance will lead to general rebelliousness which destroys the order ordained by God which is what has maintained the community. Cant trust your wife or children? Have to depend on them for survival since its like 12 of you out in the desert?

This isn't even taking into account the various bloodlines that survived the flood trying to co-mingle with the Jews and corrupt prophecy. All of this has to come to pass while allowing free will. Lets see what better system you create and how well people adhere to it.

FlyersFan
And yet the Old Testament laws say a woman should be put to death for being raped.

I don't want to anticipate too much, but this is not true.
The statement on rape is "In the young woman there is no offence punishable by death, for this case is like that of a man attacking and murdering his neighbour, because he came upon her and in the open country...and there was no one to rescue her"- Deuteronomy ch22 vv26-27
I don't know that even a modern feminist could improve on this clear declaration that the act of rape is equivalent to the act of murder.

That why there is a case for examining the laws dispassionately and trying to understand what they really do say.

The New Covenant (Christianity) supersedes Jewish tribal law, its much simpler these days.

Respect the 10 commandments, recognise the Christ a the Messiah.

That's it.

Jewish tribal laws had their place, those were harsh times.

sk0rpi0n
what are christians supposed to do witn the Biblical verses that teach that those who keep the law are righteous?

It's not 'righteous' to murder a woman who has been raped.
It's not 'righteous' to murder a man because he is uncircumcised.
It's not 'righteous' to murder a person who lies about being a virgin.
It's not 'righteous' to murder a person who eats a lobster or clam.
It's not 'righteous' to murder a person who uses birth control. (onanism)

If you think those laws actually came from God ... then WOW.
If you think those laws are something that make a person 'righteous' ... then YIKES.

reply to post by DISRAELI

It assumes that a woman in the city would be rescued by her screams and so it
leaves open that the rape victim in the city is guilty of adultery. That's how it's
interpreted by those who follow OT laws ...

@thewrightwing...... Don't forget Jesus said that the law was to remain until heaven and earth pass away.... And even acknowledged the authority of the Pharisees, who were law-obsesssed... For the reason that they sat in the ''chair of Moses''. Why do Christians even try and isolate Jesus from the Law?

reply to post by FlyersFan

In other words, it assumes that rape is impossible in the city (because of the close proximity of help), and so the woman must have been willing.
This is a death penalty for seduction, not rape.
The rule you're citing is a rough attempt to tell the difference between when a woman has been seduced (death penalty) and when she has been raped (no death penalty).
Therefore it is not a death penalty for rape.

Flyersfan , could you please point me to a culture that did not practice blood sacrifice or have capital punishment for most offenses that is contemporaneous to the OT ? I am having trouble finding the pagan utopia where everyone was live and let live.

NihilistSanta
How do you expect prophetic events like the birth of Christ to manifest if the bloodline was corrupted due to rape or infidelity?

Jesus ancestor was a murderer. David committed murder. Jesus ancestors sinned. So what? He didn't have a pure bloodline all the way back to whenever humanity began.

What if all of the Israelite s had embraced homosexuality?

4% of humanity is homosexual. Having 4% not reproducing wouldn't have effected anything.
And homosexuality isn't 'catchy'. Either you are or you aren't.

How many of the examples listed in the OP are incredibly damaging to a small nomadic community?

The point ... we've evolved and thankfully people don't think like that anymore.

This isn't even taking into account the various bloodlines that survived the flood trying to co-mingle with the Jews and corrupt prophecy.

- There was no flood in which only Noah and his family survived. It's impossible.
- As for your thoughts on 'corrupted bloodline' ... I have no idea what you are talking about.