Leviticus 19:33 & 34 "When an alien lives with you in your land, do not mistreat him. The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt. I am the Lord your God."

When conservatives think about Leviticus, they tend to focus on verse 18:22 or 20:13, while glossing over the rest of it. I'm not saying that the U.S. needs to stop watching our borders and let everyone in unchecked. That would be stupid. However, anyone who wants to contribute to the success of this nation, work for the betterment of the world, and generally make life more livable should be given that opportunity and be treated better than those who do not do these things.

I know; it must seem a bit off for someone who has only published a couple of bad jokes to talk about the Bible, but it isn't. In fact, I intend to switch gears as frequently as time permits.

� 04/20/2010 All Rights Reserved

*most conservatives

conservatives like me don't think about the bible at all. it's a nice story. good morals.
» thaitanic on 2010-04-20 01:37:23

Is that like a special worded bible for teens because I do not remember the bible using the word alien at all. If I'd have read that when I was younger I would have been convinced God was telling me there are aliens in outer space.
» lyndeep on 2010-04-20 01:52:10

The phrasing I chose grammatically eliminates the need to say "most" to only refer to the people who would ever consider the Bible. Your comment makes me think, thaitanic; can the Bible's morals be considered "good" if its books are not substantially true? Conversely, if the morals are "good," can the Bible be substantially false?

I used the New International Version, lyndeep, the same version I've been using for the last 30 years. Of the 20 versions I checked, 16 of them use the word "alien." The newer versions, those designed for a younger audience, are the ones that avoid words like that.
» fakebil on 2010-04-21 12:58:58

i absolutely think that if the book is false, then the morals can be good, and vice versa. it doesn't take a book to know that you shouldn't commit murder, adultery, etc.
» thaitanic on 2010-04-21 11:29:39

This is getting to be a great conversation. I hope more join in.
You are absolutely correct in that it doesn't take a book to know not to commit murder, etc. I'll go the extra step and say that people who claim to know the Bible are not immune from committing these sins. However, it does take something for people to know not to do bad things as all people are ethical egoists and do only what is in their own best self-interest.

A lesson based on a lie is inherently flawed.
» fakebil on 2010-04-21 12:36:18

Haha
And yeah, that's exactly what I mean about gift giving!
» middaymoon on 2010-04-21 11:57:49

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