Faith and Certitude!

Dear Pastor Juan ... Is the Bible good?

My uncle Bob was a Priest and he edited The Wander.
The Wander is a Catholic magazine. Bob was an important Priest.
We would chat, when he visited my dad.

I asked him many Bible questions:

Deuteronomy 24:16 states, "The children shall not be punished for their father's sin."
But God punished all of Adam's descendants with death for Adam's sin.
Genesis 3:22, "And God said: Behold Adam is become like us, knowing good and evil:
now, therefore, lest perhaps he put forth his hand, and take also the tree of life,
and eat, and live for ever." And God placed Cherubs to guard the entrance to Paradice
and the tree of life.

I was told in Catholic Catechism Indoctrination that Original Sin was sex.
Did God create Eve for Adam as a helper? Why not create another man?
Eve is the mother of the human race. Why did God make her so fertile?
The next chapter after God created Eve they committed original sin..(?)

Leviticus 20 has a list of sexual acts that demand the death penalty.
If a woman copulates with a beast they should both be put to death(Lev.20:16).
If any man has sex with a man they should be put to death(Lev.20:13).
If any man commits adultery with another man's wife, they should both be executed(Lev.20:10).

I asked Fr. Bob, "Should these laws be respected today?"
Fr. Bob said, "We are living under secular legislature and there is no death penalty for these crimes."
"But, should there be?" I queried...
Fr. Bob paused and sipped his cocoa, "Jesus taught us to forgive the sinner."

Genesis 19:8, "I have two daughters who as yet have not known man:
I will bring them out to you and abuse them as it shall please you,
so that you do no evil to these men."

Judges 19:20 writes, "I have a maiden daughter, and this man hath a concubine,
I will bring them out to you, and you may humble them, and satisfy your lust:
only, I beseech you, commit not this crime against nature on the man."

Numbers 5:14-21 states, If a husband believes his wife has conceived a child through adultery.
He may ask a Rabbi to give her a potion to drink. If she has a miscarriage, the husband may
have her executed.

The penalty for rejecting the Covenant is death.
Deuteronomy 29:21, "Utterly destroy him out of all the tribes of Isreal, according to the curses
that are contained in the Book of this law and covenant."

Dt. 17:9 and Num. 22:23 both forbid divination, magic, augury, soothsaying and necromancy
as Witchcraft.
But, King Saul asked the Witch of Endor to raise Solomon and she did.
Jesus raised Lazareth from the dead and Elisa raised the dead too.
The Prophets prophetized with divination by burnt offerings and ritual sacrifice.

Which posits the question, "Is the Bible good family values?"

Isaias 45:7 proclaims, "I form the light and create darkness. I make peace and create evil:
I the Lord do all these things." Isaias is certain God creates evil.
How can we say we are moral creatures if God is immoral and creates evil?

Fr. Bob's answer was befuddling, "Who can know the mind of God?"
And then he added, "We have Moses Ten Commandments and Jesus sermon on the mount,
and the Apostles' Gospels."

I don't think he could answer Isaias 45:7.


Tootles!