Why did God allow the old testament laws and punishments to be so gruesome?

In the old testament, the laws were very brutal. Stoning people for sinning, but God gave them the law-why. Jesus is God and in the New testament, Jes

In the old testament, the laws were very brutal. Stoning people for sinning, but God gave them the law-why. Jesus is God and in the New testament, Jesus disagrees with the laws. He protects people being stoned-why would he give a law that he didn't think right? Did he change his mind or something? Are God and Jesus actually different?

So confused right now-it goes against all of my knowledge

or:In the old testament, the laws were very brutal. Stoning people for sinning, but God gave them the law-why. Jesus is God and in the New testament, Jesus disagrees with the laws. He protects people being stoned-why would he give a law that he didn't think right? Did he change his mind or something? Are God and Jesus actually different?So confused right now-it goes against all of my knowledge

or:Everything you know you heard from some random preacher. It is not reliable to let people tell you what the bible says. Many people will make up stuff because they don't know what it says, and many will make up stuff because they wish it would not say what it says. You just have to read it for yourself. Read a chapter of Proverbs every day. Proverbs has 31 chapters so you can keep your place by just looking at a calendar. There is no religion or nothing in Proverbs and you don't have to believe anything. Just read to find wisdom. When you are comfortable with that, then read the bible from Romans to 2 Thessalonians over and over until you start to remember what it says. That is the part that applies to Christians. Here is a book to help you to understand the bible. It's a free download and you can get a hard copy at any bible book store. www.philologos.org/__eb-htetb/ \"How To Enjoy The Bible\"\"In the old testament, the laws were very brutal.\" Laws are not brutal, they are simply laws. If you kick a curb, you will hurt. If you jump off a cliff, you might die. No brutality, just the consequence of your action. God is the God of rightness, and He is in a war with Satan, the god of this world. In a war you kill the enemy. God wants His people to live in stable, peaceful, prosperous communities. Some people attack those goals by various crimes, and they are to be killed as agents of the enemy. Some crimes are punished in other ways. For instance sex between unmarried people is ok, and they are to be married, but rape is punished by banishment, not death. \"Jesus disagrees with the laws. He protects people being stoned.\" Not so. The law specifies how to try a person's crimes. For one thing, two or three witnesses are required. The Jews accused a woman of fornication, but fornication takes a woman and a man. Where is the man? This smacks of fraud, but Jesus has no evidence to accuse the Jews of a false charge. Instead, he invites them to demonstrate their righteousness by personally throwing the first stone. The Jews are super religious and decline to accept that invitation. In the absence of accusers, there is no case against the woman.

or:The Ten Commandments, were the basic part of the law but were combined with about 600 other laws, all of which were of equal force and binding power upon the Israelites. The first four of the Ten Commandments defined man's relationship to God; the fifth, to God and parents; and the last five, to ones fellowman. The last five were named in apparent order of severity of harm done to another: murder, adultery, stealing, bearing false witness, and covetousness or selfish desire.The law contained many principles and guiding statues. The judges were given latitude to investigate and consider motives and attitude of violators, along with the circumstances surrounding the violation. A deliberate, disrespectful, and unrepentant violator recieved the full penalty.Moses was the mediator of the law covenant, Jesus the son of God became the mediator of the new covernant. The New Testaments are full of laws, commands, and decrees that the Christian is bound to observe. The law of Christ covers the whole course and scope of the Christian life and work. The tenor of the law covernant was love; you must love God with your whole heart, soul, and mind. You must love your neighbor as yourself. If you abide by this law you will put forth every effort not to break the others. Yet, we know that there will always be consequence for our actions. The punishments may have changed after Christ arrived, because situations changed under him. If we break God's laws and don't repent and change and not practice that sin again, death will be the end result.

or:These are great questions Pickleguy123.First our Heavenly Father, God and Jesus are two separate spirit beings. John 3:16 says, \"For God loved the world so much that he gave his only begotten Son. . . . at John 14:28 Jesus said while here on earth, .....for the Father is greater than I am.God gave the Israelites the Mosaic Law to (1) Uphold his holiness, keeping His worshipers free from contamination. The surrounding nations mixed worship with sex and fertility rites and God did not want that for his people.(2) The Law served to teach the Israelites vital truths and remind them of the present reality of sin. The Law helped them to see that they need forgiveness and redemption.(3) The Law upheld God's perfect Justice. (Deut. 19:21 \"Soul will be for soul, eye for eye, . . . etc) The punishment had to fit the crime.But the Law was loving and protected the Israelites. If a person killed a person by accident there were laws that protected that person from death. (Numbers 35:12 - 25). The law protected those that were in debt (Deuteronomy 24:10-14), protected women and children (Deuteronomy 6:6,7; Exodus 22:22-24). But foremost the law encouraged LOVE... Leviticus 19:18 says \"You must not take vengeance nor hold a grudge against the sons of your people; and you must love your fellow man as yourself. I am Jehovah.\"(Leviticus 19:14, 33 & 34; Deut 22:4, 10; Deut 24:17, 18)Please visit jw.org and type in mosaic law, jesus ransom etc. for more information.Much of this information was taken from \"Draw Close to Jehovah\

or:I'm not sure what church you go to. But what I belief and was raised up on was Jesus is the son of God. That Jesus went and talk to God. The purpose of Jesus birth in human form was to help God reconnect with his people and to guide them back to him. Yes Jesus changed allot of the old laws. Jesus had to connect with the people. And if he had to die for our sins . Then he had to set up a path of showing that our sins can be forgiving and that thru him Jesus Christ the son of God. Your sins can and will be forgiven . You can be reborn and be forgiven as long as you keep Jesus and belief in Jesus our Lord and savior and son of God. As man improved on lifestyle mankind changed. Let's face it back then almost all were sinners of Some kind. So God had to mske a choice. Either wipe out the world again., which he had already did before. Or try giving his son as a sacrifice to earn back his people love and respect and get them to follow him and Jesus.

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