for the opportunity you are giving me to help explain the Bible. Prior to Leviticus, God "gave birth" to the Jewish nation from Egypt to go to back to the area that is now Israel and the area around Israel. Just as parents set household rules(discipline) for their children to follow, so did God set rules for the Jews to follow. The first ten--the most important-- I'm sure your familiar with. The elaboration and other rules are found in Leviticus. You mentioned some that trouble you. Are there not some paths of Buddhism that trouble you? Are there some parts of Buddhism you do not yet understand? Do you not take the bitter with the sweet?
The whole book of Leviticus can summed up in 11:45:"You will be holy because I am holy." To juxtapose this with Buddha I would say follow the rules Buddha has establish and you will reach Nirvana. You quoted some rules you do not like. Most other people who have trouble with Leviticus mention these same rules. I have yet to read where these same individuals mention 11:45 or what I consider the next two most important verses 19:17-45: You will not hate your brother(family,friends and neighbor). You should reason honestly with them, lest you be like them(sinful).
You should not bear a grudge against your neighbor or community, but you should love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord. Discipline is the foundation that love can be built on.
Leviticus sets up the opportunity for the Jews to atone for their sins via the offering of part of their labor. Christians, via Jesus, can atone for their sins due to love and his sacrificial offering. As Hinduism can help explain it's Buddha relative, so can the Old Testament relate to the New.
Paul was chosen directly by Jesus to be a messenger of his word. Perhaps I can help explain Paul's letters to the various churches. I believe the best explanation of the relationship between husband and wife is found in Ephesians 5:17-33:
"Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of God. Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body.
"Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church.
"For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones. "For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh." This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband." (Ephesians 5:17-33)
For leadership qualities there is Matthew 20:25-26
" But Jesus called them to Himself and said, 'You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. . . .'" (Matthew 20:25-26)
Timothy 2:11-12 proclaims, “A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent.” In the church, God assigns different roles to men and women. This is a result of the way mankind was created (1 Timothy 2:13) and the way in which sin entered the world (2 Timothy 2:14). God, through the Apostle Paul’s writing, restricts women from serving in roles of spiritual teaching authority over men.
My looking up references to Buddha and women show similar findings. The best example I found was this one:
WOMEN IN BUDDHISM -- By Rev. Patti Nakai
If anyone wanted to present Buddhism as a viciously sexist religion, they could easily do so by quoting out of context passages from numerous sutras or from more recent texts such as Shinran's wasan (poems) or the by-laws of the Shinshu Otani-ha (Higashi Honganji's denomination) which denies female clergy the same status as male priests. But I believe the essential spirit of Buddhism absolutely includes all beings, male and female, in its vision of enlightenment. If I did not believe in that then I would not want to be a part of this religious tradition. In this intermittent series, I hope to make it clear that women have always been involved in Buddhist history and that their role has been very crucial even if often overlooked. As all scholars of Buddhism are quick to point out, there were many more rules for women than for men; in one version, there are about 250 rules for monks and 348 rules for nuns.
http://www.mkzc.org/sarawebb.html:Traditionally in Buddhism, women have been seen as inferior. When the Buddha was selecting disciples, he turned women away initially, even his own stepmother, and was persuaded only with difficulty to set up spiritual training for women.
Women excel in gifts of hospitality, mercy, teaching and helps. Much of the ministry of the church depends on women. Women in the church are not restricted to public praying or prophesying (1 Corinthians 11:5), only to having spiritual teaching authority over men.
The Bible nowhere restricts women from exercising the gifts of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians chapter 12). Women, just as much as men, are called to minister to others, to demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), and to proclaim the Gospel to the lost (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8; 1 Peter 3:15).The only activity women are restricted from is teaching or having spiritual authority over men.
The statement regarding women's apparel is true. Paul was complaining of the display of wealth--as seen in the words: rich clothing, copious amounts of jewelry and hair treatments. The poor should not be intimidated by this.
Your question about the stoning to death of an adulteress was awnsered by Jesus when this very same predicament came upon him. Jesus said to the crowd let anyone who is without sin throw the first rock. The crowd dispersed and the woman was rescued. People have never fully followed the laws(rules) set down by God. The awnser was forgiveness of sin if people believe in Jesus. Belief in Jesus is the only way to really reach whatever final stop you wish to believe in: heaven, nirvana, rebirth, etc.
I believe the best way to explain the relationship between the Old and the New Testament is that the old documents people's eternal inclination to sin. Whether on their own from Adam/Eve to the Jews release from Egypt. From disobeying the Ten Commandments to the laws Leviticus. To not eliminating sin where they were and where the Jews were to go, to ignoring God and his prophets. In the New Testament God offers truth and salvation not in people sacrificing to him, but to his sacrifice to his people. I know of no other religion where God becomes physically human to be tortured and finally physically die for the sins of his people. In no other religion does God stoop down to wash feet.
The book "Jesus Before Other Gods"--can't remember the author's name--offers a much better explanation than I can give you.
Buffy, in my prior post I stated:'What I see in Buddhism is this repetition of individual failure.' "In what way?" was your question to this statement. The awnser is in Leviticus and Jesus. People are unable to follow the path (law). In Buddhism, from my understanding, and no malice or disrespect is intended when I say this, you need to endlessly repeat a physical life in order to finally achieve Nirvana. A repetition of failure. In Christianity, Nirvana is given to you when you hear of Jesus, all you need to do is to believe in him. When you honestly believe Jesus died for your sins, the spirit(enlightenment)will present itself to you. To some this comes with a shout, for others a quiet revelation. For me, a quiet, comfortable feeling while sitting on a pew. With a tear running down my left eye, the eye toward the wall. God was not letting me embarrass my introverted self in front of other people. A graciousness I too often not return to my fellow man.
I sincerely hope this conveys on why I love God, and why I believe in him. Good luck Buffy, and others who are reading, I do wish you the best in your lives.