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Author | Topic: The Bible on Human Waste and Carcasses | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
purpledawn Member (Idle past 3706 days) Posts: 4453 From: Indiana Joined: |
Many times people have commented that the Bible laws concerning health and the environment were ahead of their time. I contend that they are not.
I would like to discuss two specific laws that are usually brought up as evidence of foreknowledge or divine inspiration.
Deuteronomy 23:12-13 Designate a place outside the camp where you can go to relieve yourself. As part of your equipment have something to dig with, and when you relieve yourself, dig a hole and cover up your excrement. If we look at the entire section concerning waste control we read that this ruling deals with soldiers encamped against their enemies.
Deuteronomy 23:9 When you are encamped against your enemies, keep away from everything impure, . At the end of the section we see that the reasons are geared towards keeping the camp holy so they can win, not sanitary.
Deuteronomy 23:14 For the LORD your God moves about in your camp to protect you and to deliver your enemies to you. Your camp must be holy, so that he will not see among you anything indecent and turn away from you. Since Deuteronomy was probably written during the divided kingdom, civilization was already established. Most people weren’t living in camps. Also if we look at the 613 Laws of the Jews, we see this rule listed with the bottom grouping concerning war. I have not seen any evidence that any ancient tribe left waste within the tribal compound. I don’t believe the Native Americans or African tribes did such a thing either and I haven't heard of tribes being discovered that have such a practice. IMO, it seems to be a natural practice in tribal communities to keep waste outside the living area.
Leviticus 11:35-36 Anything that one of their carcasses falls on becomes unclean; an oven or cooking pot must be broken up. They are unclean, and you are to regard them as unclean. A spring, however, or a cistern for collecting water remains clean, but anyone who touches one of these carcasses is unclean. This is another one that when we read the entire passage we find that it is dealing with ritual impurity, not health. It is also listed under Ritual Purity and Impurity in the 613 Laws (5th from the bottom).
Leviticus 11:29-31 Of the animals that move about on the ground, these are unclean for you: The weasel, the rat, any kind of great lizard, the gecko, the monitor lizard, the wall lizard, the skink and the chameleon. Of all those that move along the ground, these are unclean for you. Whoever touches them when they are dead will be unclean till evening. It is concerned with ritual purity and not health.
Leviticus 11:36-38 A spring, however, or a cistern for collecting water remains clean, but anyone who touches one of these carcasses is unclean. If a carcass falls on any seeds that are to be planted, they remain clean. But if water has been put on the seed and a carcass falls on it, it is unclean for you. Notice none of these deals with the need to wash one’s hands after touching a dead animal or the article touched by the dead animal. It does mention putting the item in water, but it is still unclean until evening. The magic hour. Conclusion: These verses do not support that the Bible was “ahead of its time.” Instead it was pretty much par for the course. NOTE: This discussion is concerning these two situations only. *********ABE: Removed preference and spelling This message has been edited by purpledawn, 01-17-2006 10:41 AM This message has been edited by purpledawn, 01-28-2006 07:36 AM There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it. -Edith Wharton
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AdminNWR Inactive Member |
Thread moved here from the Proposed New Topics forum.
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Coragyps Member (Idle past 984 days) Posts: 5553 From: Snyder, Texas, USA Joined: |
At the end of the section we see that the reasons are geared towards keeping the camp holy so they can win, not sanitary. The Cheyenne of North America are the only group I know about in this regard, and I don't know anything about their potty habits. But this "keeping yourself holy" was very important in war for them. They had to abstain from sex, they had to have a cross-dressing warrior among thei number - all sorts of rules had to be followed, just like in Deuteronomy. Hiding your poop is also just good basic guerilla warfare practice - helps avoid detection by the enemy.
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jar Member Posts: 34140 From: Texas!! Joined: |
Nicer for the perimeter guards and GOD as he walked about the camp. Few things would turn GOD against you quicker then the sound of his foot squishing poop.
Aslan is not a Tame Lion
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purpledawn Member (Idle past 3706 days) Posts: 4453 From: Indiana Joined: |
quote:Nothing I have read describing the "whites" interaction with natives suggested that tribal communities didn't keep their personal waste away from the living environment. quote:Exactly! There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it. -Edith Wharton
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jaywill Member (Idle past 2190 days) Posts: 4519 From: VA USA Joined: |
Boy, you guys need something to eat!
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DeclinetoState Member (Idle past 6687 days) Posts: 158 Joined: |
They had to abstain from sex, they had to have a cross-dressing warrior among thei [sic] number - all sorts of rules had to be followed, just like in Deuteronomy.
I don't think God said you had to have a cross-dressing warrior in Deuteronomy.
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Coragyps Member (Idle past 984 days) Posts: 5553 From: Snyder, Texas, USA Joined: |
I'll bet that part was in the Book of Asher, then. ;-)
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LAKDAR Inactive Member |
IN THE UZBEK, WE ARE FEEDING THE POOP TO THE DONKEY, HORSES, AND CHILDS. THIS IS HAPPY WAY OF MAKE LESS SMELLINESS AND GIVE GREAT REGENERATION, PRAISING THE JESUS.
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AdminJar Inactive Member |
LAKDAR
Welcome to EvC however on the internet, typing in all caps is considered shouting and rude. At the bottom of this message you will find links that may help make your stay here more enjoyable. Comments on moderation procedures (or wish to respond to admin messages)? - Go to:
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crashfrog Member (Idle past 1716 days) Posts: 19762 From: Silver Spring, MD Joined: |
At the bottom of this message you will find links that may help make your stay here more enjoyable. I know he just made my stay more enjoyable.
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purpledawn Member (Idle past 3706 days) Posts: 4453 From: Indiana Joined: |
Why do I get the feeling my very serious topic is going into the kitty litter?
There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it. -Edith Wharton
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Hal Jordan Inactive Member |
I know he just made my stay more enjoyable. You beat me to it
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Tal Member (Idle past 5926 days) Posts: 1140 From: Fort Bragg, NC Joined: |
Notice none of these deals with the need to wash one’s hands after touching a dead animal or the article touched by the dead animal. It does mention putting the item in water, but it is still unclean until evening. The magic hour. Pretty ironic that their soldiers were specifically told to have a tool for burying fece. I guess you can say it is pure coincidence that modern US soliders specifically have a tool for burying feces in the field (Field Sanitaion FM 4-25-10). Did the Isrealites do it to keep holy? Sure. Did they do it for sanitary purposes? Maybe, maybe not. Did this Field Sanitation technique keep their conditions more sanitary than any other army? Absolutely. They were 4,000 ahead of their time in terms of field sanitation. Call it evidence, or coincidence. "Damn. I could build a nuclear bomb, given the fissionable material, but I can't tame my computer." (1VB)Jerome - French Rocket Scientist
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purpledawn Member (Idle past 3706 days) Posts: 4453 From: Indiana Joined: |
Is there any evidence that shows that ancient nonhebrew armies didn't bury their waste outside the camp or not at all?
There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it. -Edith Wharton
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