This is written in response to Nate Kremer’s column titled “Bible’s teachings outdated, hypocritical” in the Kernel on Nov. 20. It is clear that Barack Obama’s morals do not align with Christian morals, but that is not the point of my argument. My purpose is to show that Kremer has little knowledge of which he writes and that his argument cannot be taken seriously, as it has untruths and quotes taken out of context.

The first mistake Kremer made is misrepresenting the Bible’s stance on homosexuality. The Bible clearly states that homosexuality is a sin, but makes it equally clear that God hates the sin, not the sinner. This means that there is no discrimination against the person, only an uncontrollable desire to eradicate the sin. Furthermore, if Kremer understood the laws of the Bible, he would know that New Testament laws replace contradictory Old Testament laws. Such distinction is made because Jesus came to Earth, died for the world’s sins and rose from the dead. Jesus became the ultimate sacrificial lamb and some of the practices of the Old Testament were no longer needed (such as sacrificing an unblemished animal for each individual sin).

Another error that Kremer made is misinterpreting the word “kill” in “thou shalt not kill.” Bearing in mind that there is no direct translation from Hebrew to English, it is sometimes difficult to differentiate between words such as kill and murder. The most accurate interpretation of the phrase is one should not commit premeditated murder. However, killing in retribution or defense, which I assume is the “literary bloodbath” to which Kremer refers, is justifiable through Exodus 21:23, which states “you are to take life for life.”

Finally, a competent journalist should always consider context when using a quote. Kremer conveniently ignored the context of Exodus 21:20-21, where he obtained his assertion that the Bible promotes slavery, in order to strengthen his unsupportable point. If, as a good journalist should have done, Kremer looked at Exodus 21:2, he would have seen that these “slaves” (keep in mind that it is not a direct translation from Hebrew to English) are actually willing servants. It is clearly stated that they are to be paid and allowed to leave after six years of servitude, without penalty.

Therefore, I say unto all non-Christians, if you do not believe that the Word of God is the one, undeniable truth, I respect your opinion. All I ask is that you understand the teachings and beliefs derived from the Bible before you try to use it to support your argument.

Joshua Parker

Chemistry sophomore