Does the Old Testament matter to Christians? for Questionland Seattle

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Does the Old Testament matter to Christians?

I'm a lifelong atheist and know very little about what most Christians believe, and I'm curious. Is the Old Testament important, or not? My impression is that if you tell Christians they shouldn't eat shellfish or that God's a big jerk for drowning everyone, they'll say that's the old testament and it's moot because Jesus and the New Testament brought a new set of rules for getting right with god. But then the main scriptural passages used to condemn homosexuality are from Leviticus, which is Old Testament, right? So, which parts of the Old stuff are relevant to most modern Christians?

Lidididi asked in Whatever 11 months ago | Report

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How seriously the OT is regarded depends completely on the flavor of Christianity in question. Old Testament stuff is a very big deal for Seventh Day Adventists, not as much so for ELCA Lutherans, for example.

If the question is mostly, why are some Christians spouting Leviticus about homosexuality if they don't believe that OT laws apply, well, most of them can easily spout the letters of Paul, which are New Testament and just as inflammatory on homosexuality (and women in leadership positions).

Griffin answered in Whatever 11 months ago | Report

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It totally depends on what sort of Christian you're talking about...I'm a congregationalist (i.e. the liberal wing of Christianity), and while the Old Testament has some interesting stories and poetry that can be powerful, I'd say the Gospels are the part of the Bible that I really draw my faith from and care the most about. For other types of Christians, they may give a different answer. I think it's hard to say what's most relevant to "most" because the loudest people in the media are probably those for whom Old Testament stuff appeals to the most...my guess is that for your average Christian, the Gospels are going to be the most central to their faith, but I could be wrong.

cupcake answered in Whatever 11 months ago | Report

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Creation is a big one. :) That there is a God who created everything in the beginning of the Old Testament is a pretty standard belief held by most any Christian religion.

Basically you can't have The New Testament without the Old Testament, though you can have the Old one without the New one.

I like to think of it this way, loosely paraphrased, of course. God tried all kind of things to make his human creation act differently and better. But it didn't work out so well. He tried plagues and floods and having them swallowed by whales (Jonah), but no matter what He did, it just wasn't working out too well, or at least not as He expected it to.

So he sent a human form of Himself (Jesus)to DO and show by example, instead of punishment to coerce. THAT is basically what The New Testament is. God trying it from a different, more loving and kinder, angle by sending Jesus instead of a flood or plague. That seems to have worked out much better, generally speaking.

Hope that helps.

ARDELL answered in Whatever 11 months ago | Report

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"So, which parts of the Old stuff are relevant to most modern Christians?"

There's no real answer seeing as all Christians, "modern" or not pick and choose what they wish.

Black Beetles in Amber answered in Whatever 11 months ago | Report

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I grew up going to Lutheran Sunday school and we were taught exhaustively about the old testament stories - maybe just to indoctrinate us or something about the 'awesome' power God has and how He could use it if He had to - but instead out of love sent His only son...etc. etc..

As for Leviticus - It really depends on who you look to and define as Christians, as it is a multi-faceted group of people. There is a big difference between the people who look at it as more of a historical, cultural, spiritual reference, and the people who take every word like an oracle that promises death and destruction for all the heathens unless they take the magic pill of Jesus.

bpmc answered in Whatever 11 months ago | Report

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Generally speaking, yes, although, like other answers have noted, it does vary by congregation.

The Pentateuch - the first 5 books - is probably the most important part of the Old Testament since it contains the story of creation (Genesis), the story of Abraham (God's covenant with the Jews) and the story of Moses (God giving the 10 Commandments), along with Leviticus.

Psalms and Proverbs are also widely quoted, e.g., Psalm 23 - Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil.

UnoriginalAndrew answered in Whatever 11 months ago | Report

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