[TheDaddy]

Originally Posted by Chris

The Bible was written over several thousand years and tells a story that goes on a lot longer even than that. It seeks to show the developing relationship between God and people. The earliest examples are individuals making their own altars without the presence of any formal religion at all. It is formalised to an extent when Abraham comes on the scene; still further by Moses, through the complex religious, moral and civil law of Israel. Finally there is the church, which isn't a building or an organisation, but rather a noun that refers collectively to all those who believe in, worship and have a spiritual relationship with God that is mediated through Jesus.

God's basic moral law as revealed in the Bible hasn't changed in its essence from then until now, but the practical means of dealing with morality (or immorality) has changed and developed as God's relationship with the human race has developed. That's why the quotes from Deuteronomy that inevitably pop up in threads like these really aren't helpful, except to those who already have a certain prejudice that they like to get reinforced from time to time.

The Old Testament helps show a Christian how we got where we are, and is therefore a very useful source of teaching, but Christians don't first and foremost look to the Old Testament to discover how to deal with moral issues. The life and teaching of Jesus, recorded in the New Testament, are the fulfilment and the completion of the journey that began in the Old.

Ah Abraham, his son is very important to Islam IIRC