This crops up, again, whenever there is a debate involving non believers. The argument is put that the Bible condones slavery; that the Bible bans the eating of certain foods; that the Bible is against homosexual relationships.
To address the question, I think we first need to consider why the Bible was written. God is our Heavenly Father. Any father is naturally concerned with the welfare of his children. He will set guidelines, provide advice, attempt to steer his children along the path he considers best for them. That applies to earthly fathers. I suggest it would apply even more so to God, whose love for us is unimaginably more than we could hope to devote to our children.
At the time the Bible was written, slavery was,virtually if not literally, universal. Slaves had legal rights in the Roman Empire, for example. How would one best protect a slave? I suggest that the consequences of running when there is, in effect, nowhere to go, would outway the advantage. A slave who obeyed his master had certain protections. The Bible is not condoning slavery - I am aware of no passage stating that slavery is laudable or to be encouraged - it is suggesting how the slave might best survive the condition. Today we squirm, but 2000 years ago it would have been looked at in a different light.
While certain foods are banned in the Old Testament. Jesus said no food was unclean. Again pork and shellfish, if not properly kept or prepared, can cause serious food poisoning. The Bible is seeking to protect primitives from the consequence of their lack of knowledge.
As regards homosexuality, the Bible is uncompromising. Jesus said we should love one another, and I believe the Bible is not stating that men should not love other men. That would be nonsense. The intention is to ban men from 'lying with another man as with a woman' - penatrive sex?
I believe the bible is clear that homosexuality is a sin, but perhaps less clear as to what constitutes homosexuality. I think the only course for a practicing Christian is not to become engaged in a sexually active relationship with a member of the same sex.
The Bible is, as I have said intended to provide us with an insight into how God would wish us to exercise our free will. Those who seek to discredit religion by attacking any holy book, are at best seriously misguided and at worst simply evil. Returning to the original question, we should pay close attention to what the Bible says, but must allow our God given free will to interpret it. What we should not do, is simply ignore those parts of the Bible with which we disagree or which we find uncomfortable.
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