"Thus saith the Lord" precludes all argument.
Let us take two widely accepted Scriptures, both regarded as
authoritative by the respective religions which accept them as coming
from a Divine Preceptor or through a human but illuminated being, Moses
in the one case, Manu in the other. I am, of course, well aware that
in both cases we have to do with books which may contain traditions of
their great authors, even sentences transmitted down the centuries.
The unravelling of the tangled threads woven into such books is a work
needing the highest scholarship and an infinite patience; few of us
are equipped for such labour. But let us ignore the work of the Higher
Criticism, and take the books as they stand, and the objection raised
to them as a basis for morality will at once appear.
Thus we read in the same book: "Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any
grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy
neighbour as thyself." "The stranger that dwelleth with you shall be
unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself, for
ye were strangers in the land of Egypt." "Sanctify yourselves therefore
and be ye holy." Scores of noble passages, inculcating high morality,
might be quoted.
Pages:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25