The "Cultural Context" Excuse

[Drich]

So, I've been debating a Christian on another site (not an atheist site, but the topic of religion come up and I just couldn't help myself [emoji6]) regarding those verses in Deuteronomy that detail stoning your rebellious child to death.  

I don't understand the apologist rebuttal to the above mentioned verses (and so many others like it in the OT):  'you have to understand the Hebrew culture back then.  If you understand their culture, you'll see it's not really as bad as it sounds.'

Let's consider a couple definitions of "culture":

1. The beliefs, customs, arts, etc., of a particular society, group, place, or time.

2.  A particular society that has its own beliefs, ways of life, art, etc

It's textually pretty straight forward that the beliefs and customs of the Jews' culture were quite literally commanded upon them through a series of direct orders from God himself.  All laws governing right from wrong, even the most mundane details of day-to-day living (like which animals were clean to eat, and which types of garments were okay to wear) were handed down to the Jews DIRECTLY from God, through Moses.  God goes so far as to impose a punishment of death onto those who dare disobey His theocratic governing rules.  'You'd better worship me, and only me, or I will kill you.  You better follow these rules, or I will kill you.  You'd better live this particular way, and do these particular things, or I will kill you.'  

He could have sent his special folks forward into the world to live amongst others with the most perfectly empathetic and humanistic ideals.  He could have commanded Mosaic laws such as:

1. Don't murder other people for their land and property

2. Woman are autonomous humans and shall be treated as such

3. Don't ever enslave another human being

3.  Under no circumstances is a child is to be put to death as criminal punishment

So, we are going to point the finger at the Israelites' marginally civilized, and aggressive Patriarchal culture as the reason for needing such harsh deterrents in place like stoning your kids to death, then we MUST also point the finger at a marginally civilized and aggressive God for cultivating his people's culture that way in the first place!

Christians are left with two explanations that I can see:  either Jewish culture was barbaric because Yahweh was barbaric (and not omnibenevolent) or Yahweh wasn't powerful enough to set forth a more civilized group of people (and not omnipotent).  

[emoji848]

(Oh, and of course, obvious option number three that no Christian will ever select:  the bible is not actually god's word.  [emoji6])

...and why wouldn't it be God word? because it does not conform to what is secularly right and wrong?