Questions for "Our Role(s) as Christians on Atheist Forums"

[WinterHold]

Here's Matthew 10: 34 - 36

34 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.
35 For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
36 And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.

 The parallel verse to that one is found in Luke 12: 51-53

51 Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division:
52 For from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three.
53 The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father; the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother; the mother in law against her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.

Jesus was speaking allegorically, using the sword as an illustration for division and contention as seen in the parallel verse in Luke's Gospel. Jesus was telling His disciples that just the very preaching of the Gospel would create such a stir that it would divide households, immediate family members, and neighbors. This was evident throughout the New Testament where Christians were railed against by the Pharisees and the Sadducees as heretics to Judaism. Before his conversion, Saul, (The Apostle Paul), had received letters of authority to bind and imprison all who converted to Christ. The preaching of the Gospel was wining converts away from the old faith and that wasn't tolerated by the established religion of the fathers. Now with the Romans, the Empire didn't pay much attention to the Christian faith at first and basically dismissed it as a harmless cult until many in the Empire became converts to Jesus Christ. Christians were then seen as rebels and were considered a threat to the Empire and to Caesar. Christians were sought out and persecuted. The Gospel divided households in that many rejected the preaching of Jesus Christ, holding passionately to the faith of their ancestors while others of the same household rejected their ancestral faith and became passionate converts to Christ. In the Roman world, those who became Christians were seen as traitors to the Empire by other family members who opposed to the faith. Even now the preaching of the Gospel remains a controversy and a dividing factor with many people who passionately oppose the message of Christ. 

From Acts 17.

17 Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews:
2 And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures,
3 Opening and alleging, that Christ must needs have suffered, and risen again from the dead; and that this Jesus, whom I preach unto you, is Christ.
4 And some of them believed, and consorted with Paul and Silas; and of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few.
5 But the Jews which believed not, moved with envy, took unto them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort, and gathered a company, and set all the city on an uproar, and assaulted the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people.
6 And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also;
7 Whom Jason hath received: and these all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, one Jesus.
8 And they troubled the people and the rulers of the city, when they heard these things.

To Deuteronomy 13. It was prophesied in the Old Testament that the rituals, the ceremonies, the Aaronic priesthood with the traditions and the acting out of the law of Moses was going to be abolished and replaced with a new covenant.

Jeremiah 31:31-34

31 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:
32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord:
33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.

The New Covenant is established in Jesus Christ and no one is bound by the rituals and the ceremonies and the methods of punishment under the Mosaic Law. 

How did Jesus handle the issue of stoning transgressors under the Mosaic Law? John 8:1-11

 Jesus went unto the mount of Olives.
2 And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them.
3 And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst,
4 They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.
[b]5 [/b]Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?
6 This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not.
[b]7 [/b]So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.
8 And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground.
9 And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.
[b]10 [/b]When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?
[b]11 She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.[/b]

I already answered you before where the Apostle Paul instructed Christians to live in peace with all. Was there something else, a point you're wanting to make?

My only point is the same I made clear in my last post to you: the bible contains very extreme verses, if we ignored what lies exists in the old testament, we are left with many in the new testaments that being defined as "allegorically" would not serve the purpose of defending the "peaceful" approach suggested.

I'm not convinced that the verse was being "allegorical". If somebody told me that they are going to "bring a sword upon me" if I ever -let's say; eat their food-; I'll understand immediately that they're going at war with me for my action. It's a threat that is not even trying to be implicit. It is terrifying because this is exactly what extremist ISIS Jihadists say and heard repeating in their speeches. "Division of the one house by the sword=fight your own family. With all what the word "fight" might carry from meanings.

Rome was a bad, corrupted empire. But the verses of the bible don't stop at Rome; they extend with nothing to stop them. I don't see the word "except".

There is no other questions in my post; "allegorical" was your personal preference for an answer to the meaning of the verse -and for that I return to say:you personally are a good person for choosing that route-, but not all Christians agree with your interpretation, we had the Crusaders in the past, modern rightists and most importantly: Zionists. They don't like your interpretation at all.

It's a similar case in Islam, as many don't like my interpretations, and some even prefer extreme violent views.

Though hats off for your choice and peace be upon you.