Deuteronomy 23:2

[Chad32]

Are you trying to say that the first two thirds of your book, and the first impression we get of Yahweh, are unimportant? Why would that statement be ok for anyone, at any time? Do you think it was ok for OT Jews? I see a problem with something that I view is not ok now, but apparently was ok then. Why would it be ok then, unless you think it's ok now?

Chad -- this is exactly where the Christians run off the rails. It is the difference between OT literalists, who were the Sadducees and are the Karaites; and the OT interpreters, who were and are the Pharisees, today's rabbinic Judaism. The Pharisees devote their energies to working around the things that were OK "then", whenever "then" was, but are not OK "now", whenever "now" is. And because rabbinic interpretation is so....well, so human...and because there is no formal hierarchy of authority, that is why there are so many sectarian interpretations, even within the most strictly Orthodox.

There's a joke (at least one) about it: Ship arrives at remote island, occupied by one long-castaway Jew. Three buildings, crafted out of local materials. When asked about #1, Abe says "That's where I live". As to #2, "Oh, that's my synagogue". And #3? "Oh, that's the synagogue where I used to belong".

That's a nice joke. The Pharisees were called hypocrites for cherry picking, which is pretty much what most christians do. Jesus also called them out once about shouting in public squares about their religion, which fits putting christianity in public schools to a T. Unfortunately pointing these things out doesn't work as well as you would hope. Of course doing it in privacy kind of goes against the idea that you're trying to save the world from hell, and supposed to kill people who don't convert, and all that. Love your enemies, but drown professed atheists and people of other religions in rivers.