If you weren't like them you were a socialist or communist but mostly just a child of Satan.
Because of these hateful attitudes I fell away from church as a teen. If God was ok with His followers treating others this way then the idea of God was not ok with me.
As I studied all religions as a teen and through my early 30's I came to understand these were the ways of men not the ways of God.
Jesus has this to say about the laws of God:"Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.
40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." Matthew 22:36-40
So love is the foundation of Gods laws and the edicts of all His prophets. If it is not in the name of love it cannot be rightly said to be in the name of The Lord.
There is one scene in the New Testament which pits Mosaic law against Jesus and the results are deeply meaningful:
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.
5 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.
7 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.
10 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?
11 She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.
12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. John 8:3-12
So he who is without sin may cast the first stone and none in the crowd holding stones were without sin so they sulked away humbled and yet there was one among them who was without sin yet Jesus did not throw a stone, He refused to even condemn the woman.
He saved her life and told her He did not condemn her instead He set her free and said only "go and sin no more."
That is an example of love trumping arcane practices. So it seems that law of Moses was of Moses and not of God much like divorce.And the Pharisees came to him, and asked him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife? tempting him.
3 And he answered and said unto them, What did Moses command you?
4 And they said, Moses suffered to write a bill of divorcement, and to put her away.
5 And Jesus answered and said unto them, For the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept.
6 But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female.
7 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife;
8 And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh.
9 What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.
10 And in the house his disciples asked him again of the same matter.
11 And he saith unto them, Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against her.
12 And if a woman shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery.
13 And they brought young children to him, that he should touch them: and his disciples rebuked those that brought them.
14 But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. Mark 10:2-14
Now if Moses write the law of divorce for men and it was not from God then what other laws are from Moses and not of God?
If a man find a damsel that is a virgin, which is not betrothed, and lay hold on her, and lie with her, and they be found;
29 Then the man that lay with her shall give unto the damsel's father fifty shekels of silver, and she shall be his wife; because he hath humbled her, he may not put her away all his days. Deutoronomy 22:28-29
This law states that a rape victim must marry her rapist and must pay her father fifty shekels of silver because that totally makes this okay.
I don't for a second believe this is the way of The Lord to put a rape victim through such a horrifying ordeal. Just like I believe a husband can still rape his wife if she refuses him. So I think this law amongst a few horrifying others in Mosaic law are from Moses not from God.
And so knowing that love is the foundation of Gods laws if we live by the principle of love we will filufill all of Gods laws. And through that love extended to all around us, even our enemies, all men will know, will see that we are His disciple. (John 13:34-35)
