Opinions of Tuesday, 20 April 2004

Columnist: Marfoh, LSK

Ghanaian theologian disproves the validity of Bible -Rejoinder

It is quite interesting how Dr. Akorli has unsuccessfully tried to debase the bible (read). With lies and half historical truths he has tried to put a lot of dust into the eyes of the public which cannot really have the time to read the bible themselves.

I am a Sunday School teacher and I can Dr Akorli to scorn because he actually is trying to make fun of truth of the bible. Dr Akorli has had the time and chance to say a whole lot of jazz about the Holy Bible and I cannot contest with him word for word, I just want the reading public to took at just two of his quoted verses and see how he, the learned Doctor, has muddled the facts to make the bible look as he wants it to look. I just make a direct pick from part of his long statements: just two quotes from him. He writes,

"...Look at the story of Moses who commands the Israelites to slay all the Midianites and steal their cattle and take their virgin women as booty, keeping them for themselves! (Num. 31:1- 9).

Moses commands the Israelites to keep the best meat for themselves and can give the rotting flesh to foreigners. (Deut. 14:21). This is the Moses who is the chosen prophet of God. I am certain that if you go my village and talk to non-Christians, they will even find this behaviour ungodly. We certainly need to give new interpretation to the bible unless they lose their meaning and relevance in today?s world."

Now take time to read the very verses he quoted and dissipated: Numbers 31:1-9 " And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, [2] Avenge the children of Israel of the Midianites: afterward shalt thou be gathered unto thy people. [3] And Moses spake unto the people, saying, Arm some of yourselves unto the war, and let them go against the Midianites, and avenge the Lord of Midian. [4] Of every tribe a thousand, throughout all the tribes of Israel, shall ye send to the war. [5] So there were delivered out of the thousands of Israel, a thousand of every tribe, twelve thousand armed for war. [6] And Moses sent them to the war, a thousand of every tribe, them and Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, to the war, with the holy instruments, and the trumpets to blow in his hand. [7] And they warred against the Midianites, as the Lord commanded Moses; and they slew all the males. [8] And they slew the kings of Midian, beside the rest of them that were slain; namely, Evi, and Rekem, and Zur, and Hur, and Reba, five kings of Midian: Balaam also the son of Beor they slew with the sword. [9] And the children of Israel took all the women of Midian captives, and their little ones, and took the spoil of all their cattle, and all their flocks, and all their goods. "

This is the most strange of event to a highly learned man like Dr Akorli who quotes bible history, bible science and may be, even, bible geography. What the learned doctor has not come across is that Israel at one time was defeated in war and man, woman, child, sheep, goat, gold and silver taken into captivity in Babylon. What the dear doctor has wisely refused to make clear is the fact that during the time in question when this war occured the order of the day was a victorius army destroying or/and taking into captivity what pleases them. This the doctor's history was silent.

Come the second quote I have picked together with the earlier one.

"...Moses commands the Israelites to keep the best meat for themselves and can give the rotting flesh to foreigners. (Deut. 14:21). This is the Moses who is the chosen prophet of God. I am certain that if you go my village and talk to non-Christians, they will even find this behaviour ungodly. We certainly need to give new interpretation to the bible unless they lose their meaning and relevance in today?s world."

Deut. 14:21 "Ye shall not eat of any thing that dieth of itself: thou shalt give it unto the stranger that is in thy gates, that he may eat it; or thou mayest sell it unto an alien: for thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother's milk."

Here, again, as he has done in all the his text in question, Dr Akorli tried but was not successfully. He began from Chapter 14, Verse 21. The question is why not the religious scientist begin from the beginning? Just read it yourself from verse 1.

Deut. 14:1-21 "Ye are the children of the Lord your God: ye shall not cut yourselves, nor make any baldness between your eyes for the dead. [2] for thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God, and the Lord hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth. [3] Thou shalt not eat any abominable thing. [4] These are the beasts which ye shall eat: the ox, the sheep, and the goat, [5] The hart, and the roebuck, and the fallow deer, and the wild goat, and the pygarg, and the wild ox, and the chamois. [6] And every beast that parteth the hoof, and cleaveth the cleft into two claws, and cheweth the cud among the beasts, that ye shall eat. [7] Nevertheless these ye shall not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them that divide the cloven hoof; as the camel, and the hare, and the coney: for they chew the cud, but divide not the hoof; therefore they are unclean unto you. [8] And the swine, because it divideth the hoof, yet cheweth not the cud, it is unclean unto you: ye shall not eat of their flesh, nor touch their dead carcase. [9] These ye shall eat of all that are in the waters: all that have fins and scales shall ye eat: [10] And whatsoever hath not fins and scales ye may not eat; it is unclean unto you. [11] Of all clean birds ye shall eat. [12] But these are they of which ye shall not eat: the eagle, and ossifrage, and the ospray, [13] And the glede, and the kite, and the vulture after his kind, [14] And every raven after his kind, [15] And the owl, and the night hawk, and the cuckow, and the hawk after his kind, [16] The little owl, and the great owl, and the swan, [17] And the pelican, and the gier eagle, and the cormorant, [18] And the stork, and the heron after her kind, and the lapwing, and the bat. [19] And every creeping thing that flieth is unclean unto you: they shall not be eaten. [20] But of all clean fowls ye may eat. [21] Ye shall not eat of any thing that dieth of itself: thou shalt give it unto the stranger that is in thy gates, that he may eat it; or thou mayest sell it unto an alien: for thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother's milk. "

Anybody can now understand how it happened. God was telling the Israelites to abstain from specific foods and animals for food and meat. Don't the moslems teachings require that the animal that dies by itself or acident is "haram" (abomination)? In our societies do we not eat meat that a trapped in the bush? And do we not eat any animal as our tradition and culture demands. And so what is wrong is Israelites are asked to abstain from animals that are not specifically slaughtered for the blood to be drained into the groung? Is it fair for the so called learned Doctor to make the whole think look so gruesome as he wants the bible to look as he wants it to be?

These are lies, and unpaying lies. Remember Osofo Komfo Damoah and be aware that whatever a man sows, there is a reward. May God bless the patient reader, through His Only Son Jesus Christ. Amen.

LSK Marfoh,
Pordenone, Italy

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