Most of us know the Ten Commandments (or at least the important ones), but how well do any of us know all the rules of the Bible and adhere to them?For one year, A.J. Jacobs carefully studied the Old and New Testaments and did his best to follow every law to the letter. He grew a beard; stopped cursing; stoned adulterers (well, he did what he could) and wrote about the experience in the witty, insightful memoir, "The Year of Living Biblically."
For those of you who can't wait for the Cliffs Notes version of the book to arrive, we asked Jacobs to give us a top 10 list of the weirdest and toughest laws in the Bible.
With Solomonic wisdom, he offered up two top five lists: one of the weirdest laws, the other of the toughest.
Stumble It!
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Friday 22 February
By tex10101
In many parts of North Africa, they sit on the side of the road and eat these bugs-!
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Saturday 23 February
By DAVID SHARMA
We talk about Muslim laws and their life.
Are Christians any different when trying to apply Strict Biblical laws?
DS
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Wednesday 21 May
By Elizabeth Betsy
DS
We not just talk about Muslim law, Reading these comments is so eye opening about what we humans have and are becoming. SICK SICK SICK
We need to start caring for each other and Stop being selfcentered. We are mankind our sex, color, beliefs are what we must answer and ask of ourselves no one else.
Saturday 23 February
By James
AFTER READING IT, I THINK THERES A LOT OF REASON, BUT TAKEN IN CONTEXT WITH THE TIMES. STONING WAS A SEVERE FORM OF LAW BUT THEN JESUS ALL BUT DID AWAY WITH IT.
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Wednesday 23 April
By Pat
The Bible is to be read in full, not in parts. Most laws in the old are completly changed when Jesus came. Peple need to read it carefully and like a story , not tale a sentence here and there and make something out of it. Thanks Pat
Friday 26 December
By J.M.
Um. How, pray tell, did Jesus do away with stoning? He may have interceded on behalf of one adulterer but only the people with rocks in their hands at that moment heard a word he said and even they probably went right back to the practice the moment he moved on.
Saturday 23 February
By Adele
Firstly "The Weirdest and Toughest Laws in the Bible" ??? Keep reading it and try the Book of Mormon and it's Words of Wisdom and Doctrine & Covenants and live those in addition to as they are also laws set by God and Jesus Christ. But 'weird'. Yes there are some oddities in the mixture of cloth as you found, but it's weird to us in our time - but in that time they were commandments and rules given by God which were tests of faith and of a person's ability to face those challenges. BUT, people did follow them in accordance to God's will. Oh by the way did you make any animal sacrifices? Did you practice ALL the ways of the Old Testament.
There's something great about a mandatory day of rest that you're forced to reflect and spend time with your family," considers Jacobs. "I've tried to continue it afterward. I think it's great you're going to try to continue to practice this. Are you also going to go to church which is part of keeping the Sabbath holy? Keeping the Sabbath holy is not doing anything that requires work on your or anyone else's part. i.e.: no amusement parks, no restaurants, no movies. But yes, spending time with your family, partaking in family activities (whether it be a beach or whatever you want to do with your family that would require that no one else work nor serve you on that day is in the true sense of keeping the Sabbath day holy and you'll find that it really will bring you closer to your family and with God, if you also do it all prayerfully.
I'd be curious to know what religion this writer practices. As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS - Mormon) you would most definitely find drastic changes in your life to follow every commandment and covenant, you will have an awesome incredible change in your life and a more promising promise from God about your Salvation. But whatever your religious beliefs, it's very admirable and should be respected. If you do it just to write a book without a true spirit revaluation you're simply living for one year according to the most drastic of the O.T. laws without including the NT and more knowledge to live by the example Christ gave and who gave his life for a promise of our own Salvation if we live according to the commandments (and add in the covenants LDS members make with God) you would really have something to write about.
To live for one year according to the Old Testament and the commandments just to write a book and go back to your behavior as you did before I think that the closing statement of "If you want to learn more about the good book, read A.J. Jacobs' "The Year of Living Biblically."
Wow that's some statement that says live it for a year if you can and you will be given the promise of the covenant to have the everlasting life in the Kingdom of Heaven. A year to do that to write a book does not give you more knowledge of the Good Book or it's companion book of the Book of Mormon which would clarify thing for you (and no we do not practice plural marriage and those that do under the guise of saying their "Mormons" are not, and for those that do practice this have to live on the outskirts of society: not only is it illegal but it is against the practices of the Mormon church since 1890 and it's forbidden in the church as well as by law of man. So, while you were doing your year according to the OT laws: did you take in another wife?
if you want to find out more about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and it's truths, history, and more information - often misunderstood due to lack of knowledge about LDS, go to LDS.org and you can find out much more about this church and gain a better understanding of comparing the LDS church and how it matches the church Jesus set up and spread His gospel that LDS is the only church that is set up and practiced exactly the same way it was when Jesus walked the earth.
Instead, how about: If you want to learn more about the Good Book: read it yourself, study, live the Gospel and it's commandments and if you want to really live truthfully with the Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit to accompany and protect you - try the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Then follow all those things and the Doctrines and Covenants: no smoking, cursing, drinking, no coffee nor caffeine tea etc. Do daily prayers, family home evening, live by the Gospel and you won't want to change after a year.
I understand it says you 'carefully studied' both the Old and New Testament. But there are clearly things you chose to focus on and not the others that all are relative according to their time.
You'd actually become closer to God, (and you could shave) and find the True Church that existed when Jesus set up his church and follow the original Church of Christ, be true to your covenants with God, live to be more like Christ and you won't have to worry about mixing materials for clothes, eating locusts and you can even have a lobster.
If you take the Old Testament and many things in the Bible that literally you're misunderstanding the meaning and are not aware nor reading the entire Gospel in it's entirety (including the Book of Mormon) and you will find more than what you could write in a book - you'll find a life changing relationship with your Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ and constant companionship and protection and guidance by the Holy Spirit WITHOUT having to give up your personality but living each day to work toward your Salvation: not just a reason to write a book based on ancient laws that changed with times as many things do and follow the commandments etc.
Live a righteous life (like not writing a book for living for one year according to the commandments for the sole reason of making money: sort of like the guy who did the movie on Fast Food). What have you really learned, and now that you're done are you back to your old ways or studying the scriptures, praying, gaining knowledge that would bring you closer to God and not Barnes & Noble.
I admire the effort but for the sole reason of writing a book and not changing your life and how you live it is also against the laws of God of pride, self righteousness and blasphemy. Just giving up cursing etc., for one year etc doesn't do it. I was also a really colorful curser and could probably have given you a run for your money. But after joining the Church, my life has truly changed and you find great joy in striving daily toward living a more Christ-like existence and work toward your Salvation, and not just this short time on earth.
We're given this time to become closer to God and work toward our eternal life. Doesn't mean you have your personality chip removed, but it means adjusting your life according to the Gospel and not living it by the Old Testaments restrictive rules that governed those days for specific reasons to the time. Read the new testament and live by those commandments, read the Book of Mormon and live the Doctrines & Covenants and Words of Wisdom and you'll find yourself and your life as well as your abilities to follow these things will bring you great joy and a desire to be of service to God - not by writing a book about how you grew a beard, and followed the laws of times before Christ. In doing so you will find that keeping the commandments are virtuous as well as immensely changed for the better.
In doing this for real, not for profit nor for writing a book : tithe 10% of your earnings including from the book, to church.
The comment of "That's not to say he speaks 100 percent truth. "If you tell the truth all the time, you're a crazy person." do you really believe this? Then millions of people must be crazy. Living truthfully and being 100 percent truthfully is practiced by many and should be something to be proud of and definitely not to be looked at as being crazy. If you can't live telling the truth to people, as you found with other things you will also find that the more you tell the full truth and live truthfully, the more you want to. You're just basically saying you don't want to tell the truth.
You can't take 'some' commandments and follow them and not follow others: all are equal in their importance in God's eyes. Equal in importance of living by them but equal in their punishment for not living any one of them even loosely.
If you can't live your life without not lying or gossiping and so forth, then you have to rethink and possibly talk to Webster about the meaning of lying but more importantly read the entire Bible and the Gospel companion of the Book of Mormon, you'll find out the truth about lying and it's true sin. However I did notice that you did learn that the less you gossip the less you want to. The same thing goes for lying and all the other commandments and laws of God, you will find that everything becomes that way.
Hey no one is perfect, and everyone makes mistakes but if you live by it for your life and make it the way of your life not just an experiment to write a book. You really didn't gain all that much from doing it. Except perhaps for a beard and certainly anyone who reads it may not learn much more.
However, just choosing to eat Locusts, grow a beard, not sit anywhere your wife did while she was 'unclean' as per the Biblical terminology. I'm sure if this is a book of comedy or what (parts of the key words say comedy): peeling into the Bible and choosing to practice the most unusual (to us but not in that time) is neither comical nor informational and it certainly doesn't help anyone understand the Bible nor it's importance or meaning.
The more you pray the more you want to, the more you don't lie or curse, the less you want to or will. The more faithful and not covet and so forth: the less you would want to and the more fulfilling your life would become.
I can't quite see that reading this book will help you learn more about the Bible nor have anyone have a true understanding of the Bible or the commandments or the rules of the times BC and the times of Jesus' time on earth, and the prophets and other laws. You may have a good laugh at someone who chose to do this for a year and goes back to their old ways: why waste your money? Take the money you would pay for the book and give it to a good charity in need or go to church or get a Book of Mormon (free) and learn more, or simply do something better with your time and money than read the book.
As I said I do have some admiration for someone trying to do it for a year but to not continue with the modern and New Testament and live it instead of JUST writing about it to gain money for 'research', but live it (and you would not be stoned).
"Less gossiping begets less gossiping? While adhering to biblical law, Jacobs discovered that the less he vocalized his negative thoughts, the less nasty things bubbled up in his mind." I agree with this as I said but you'll find that is true with anything you do. The more you do that feels good and right, the more you want to do to live good and right. So I do see where you gained knowledge and found that if you took to practice things and want to keep them, find more and continue to grow and you'll find you'll feel even better.
And actually trying to stone someone in Central Park??? What are you thinking that's you not following the commandments, that's you playing God. I'm not being pass judgement, just trying to comment and offer other truths and challenge how of you but I'd like to see or know how you're living your life now and if you have any intention to try to put more of what you learned and the multitude of more you (and all of us) need to learn and live it daily. I won't however be buying the book to find out.
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Wednesday 23 April
By Pat
Mormon's need to read the last paragraph of the Bible where it says NOT to add or take away from the Bible. Your religion is pure blasphemus by adding your own books and phrophets that are not in the Bible. Also following a Smith who was a murderer and child molester etc is pretty sick!
Sunday 09 November
By Jojo
heyy i honestly dont think its that nessesary to write a freakin essay. yea, u may feel strong about ths topic, but seriously. :\
Thursday 04 December
By Krome
You do realize, of course, that the New Testament has been altered and changed from what was originally written. In fact the whole concept of not adding to or taking from could also mean it should never been translated, in which case if you are reading an English bible you are sinning big time and need to ask forgiveness. I also assume you realize you need to go an find all of the original books, many now considered Apocryphal, as these books were "taken away" from what was considered the sacred books in the church's earliest history.
Kind of sad to realize that whenever you read the bible you are sinning and must ask forgiveness, isn't it.
Saturday 23 February
By todd lissner
im an athiest i think many religious people r hippocrites u never here a conservitive christian on tv say"wats america coming 2,so few people judge not so they wont be judged ne-more"its always sumthing like smoking or children having freedom its very convinient 2 think drug use iz the determener or moral character inbstead of decency 2 other people.meanness should be sin.
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Wednesday 21 May
By Elizabeth Betsy
Hey Bill and any others who claim athisiam I say BS
Answer this truthful. WHAT are the 1st words out of any and all mankind male & female??
I can be 99.9% possitive the answer is OH MY GOD. If you call upon GOD for help when in a horrible, disaster, sad, or any time anyone feels helpless No ? asked it is within us because we all have his breath of life inside or else no man or women could have the power to take one LIVING breath. THE END
Saturday 23 February
By Bill maguire
Jewish people should still be sacrificing animals according to the Bible/Tora.
Christians aren't allowed to eat Lobsters.
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Thursday 04 December
By Krome
This makes absolutely no sense at all.
Saturday 23 February
By celine chenier
We are taught to 11 Tim.2;15, study to show thyself approved well research the letter J and you will find it did not exist until the 17 th cent. then you have to ask your self " what was his name??? Also study the Tetragrammaton, and you will find the only true Name of God, god is just a title, what is His Name??? It is not just enough to read your Bible, but to study it, so you will need a dictionary to gain the understanding, but most people are stupid, they do not research, but listen to a pastor who leads them wrong. STUDY, STUDY STUDY!!!!!!
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Saturday 23 February
By Reza Santorini
That's why religion has to be followed with an eye and mind in today's world.
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Saturday 23 February
By Lelia Morgan
Isn't it wonderful! We do not live under the LAW of the old testament, as Christians. Because of the Love of God, who sent HIS SON to act as a living sacrifice for us ALL, we live under GRACE, and under Grace, God does not see our sins. We are covered by the BLOOD Christ shed on the Cross, as our sacrifice forevermore. Thank YOU! John 3:16, read it, believe it, accept it.
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Saturday 23 February
By tim mason
Yes Jesus did away with the Old Laws. He should have stated that he was Living "according to old testement laws".
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Saturday 23 February
By Otto
The New Testament has been proved to be a fraud.
All the Christ myths are in www.pocm.info
It is an outrage that Christians still want to make the US into a Puritan outpost. None of the Christ stories are true.
See The Lost Gospel, the book of Q, in which it is related that the entire NT was re-written to include the false Christ myths over a 200 year period AD.
Stand up for the Constitution. These Puritans vote.
You better vote too.
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Wednesday 21 May
By Elizabeth Betsy
Marty Hope you can live what you say.
I am not a preacher, but other than Jewisum, of which JC was, born, lived and died a Jew.
We all live our own style and beliefs in this life I and noone can judge, BUT, GOD< JC and the HOLY SPIRIT are real no matter what book of religeous faith anyone reads or believes.
We need anly open our eyes and ears to see the beauty and wonderous of everything.
I no longer go to any church. I just know I love the creator and am awed and mistified of such perfect creation all around in not just earth but the creation of the entire universe, and it breaks my heart and honestly scares me that we mankind are so set on destroying all things because of the ME ME ME - I WANT I WANT style of living and we seem to care for ourselves and not give a hoot and darn about anyone or anything else.
Things soon must change or we will all end up being a piece of dust with nowhere to go and nothing to do.
May you be forever happy in life here until we leave this GOD forsaken whatever we have left place.