Turtledoves and Pigeons

Leviticus 1:14 If your offering to the Lord is a burnt offering of birds, you shall choose your offering from turtledoves or pigeons.

Sacrifice birds? I thought that honor was reserved for goats and bulls.  I guess if you can't afford to give up your bull or your goats, pigeons are a good option. New Yorkers, am I right or am I right?

Tying up Exodus loose ends...

I finished Exodus today. I'm really excited about Leviticus. Who wouldn't be excited about reading all the laws and instructions from you know who to his people? I'm sure there will be something fun and interesting, right?

Here are some short quotes I liked:

Exodus 21:23-25 If any harm follows, then you shall give life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.

**I guess I didn't realize that this was in the bible. I thought it was just in Hammurabi's code but I see that I am incorrect. Sorry to the numerous people I argued about this quote. My bad!

Exodus 24:10 ...Under his feet there was something like a pavement of sapphire stone, like the very heaven for clearness.

**Niiiiiiice. If I ever come into money someday my driveway will sparkle too!

Exodus 31:18 ...he gave him the two tablets of the covenant, tablets of stone, written with the finger of God.

**He's got more talent in his little finger... ;)

Exodus 23:1-9 

You shall not spread a false report. You shall not join hands with the wicked to act as a malicious witness. You shall not follow a majority in wrongdoing; when you bear witness in a lawsuit, you shall not side with the majority so as to pervert justice; nor shall you be partial to the poor in a lawsuit.

When you come upon your enemy's ox or donkey going astray, you shall bring it back. When you see the donkey of one who hates you lying under its burden and you should hold back from setting it free, you must help to set it free.

You shall not pervert the justice due to your poor in their lawsuits. Keep far from a false charge, and do not kill the innocent and those in the right, for I will not acquit the guilty.  You shall take no bribe, for a bribe blinds the officials, and subverts the cause of those who are in the right.

You shall not oppress a resident alien; you know the heart of an alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt.

I don't have much to say about this except that I just liked it. I think reading that might do some people some good somewhere.

Female Sorcerers Exodus 22:18

Exodus 22:18

You shall not permit a female sorcerer to live.

Sammy and Wikipedia tell me that they used this verse during witch trials. When I researched this further I found out that death wasn't the only sentence for these unfortunate women but some "witches" were also chained for years to the oars of ships or excommunicated and imprisoned.  

I have a problem with this and its not the killing bit. Well, that's upsetting too but FEMALE sorcerer? I'm not really a feminist but that is pretty messed up. What's so special about the male sorcerers that they get to escape death when the females don't?

Heads up: I am using my New Revised Standard Version of the Holy Bible and some verses might be different.  This verse is Exodus 22:19 in some bibles and Exodus 22:17 in others.  

As if I don't already have too much to do...

My name is Heather. I am a 25 year old music teacher applying to MBA programs in Southern California. I was born to an Episcopalian and a Quaker/Methodist. I have been thinking about religion for some time. You could call it struggling but I wouldn't. 

As my "just for fun" book of choice this fall I've decided to take a leaf out of former President George W. Bush's Book. I'm going to read the Bible before anything else this (school) year (besides my GMAT study guides). I've never read it from cover to cover before, only in sections during a service.

Where I am right now: 

Moses and Aaron are leading the hebrews to the Red Sea. 

What I never noticed before:

Moses was slow of speech. This makes me want to watch the movie The Ten Commandments and see how Charlton Heston portrays Moses. Maybe after all my applications are in (around the first week in January) I'll rent it and see how it is. Has anyone seen it? Is it any good?