OK, You've got Moses here, one of a handful who has actually been in the physical presence of God. He receives received God's Ten Commandments. "Thou shalt not kill" being one of them. So he comes down the mountain with his stone tablets and finds the Israelites worshiping a golden calf, so what does he do? He KILLS 3,000 of them! That's a mighty big contradiction.
This is not a contradiction. It is clear that when read in context the commandment is "Thou Shalt Not Murder." Most good translations render it as murder. I know mine does. The King James has thou shalt not kill, and is also the worst English translation.
When you take allegories and try to make the facts you will find apparent contradictions. When you look for the meaning behind the verses and study the culture and audience there is a much deeper truth being expressed.
I'm sure the victims of this event will be relieved to know that they were merely "killed" and not "murdered". Seriously, Moses ordering the "killing" of 3000 people is not considered "murder" how? He put the people who believed as he did on one side, put the non-believers on the other side, and then ordered them to be massacred. If a modern leader did this would it not be murder? It's a contradiction. 32:26 Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the LORD's side? let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him. 32:27 And he said unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Put every man his sword by his side, and go in and out from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbour. God has the people kill each other for dancing naked around Aaron's golden calf. God tells the sons of Levi (Moses, Aaron, and the other members of their tribe that were "on the Lord's side") to kill their family and friends for dancing naked around Aaron's golden calf. "And there fell of the people that day about 3000 men." To kill or not to kill. Theologikos: Christians: Stop quoting the bible out of context! 32:28 And the children of Levi did according to the word of Moses: and there fell of the people that day about three thousand men.
God laid down the law and Moses punished the dudes that were breaking the law. That isn't murder, it's capital punishment.
Fundamentalists take the Bible literally. Context and culture is not important for most Fundamentalists; legalism is. Even when you do read the bible looking through the filter of culture and audience, the absolutely horrible nature attributed to god is still just as apparent.
So killing unbelievers is not murder. Gotcha. I bet Islamic suicide bombers would agree with this. This is much more logical explanation than to accept that the bible is full of contradictions.
