Life

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Lifes BIG Questions

• Week 2
• Session 2

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Is the Bible a message from a God I cant see?

• A law ahead of its time
• Part 1

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A law ahead of its time

• Law thousands of years ahead of its time
• Community health
• Civil law
• Law of Moses

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A law ahead of its time

• 1847 First British Medical Officer of Health
• Community medicine
• Guidance on food
• Disposal of waste
• Control of disease

The Bible ahead of its time
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Bible good food guide

• Fruit or vegetables not restricted
• Flesh of animals severely restricted

Experience and Science agree
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Bible good food guide meat

• Among the animals, whatever divides the hoof,
  having cloven hooves and chewing the cud that
  you may eat.
• Leviticus 11 v 3

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Bible good food guide meat

• Sheep, cows and deer all permitted
• All meat-eating animals not allowed

• Among the animals, whatever divides the hoof,
  having cloven hooves and chewing the cud that
  you may eat.
• Leviticus 11 v 3

Excluding pigs, same rules today
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Bible good food guide meat

• Protection from pig tape worm and roundworm
• Cause blindness, paralysis, epilepsy or death

• Among the animals, whatever divides the hoof,
  having cloven hooves and chewing the cud that
  you may eat.
• Leviticus 11 v 3

3,500 years ago unwise to eat pig meat
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Bible good food guide fish

• These you may eat of all that are in the water
  whatever in the water has fins and scales,
  whether in the seas or in the rivers that you
  may eat. But all in the seas or in the rivers
  that do not have fins and scales they are an
  abomination to you.
• Leviticus 11 v 9 and 10

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Bible good food guide fish

• Fish with fins and scales permitted
• All other aquatic animals forbidden

• These you may eat of all that are in the water
  whatever in the water has fins and scales,
  whether in the seas or in the rivers that you
  may eat. But all in the seas or in the rivers
  that do not have fins and scales they are an
  abomination to you.
• Leviticus 11 v 9 and 10

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Bible good food guide fish

• Shell fish can cause food poisoning

These you may eat of all that are in the water
whatever in the water has fins and scales,
whether in the seas or in the rivers that you
may eat. But all in the seas or in the rivers
that do not have fins and scales they are an
abomination to you. Leviticus 11 v 9 and 10
3,500 years ago wiser not to eat shellfish
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Bible good food guide fish

• Crabs can give parasites

• These you may eat of all that are in the water
  whatever in the water has fins and scales,
  whether in the seas or in the rivers that you
  may eat. But all in the seas or in the rivers
  that do not have fins and scales they are an
  abomination to you.
• Leviticus 11 v 9 and 10

Again the Bible gives good advice
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Bible good food guide fat

• Speak to the children of Israel, saying You
  shall not eat any fat, of ox or sheep or goat
  
• Leviticus 7 v 23

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Bible good food guide fat

• Animal fat restricted

• Speak to the children of Israel, saying You
  shall not eat any fat, of ox or sheep or goat
  
• Leviticus 7 v 23

Modern medical advice agrees
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Bible guide to water supplies

• Any earthen vessel into which any of them (dead
  animal) falls you shall break and whatever is in
  it shall be unclean any drink that may be drunk
  from it becomes unclean Nevertheless a spring
  or a cistern, in which there is plenty of water,
  shall be clean, but whatever touches any such
  carcass becomes unclean.
• Leviticus 11 v 32 to 36

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Bible guide to water supplies

• Flowing water is OK
• Dont drink water in container contaminated with
  anything dead
• Earthen vessel must be smashed when a dead animal
  found in it
• However, wooden vessels simply to be washed
• Wood now known to have anti-bacterial properties

Drinking stagnant water forbidden
Bible was 3,000 years ahead of its time
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Bible guide to sewage disposal

• Designate a place outside the camp where you can
  go to relieve yourself. As part of your equipment
  have something to dig with, and when you relieve
  yourself, dig a hole and cover up your excrement.
  
• Deuteronomy 23 v 12 and 13

• The Bible was 3,000 years ahead of its time

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Bible guide to disease control
a) Washing after handling dead bodies

• Whoever touches the dead body of anyone will be
  unclean for seven days. He must purify himself
  with the water on the third day and on the
  seventh day then he will be clean.
• Numbers 19 v 11 and 12

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Bible guide to disease control
a) Washing after handling dead bodies

• Surgeons used to handle the dead and then do
  operations without washing
• Many patients died

• Whoever touches the dead body of anyone will be
  unclean for seven days. He must purify himself
  with the water on the third day and on the
  seventh day then he will be clean.
• Numbers 19 v 11 and 12

• They might have lived if the Bibles advice had
  been followed

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Bible guide to disease control
a) Washing after handling dead bodies

• Healthcare workers now aware of risks
• Washing a vital part of modern procedures

• Whoever touches the dead body of anyone will be
  unclean for seven days. He must purify himself
  with the water on the third day and on the
  seventh day then he will be clean.
• Numbers 19 v 11 and 12

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Bible guide to disease control
b) Isolation of infectious diseases

• Now the leper on whom the sore is, his clothes
  shall be torn and his head bare He is unclean,
  and he shall dwell alone his dwelling shall be
  outside the camp
• Leviticus 13 v 45 and 46

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Bible guide to disease control
b) Isolation of infectious diseases

• Now the leper on whom the sore is, his clothes
  shall be torn and his head bare He is unclean,
  and he shall dwell alone his dwelling shall be
  outside the camp
• Leviticus 13 v 45 and 46

• Derived directly from the Jews

Modern isolation ward symbol
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Bible guide to disease control
b) Isolation of infectious diseases

• the priest shall isolate the one who has the
  sore seven days. And the priest shall examine him
  on the seventh day and indeed if the sore
  appears to be as it was, and the sore has not
  spread on the skin, then the priest shall isolate
  him another seven days. Then the priest shall
  examine him again on the seventh day
• Leviticus 13 v 4 to 6

• Quarantine

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Bible guide to disease control
b) Isolation of infectious diseases

• the priest shall isolate the one who has the
  sore seven days. And the priest shall examine him
  on the seventh day and indeed if the sore
  appears to be as it was, and the sore has not
  spread on the skin, then the priest shall isolate
  him another seven days. Then the priest shall
  examine him again on the seventh day
• Leviticus 13 v 4 to 6

• Quarantine

The Bibles recommendations for quarantine are
part of modern medical practice
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Summary
The Bible was ahead of its time in community
health

• Recommendations
• Fruit and vegetables not restricted
• Restrictions on fat, unsafe meat and seafood
• Safe water supply
• Safe disposal of sewage
• Washing to avoid cross infection
• Isolation of infectious diseases

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The Challenge

• How did the writers of the Bible make such
  remarkable recommendations about community
  health?

It took the rest of the world 3,500 years to
catch up with the community health regulations
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The Challenge

• Where else can you find similar evidence of a
  power greater and wiser than us?
• There is much more evidence that the Bible is an
  accurate and reliable source of information

You can trust the Bible when it gives advice
about your life
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Conclusion

• Thank you for being here this week
• Review the notes from this session
• We look forward to your company next week - God
  willing