The Old Testament and New Testament are two different texts. For some Christians, they both represent a different ethos for faith. As we know, certain modern practices are still considered taboo in Christianity. However, many other taboos most Christians consider normal also appear in the old text.
1. Having Short Hair (Leviticus 19:27)
The instruction goes, “Ye shall not round the corners of your heads.” Though some may consider baldness a modern condition, historians have records of baldness in 1,500 BC. The anti-hair-cutting rule may have made some men feel even worse about their pattern of baldness. Moreover, one can’t help but feel sorry for women back then; they had very few guidelines compared to their male counterparts.
2. Holding a Grudge (Leviticus 19:18)
Most people who haven’t read the Bible know about “an eye for an eye,” so they may feel Leviticus has mixed messaging when it advises against grudges. This ideal is healthy; holding grudges is just about the best way to make one’s life miserable, so we agree this rule makes sense.
3. Home Ownership (Leviticus 25:23)
In the 21st century, the idea that home ownership is wrong may raise even the most ardent Christian eyebrows. When the book says, “The land must not be sold permanently, because the land is mine and you reside in my land as foreigners and strangers,” we must also consider the symbolic qualities of the passage. It could be interpreted that the land is always under God’s remit. Therefore, we are all mere stewards of the soil.
4. Companion Planting (Leviticus 19:19)
Companion planting, with two or more different seeds in a crop, is a taboo in the Old Testament, especially in the Levi tribe. Today, we know the benefits for the soil. If you planted your squash with your cucumbers in Moses’ town, you might have found the horticultural police on your sandstone doorstep.
5. Handling Unblessed Meat (Leviticus 5:2)
“If a soul touch [sic] any unclean thing, whether it be a carcase [sic] of an unclean beast, or a carcase [sic] of unclean cattle,” starts this Leviticus rule. We know where this is headed, but it is confusing, extending to even unconsciously touching an unblessed (therefore unclean) carcass without realizing it was infected with decay. Choosing to become a butcher in Biblical times may have been dangerous.
6. Alcohol in Church (Leviticus 10:9)
“Do not drink wine nor strong drink, thou, nor thy sons with thee, when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die,” warns the following decree. Some countries still adopt this practice, while more laid-back congregations might share wine during Christmas events or celebrations. Interestingly, this rule includes sons — which we assume means daughters are free to imbibe.
7. Tattoos (Leviticus 19:28)
“You shall not make any cuts in your body for the dead nor make any tattoo marks on yourselves: I am the Lord,” says Leviticus. So, 3,000 years ago, a “Carpe Diem” ink on the small of your back or a Celtic hoop on your bicep would be enough to excommunicate someone from society. One can only imagine what locals would have made of Takeshi_69 and the Island Boys‘ cavalier use of facial tattoos.
8. Using Tarot Cards or Holding Seances (Leviticus 19:31)
This rule may seem strange to modern-day believers who see no harm in such mild practices. However, you can imagine the rage at using mere humans for paranormal services, such as card readings. “Do not turn to mediums or spiritists [sic],” writes Moses in the exhaustive rulebook.
9. Disrespecting Your Elders (Leviticus 19:32)
“Stand up in the presence of the elderly, and show respect for the aged,” says the scripture. “Fear your God. I am the LORD.” Leviticus, written by Moses, is dense with the virtuousness that earns believers the right to call themselves holy. One such lesson is to respect one’s elders — a virtue some may consider strange in today’s irreverent Western society.
10. Mistreating Foreigners (Leviticus 19:33-19:34)
While we may yearn for more security on our borders, the Bible has firm designs on the way foreigners arriving must be treated. “The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born,” says the book. This ethos may make certain people today uncomfortable, considering how much strain they perceive migrants to put on the economy. Still, we must remember to empathize with those fleeing persecution, like Moses and the Israelites.
11. Worshiping Other Religions (Deuteronomy 17:2-17:7)
We must remember that 3,000 years is a long time for human beings to evolve their sensibilities. However, Deuteronomy teaches subjects not to tolerate alternative religious beliefs. The book instructs those who went to “other gods and worshiped them, or the sun, or the moon, or any of the host of heaven,” must receive a community stoning.
12. Defending Your Husband From a Beating (Deuteronomy 25:11-25:12)
The scripture starts innocently enough, saying, “If two men, a man and his countryman, are struggling together, and the wife of one comes near to deliver her husband from the hand of the one who is striking him…” However, it then becomes weirdly niche, offering retribution for a wife grabbing her husband’s assailant in the ‘nether’ regions to discourage said attack: “…then you shall cut off her hand; you shall not show pity.”
13. Shaving (Leviticus 19:27)
“Neither shalt thou mar the corners of thy beard,” continues the scripture. Modern men have grown extremely proud of their beards, and citizens 3,000 years ago would have smiled at their hairy faithfulness. If a modern-day world leader one day decreed that all men must wear beards, half the male population would continue their day as usual, while others might have a masculinity crisis.
14. Wearing Ripped Jeans (Leviticus 10:6)
It wasn’t only messy hair that would be unholy during Biblical times. “Do not let your hair become unkempt and do not tear your clothes,” is another Mosesian diktat, “or you will die, and the Lord will be angry with the whole community.” The messy look, so prominent in today’s youth, would not have gotten them far during the Old Testament days.
15. Eating Bugs (Leviticus 11:27)
Klaus Schwab of the World Economic Forum would have been choking on his caviar had he read Leviticus. His desire for world citizens to ingest “ze bugs” would not have passed in Moses’s day. However, it didn’t end there; mice, weasels, rats, and bats were also off the menu. “These also shall be unclean unto you among the creeping things that creep upon the earth,” says the text.
16. Eating Four-Legged Animals (11:27)
If bugs were too much to take, certain parts of the world would bristle, including furry creatures, especially cats and dogs. “And whatsoever goeth upon his paws, among all manner of beasts that go on all four, those are unclean unto you,” says the verse. However, the good news came with cloven-hoofed animals, which “chewed the cud” were acceptable.
17. Eating Eagles (Leviticus 11:13-20)
While the humble quail, chicken, and pheasant make for everyday staples in most cultures, it seems all birds were potentially for the pot in Biblical times. Hence, the Good Book outlawed certain breeds, stating that “the eagle, and the ossifrage, and the osprey, and the vulture, and the kite,” among other birds such as owls, ravens, cuckoos, and hawks. Funnily enough, even swans get a mention, which will upset the British royal family.
18. Eating Shellfish (Leviticus 11:10)
The Old Testament also decrees that God didn’t want lobster, oysters, or clams on the menu, which may have been a factor in how those foods used to be considered. In early American history, lobster was food for paupers; now, it is one of the world’s most exclusive items. “And all that have not fins and scales in the seas, and in the rivers … they shall be an abomination unto you,” reads the next prohibition.
19. Eating Fat or Blood (Leviticus 3:17)
“It shall be a perpetual statute for your generations throughout all your dwellings, that ye eat neither fat nor blood,” says another Leviticus teaching. It is another baffling inclusion, especially considering how some nations adopt blood and fat into their food. For example, brazenly Catholic Spaniards still eat morcilla, a sausage made from blood and pig fat.
20. Eating Yeast and Honey (Leviticus 2:11)
For someone who told his followers they would soon be in the land of milk and honey, including honey for offerings at the synagogue was frowned upon because “no yeast or honey may be burned as a special gift presented to the LORD.” Moreover, if burning yeast wasn’t permitted, wouldn’t this extend to baking leaven bread?
21. Picking Fallen Grapes (Leviticus 19:10)
This next ruling comes from a good place, though one must suspect it was an oft-broken one. If you owned vineyards, picking your grapes from the ground was deemed unholy, stating, “Do not go over your vineyard again or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the foreigner.” While this fits an ethos of kindness, indeed saving one’s best grapes for visitors is holier.
22. Bling for Ladies (Timothy 2:9)
Imagine being told you cannot wear false eyelashes, nails, or weaves, and you cannot wear jewelry or makeup. The Book of Timothy rules against such behavior: “I also want the women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, adorning themselves, not with elaborate hairstyles or gold or pearls or expensive clothes.” It appears fashionistas would not have been welcome in Biblical times.
23. Dissing Mom or Dad (Leviticus 20:9)
Parents should use this as a reason to take their kids to church, considering how forgotten this teaching is today. Ironically, the ethos of honoring your parents is far more prominent in Asian cultures than in Western. “Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.,” writes Moses. “Because they have cursed their father or mother, their blood will be on their own head.”
24. Lying (19:11)
This may surprise most politicians who put their hand on the Bible before Congress and in court. Moreover, it applies to those who begin their answer with “Thank you for the question, senator,” which usually reveals impending dishonesty. Just imagine if this behavior was considered sinful!
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