In Judaism, the first five books of the Bible are referred to as the Torah and generally translated as "the Law" in English translations of the Bible. Rabbinic Judaism asserts that the Laws of the Jewish Bible were presented to the Jewish people and converts to Judaism and do not apply to gentiles, including Christians.

Although Christianity affirms that the Torah (or Pentateuch) is part of Scripture that is inspired of God, Christian tradition denies that all of the Old Covenant still applies directly to Christians, but different arguments are used to reach that conclusion and there are differences of opinion within Christianity as to which parts, if any, still apply.

The predominant Christian view is that Jesus mediates a New Covenant relationship between God and his followers, according to the New Testament, which ended or set aside some or all of the Old Covenant. Christianity, almost without exception, teaches that this New Covenant is the instrument through which God offers mercy and atonement to mankind.

There are differences of opinion as to how the New Covenant affects the validity of the Old Covenant, how many Old Covenant laws such as the Ten Commandments are continued or renewed in the New Covenant, and related issues. The differences are mainly as a result of attempts to harmonize biblical statements to the effect that the Old Covenant and its law is "everlasting," with New Testament statements to the effect that it does not apply anymore, or at least does not fully apply.

One source I found states that the stoning laws—and the long list of presumed offenses (a woman who exposes herself to cattle; a disobedient child; an ox that gores someone; and a list that lapses into such trivial offenses that one truly wonders about the sanity of the list-makers!)—are the laws of the priests and religious zealots, NOT the Laws of God.

As pointed out before, when Jesus was drawn into a dispute regarding the stoning of "a woman taken in adultery," He confronted the Pharisees, shamed the crowd into leaving, and sent the woman on her way with the admonition to "Go. And sin no more."

THAT was Christ's definitive judgment regarding the practice of stoning.

Iona, for you to continue to claim that stoning is "righteous" is to deny Jesus, and it verges on blasphemy.

This, in addition to condoning something which is vicious, cruel, and brutal. It is definitely "cruel and unusual punishment," deliberately designed to prolong the pain and agony of the victim.

In your defense, I can only assume that you haven't really thought this mattter through.

I suggest that you get your face out of Leviticus and spend more time reading the Gospels. Read John 8 several times. Until you GET it.

Don Firth