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→Culturally applied laws
===Culturally applied laws===
===Culturally applied laws===
A second category is termed judicial or civil laws, or “culturally applied laws,”<ref>Does Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13 Flat-Out Condemn Homosexuality?. J. P Holding http://www.tektonics.org/lp/lev18.html</ref> which are also part of moral separation. These contain moral civil laws and judicial penalties, but require the context of a certain type of culture for their literal application, and their penalties may be specifically mandated only for the theocracy of Israel. However, these are usually easily modified in accordance with their intent to be applicable today. A society may not have flat roofs where people regularly sleep and thus need fences, but they may have apartment building which require fire escapes. Or it may not need laws penalizing being gored by an ox, but it may need such for being struck by a snowmobile. In addition to such just laws by contemporary authorities, (Rm. :13-17; 1Pt. 2:13,16) obedience in accordance with the principal behind them is enjoined today (i.e., you may not need to help your brother lift up his donkey, (Dt. 3:4,5) but you should help him change his tire)
A second category is termed judicial or civil laws, or “culturally applied laws,”<ref>Does Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13 Flat-Out Condemn Homosexuality?. J. P Holding http://www.tektonics.org/lp/lev18.html</ref> which are also part of moral separation. These contain moral civil laws and judicial penalties, but require the context of a certain type of culture for their literal application, and their penalties may be specifically mandated only for the theocracy of Israel. However, these are usually easily modified in accordance with their intent to be applicable today. A society may not have flat roofs where people regularly sleep and thus need fences, but they may have apartment building which require fire escapes. Or it may not need laws penalizing being gored by an ox, but it may need such for being struck by a snowmobile. In addition to such just laws by contemporary authorities, (Rm. :13-17; 1Pt. 2:13,16) obedience in accordance with the principal behind them is enjoined today (i.e., you may not need to help your brother lift up his donkey, (Dt. 3:4,5) but you should help him change his tire)
===Ceremonial laws===
In contrast to laws regarding such things as illicit sexual partners, are laws in the third section termed ceremonial laws, which may be seen as based upon the principle of separation. (Gn. 1:6) These laws deal with the sacrificial system, and priestly garments, the liturgical calender, or merely touching, tasting, or handling unclean things or persons and related washings. (Lv. 11-15; Col. 2:16,17,21) As a class these find their fulfillment in Christ. Literal obedience to these is not enjoined upon Christians, except as the spiritual principal behind them constrains. Christians do not need to use unleavened bread in the Lord's supper, but are exhorted to eliminate the “leaven of the Pharisees. (Lk. 12:1; 1Cor. 5:8)
More categorically controversial are certain laws which are mostly found in Lev. 19, which forbid cutting or printing marks on one's flesh, or strange haircuts (Lev. 19:26,27) Also included would be not building the temple near a grove of trees. (Dt. 16:21)
In comparison, while idolatry or murder, sex with the wrong person (first category) is unconditionally wrong in any context, regardless of motive, and using a flat roof as a living room without a fence (second category) can be seen as immoral (like driving recklessly today), yet a grove of trees near a church (third category), or how one shaves his beard, or eating pork are essentially amoral practices, only conditionally wrong as part of idolatry, even though certain things like unnecessary mutilation of one's flesh (Lv. 19:28) may be a sign of demonic influence. For Christians this aspect of ceremonial law falls into the area of "Abstain from all appearance of evil." (1Thes. 5:22) While mud on one's forehead is not a sin in itself, the practice of wearing the Hindu Tilaka would be for Christians in India. Some make the same argument regarding holidays like Halloween.<ref>Halloween Origins and Customs http://www.jeremiahproject.com/culture/halloween.html</ref>
== See also ==
== See also ==