ANSWERING THE BIBLE:

Q. Is it a sin to marry pagan women (marrying Non-Jewish Women) according to Shecaniah son of Jehiel, a descendant of Elam, a character in the Bible? What was offered as as a guilt offering.

Ans:Yes. A lamb.

To understand who the Bible pushes us towards divisiveness let us look at the following verses:

21st Century King James Version:

2And Shechaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, answered and said unto Ezra, "We have trespassed against our God, and have taken foreign wives of the people of the land. Yet now there is hope in Israel concerning this thing.

3Now therefore let us make a covenant with our God to put away all the wives and such as are born of them, according to the counsel of my lord and of those who tremble at the commandment of our God; and let it be done according to the law.

4Arise, for this matter belongeth unto thee; we also will be with thee. Be of good courage, and do it." (Ezra 10:2-4).

10And Ezra the priest stood up, and said unto them, "Ye have transgressed and have taken foreign wives, to increase the trespass of Israel.

11Now therefore make confession unto the LORD God of your fathers, and do His pleasure, and separate yourselves from the people of the land and from the foreign wives."

12Then all the congregation answered and said with a loud voice, "As thou hast said, so must we do.

13But the people are many, and it is a time of much rain, and we are not able to stand outside, neither is this a work of one day or two; for we are many who have transgressed in this thing.

14Let now our rulers of all the congregation stand, and let all those who have taken foreign wives in our cities come at appointed times, and with them the elders of every city and the judges thereof, until the fierce wrath of our God for this matter be turned from us." (Ezra 10:10-14).

18And among the sons of the priests who had taken foreign wives (namely, of the sons of Jeshua the son of Jozadak and his brethren), there were found: Maaseiah, and Eliezer, and Jarib, and Gedaliah.

19And they gave their hands that they would put away their wives; and being guilty, they offered a ram of the flock for their trespass. (Ezra 10:18-19).

44All these had taken foreign wives; and some of them had wives by whom they had children. . (Ezra 10:44).

English Standard Version:

2And Shecaniah the son of Jehiel, of the sons of Elam, addressed Ezra: "We have broken faith with our God and have married foreign women from the peoples of the land, but even now there is hope for Israel in spite of this. 3Therefore let us make a covenant with our God to put away all these wives and their children, according to the counsel of my lord[a] and of those who tremble at the commandment of our God, and let it be done according to the Law. 4Arise, for it is your task, and we are with you; be strong and do it." (Ezra 10:2-4).

10And Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, "You have broken faith and married foreign women, and so increased the guilt of Israel. 11Now then make confession to the LORD, the God of your fathers and do his will. Separate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from the foreign wives." 12Then all the assembly answered with a loud voice, "It is so; we must do as you have said. 13But the people are many, and it is a time of heavy rain; we cannot stand in the open. Nor is this a task for one day or for two, for we have greatly transgressed in this matter. 14Let our officials stand for the whole assembly. Let all in our cities who have taken foreign wives come at appointed times, and with them the elders and judges of every city, until the fierce wrath of our God over this matter is turned away from us." (Ezra 10:10-14).

18Now there were found some of the sons of the priests who had married foreign women: Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib, and Gedaliah, some of the sons of Jeshua the son of Jozadak and his brothers. 19They pledged themselves to put away their wives, and their guilt offering was a ram of the flock for their guilt. (Ezra 10:18-19).

4All these had married foreign women, and some of the women had even borne children. (Ezra 10:44).

New Century Version:

2 Then Shecaniah son of Jehiel the Elamite said to Ezra, "We have been unfaithful to our God by marrying women from the peoples around us. But even so, there is still hope for Israel.3 Now let us make an agreement before our God. We will send away all these women and their children as you and those who respect the commands of our God advise. Let it be done to obey God's Teachings.4 Get up, Ezra. You are in charge, and we will support you. Have courage and do it." (Ezra 10:2-4).

18 These are the descendants of the priests who had married foreign women:

From the descendants of Jeshua son of Jozadak and Jeshua's brothers: Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib, and Gedaliah.19 (They all promised to divorce their wives, and each one brought a male sheep from the flock as a penalty offering.). (Ezra 10:18-19).

44 All these men had married non-Jewish women, and some of them had children by these wives.

New Living Translation:

2 Then Shecaniah son of Jehiel, a descendant of Elam, said to Ezra, “We have been unfaithful to our God, for we have married these pagan women of the land. But in spite of this there is hope for Israel. 3 Let us now make a covenant with our God to divorce our pagan wives and to send them away with their children. We will follow the advice given by you and by the others who respect the commands of our God. Let it be done according to the Law of God. 4 Get up, for it is your duty to tell us how to proceed in setting things straight. We are behind you, so be strong and take action.” (Ezra 10:2-4)

10 Then Ezra the priest stood and said to them: “You have committed a terrible sin. By marrying pagan women, you have increased Israel’s guilt. 11 So now confess your sin to the Lord, the God of your ancestors, and do what he demands. Separate yourselves from the people of the land and from these pagan women.”

12 Then the whole assembly raised their voices and answered, “Yes, you are right; we must do as you say!” 13 Then they added, “This isn’t something that can be done in a day or two, for many of us are involved in this extremely sinful affair. And this is the rainy season, so we cannot stay out here much longer. 14 Let our leaders act on behalf of us all. Let everyone who has a pagan wife come at a scheduled time, accompanied by the leaders and judges of his city, so that the fierce anger of our God concerning this affair may be turned away from us. (Ezra 10:10-14)

18 These are the priests who had married pagan wives: From the family of Jeshua son of Jehozadak (Hebrew Jozadak, a variant spelling of Jehozadak) and his brothers: Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib, and Gedaliah. 19 They vowed to divorce their wives, and they each acknowledged their guilt by offering a ram as a guilt offering (Ezra 10:18-19).

44 Each of these men had a pagan wife, and some even had children by these wives. (Ezra 10:44).

So, the Bible gives you hint that if are a Christian and if you marry a Hindu woman, then by the order of God you need to divorce your wife along with the children. Nice!! Poor wife, children and lamb…!! The kind of superstitions, which is encouraged in these kinds of books, is really unfortunate.

Q. Which verse/s in the Bible, according right-wing historian David Barton at Glenn Beck's "University" could have influenced the American Founding Fathers to come up with the idea for three branches of government and their decision not to tax the churches ? Though his claims, off-late has been vehemently contested by other experts.

Ans: Isaiah 33:22 and Ezra 7:24.

Mr. David Barton in his lectures, extensively spoke about Alexis de Tocqueville's concept of "American Exceptionalism," noting that "there's gotta be a reason we're (the US) different" from other democracies. That's where the "Black-Robed Regiment" comes in.
These, according to Mr.Barton, were the preachers who influenced the bulk of the Declaration of Independence:
Mr.Barton said, “The Declaration of Independence is nothing more than a listing of all of the sermons that folks had been hearing in church in the decades leading up to the American Revolution”.

He further said, “Isaiah 33:22 sets for three distinct branches of government, just as was adopted in the Constitution. And the basis for tax exemptions for churches, exemptions given to us by the Founding Fathers themselves, can be found in Ezra 7:24. And there are many other examples of American government adopting Biblical patterns and precedents”.

Now, let us look at these verses from close angles from some of the available versions of the bible, to understand Mr.Barton's views:

21st Century King James Version:

22For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king; He will save us (Isaiah 33:22).

24Also we inform you, that concerning any of the priests and Levites, singers, gatekeepers, Nethinim, or ministers of this house of God, it shall not be lawful to impose toll, tribute, or custom upon them. (Ezra 7:24).

English Standard Version:

22For the LORD is our judge; the LORD is our lawgiver; the LORD is our king; he will save us. (Isaiah 33:22).

24We also notify you that it shall not be lawful to impose tribute, custom, or toll on anyone of the priests, the Levites, the singers, the doorkeepers, the temple servants, or other servants of this house of God. (Ezra 7:24)

New Century Version:

22 This is because the Lord is our judge.

The Lord makes our laws.

The Lord is our king.

He will save us. (Isaiah 33:22).

24 Remember, you must not make these people pay taxes of any kind: priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, Temple servants, and other workers in this Temple of God. (Ezra 7:24)

New Living Translation:

22 For the Lord is our judge,

our lawgiver, and our king.

He will care for us and save us. (Isaiah 33:22).

24 I also decree that no priest, Levite, singer, gatekeeper, Temple servant, or other worker in this Temple of God will be required to pay tribute, customs, or tolls of any kind.’ (Ezra 7:24).

According to Barton, this is how the Founders came up with the idea for three branches of government. Also, according to Barton, that is how the Founding Fathers of the US, decided not to tax churches. of government. Nice idea!! Is the US a “secular democracy”, but guided by the teaching of Church?