THE NOAHIDE LAWS
(A strange piece of legislation enacted in
1991)
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The U.S. Congress officially recognized the Noahide Laws in legislation
which was passed by both houses. Congress and the President of the
United States, George Bush, indicated in Public Law 102-14, 102nd
Congress, that the United States of America was founded upon the Seven
Universal Laws of Noah, and that these Laws have been the bedrock of
society from the dawn of civilization. They also acknowledged that the
Seven Laws of Noah are the foundation upon which civilization stands and
that recent weakening of these principles threaten the fabric of
civilized society, and that justified preoccupation in educating the
Citizens of the United States of America and future generations is
needed. For this purpose, this Public Law designated March 26, 1991 as
Education Day, U.S.A. (From a web page titled "Articles
Concerning The Seven Laws of Noah and Related Concepts |
From the Jewish Virtual Library:
While committed to the principle that "There is nothing permitted to an Israelite yet forbidden to a heathen" (Sanh. 59a), the seven Noachide Laws were not as extensive as the parallel prohibitions applicable to Jews, and there are indeed situations in which a non-Jew would be liable for committing an act for which a Jew would not be liable. As to the latter point, as a general rule, the Noachide is criminally liable for violation of any of his seven laws even though technical definitional limitations would prevent liability by a Jew performing the same act. Thus a non-Jew is liable for blasphemy – even if only with one of the divine attributes; murder – even of a *foetus; robbery – even of less than a perutah; and the eating of flesh torn from a living animal – even of a quantity less than the size of an olive. In all these cases a Jew would not be liable (Sanh. 56a–59b; Yad, Melakhim, ch. 9, 10). One additional element of greater severity is that violation of any one of the seven laws subjects the Noachide to capital punishment by decapitation (Sanh. 57a).
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Even though the Talmud and
Maimonides (Sanh. 47a; Yad, Melakhim 9.14) stipulate that a non-Jew who
violated the Noachide laws was liable to capital punishment, authorities in
recent generations have expressed the view that this is only the maximal
punishment. According to this view, there is a difference in this respect
between Noachide law and the halakhah.
According to the halakhah,
where a Jew was liable for capital punishment, it was a mandatory
punishment, provided that all conditions had been met, whereas in Noachide
law death is the maximal punishment, to be enforced only in exceptional
cases such as when the need arises to fight against the proliferation of
crime (viz. Or Same'aḥ, ibid.).
This is the similarity between Noachide law and the king's law, as stated
above. According to some opinions, this approach, in which a differentiation
is made between various levels of
severity in crimes and sentencing policy in Noachide law, may be
corroborated from the works of Maimonides (viz. Bibliography, Enker).
[Menachem Elon (2nd
ed.)]
Can the death penalty associated with the Noahide Laws be related to Rev. 13:15? Thinking this question through biblically, the text clearly states that the penalty of death is pronounced against those who "would not worship the image of the beast." The question is in what form does worship of the image of the beast manifest itself? Central to the question is a choice between the commandments of God and the commandments of men. This would seem to make it possible for the Noahide Laws to be applied in this context. Nevertheless, it is also clear from the Scriptures that worship of the sun god is a great abomination in the sight of God, as enunciated in Eze. 8:15-16. Throughout the Old Testament God declares His wrath against worship of the sun. Why? because it was the worship of Satan. (Cf. The Two Babylons - Chapter VII.) Most significantly, deification of the sun permeates the system of worship instituted by the papacy (the beast of Rev. 13.) (Cf. Pagan Sun Worship and Catholicism.) There is a profusion of references in the Writings of Ellen G. White to a universal (as distinct from national) Sunday law which is decreed at the very end of history, just before the great Powers of Heaven are revealed against rebellious mankind and the god to whom they given allegiance - Satan impersonating Jesus Christ. It all makes biblical sense.
Can the Noahide Laws be reconciled with the death penalty which will issue for refusal to worship the sun god? Perhaps not. The Jews observe a seventh-day Sabbath. The Muslims worship on Friday. However, the mystery remains - why the enactment of these Laws? There is a page on this website which describes how the appearance of Satan as the impostor Christ may be the catalyst bringing together Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, and other less prominent religions. The Noahide Laws may be supplanted or modified under the hypnotic influence of the Devil. Interestingly, a COMMISSION FOR RELIGIOUS RELATIONS WITH THE JEWS met in Jerusalem in March, 2007, and attempted to reconcile the Noahide Laws with Christianity in terms that, "Jewish tradition emphasizes the Noachide Covenant (cf. Gn 9: 9-12) as containing. the universal moral code which is incumbent on all humanity. This idea is reflected in Christian Scripture in the Book of Acts 15: 28-29." (Cf. BILATERAL COMMISSION MEETING, JERUSALEM, MARCH 11-13, 2007.) Whatever all of this may signify, at a minimum, enactment by the US Congress of the Noahide Laws is a demonstration to scoffers of how easily religious laws can be passed (in violation of the Constitution) which are connected to a death penaly for violation. It is unlikely that most, or perhaps any, of the legislators who voted for the Laws realized that there was such a connection.
Reagan Signs NOAHIDE LAWS, creates EDUCATION DAY