There is a common narrative among defenders of the Christian faith that, while the Old Testament is bad, the New Testament is much better in that it doesn’t contain many of the horrific things in the Old Testament, like slavery and rampant sexism. However, is this really the case? To examine the validity of this claim, we need to compare the texts of the Old and New Testaments as well as the version of morality portrayed in each book. In doing this, we can find that the version of morality portrayed in the New Testament is just as horrific, in some ways even more so, than the Old Testament, and that it also contains equivalently as many passages condoning rape, murder and other atrocities.
Unlike the Old Testament, the New Testament, comprised of 27 books primarily discussing the teachings and life story of Jesus, is almost exactly the same across all Christian denominations. These books include the Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles and the Book of Revelation, among others. It is speculated by historians that the books were completed around fifty years after Jesus’s death. Thus, academics believe they are mainly secondhand accounts of the stories contained within (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2024).
In examining the New Testament more closely, we can see that one of the central moral tenets present in the text is the idea of original sin. While there is a biblical basis for this concept in the Old Testament, the doctrine was not made official until after the Bible was created, and thus, this teaching is still heavily associated with the New Testament. Specifically, original sin is the idea that we, as humans, were created by God with sin innate within us and that we must redeem ourselves through good works during our lifetimes. The implication of original sin is that without redemption through these good works, we are condemned to eternal punishment in hell. This idea is reprehensible for several reasons, primarily in that it essentially functions as an intimidation tactic for humanity to follow the teachings of the Bible. In other words, we are not compelled to follow the teachings of Jesus because it is the right thing to do, but rather because if we do not, we will suffer eternal punishment. Even worse, we aren’t even given the chance to grow into adults before being judged, rather, we are given an ultimatum from the moment of birth, before any of us even have any sense of agency or self-awareness (The Most Evil Idea in the New Testament - Richard Dawkins, 2024).
Additionally, another moral tenet heavily associated with the story of Jesus is the concept of vicarious redemption, or the idea of placing the burden of your responsibilities on another person. Specifically, according to scripture, we are made to believe Jesus died on the cross for our sins in an act of selfless love. We are also taught to accept this act as magnanimous. However, unlike what the Bible may have taught you to believe, shirking your responsibilities by having someone else take the blame is not amiable or noble, especially considering we weren’t even given a choice in the matter. In fact, that is what’s commonly known as not accepting responsibility. Again, this essentially functions as an intimidation tactic. We are told that Jesus’s act was magnanimous even though we did not ask him to do it and had no agency in the matter. As with the idea of original sin, the implication of being supplanted as the primary agent in determining our moral destiny corrupts the very nature of moral action (Christopher Hitchens - Vicarious Redemption, 2011). Apart from these broader moral principles discussed throughout the text, in examining specific passages concerning ethical behavior in the New Testament, we can find many pieces of text condoning atrocities like rape and genocide, just as in the Old Testament.
As mentioned previously, there is also the common misconception that the New Testament is free from passages condoning slavery, rape and murder and other crimes. However, one only needs to search for a few minutes to find passages that are just as abhorrent as anything in the Old Testament. For example, a passage condoning slavery can be found in Peter 2:18; “You who are slaves must accept the authority of your masters with all respect. Do what they tell you--not only if they are kind and reasonable, but even if they are cruel”. Similarly, a passage discussing and condoning rape can be found in Revelation 2:22; “Beware, I am throwing her on a bed, and those who commit adultery with her I am throwing into great distress, unless they repent of her doings; and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches will know that I am the one who searches minds and hearts, and I will give to each of you as your works deserve”. These passages are just the tip of the iceberg, with many more to be found throughout the text.
So, if there is so much bad stuff in the New Testament, why do we have this prevailing narrative that it’s “better” than the Old Testament. In pondering this question, we are quickly confronted with the way the Christian religion has been forced to adapt to the forces of modernization. The reality is that Christian theology has been forced to regress so much by the advancement of science and rationality, that instead of defending the Old Testament, which was common years ago, the prevailing narrative is now that the Old Testament is just that, old. On the other hand, the New Testament is newer and therefore supposedly more akin to modern forms of morality, or at least, that’s what the narrative is for those who are still believers. However, based on this essay, one can see that the contents of the New Testament are equally horrific as the Old Testament, and with regards to overarching moral principles espoused in the text, even more so. Thus, the next time we hear someone defend the contents the New Testament, we shouldn’t hesitate to point them to one of the questionable passages mentioned in this essay. Hopefully, through education and scientific advancement, the next step will be to get rid of the premise of Christianity altogether.
References
Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. (2024d, December 16). New testament. Encyclopædia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/New-Testament
Holy Bible : Contemporary English Version. (1995). New York :American Bible Society,
YouTube. (2011, April 14th). Christopher Hitchens - Vicarious Redemption. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=By9JJSVzlTw
YouTube. (2024, January 20th). The Most Evil Idea in the New Testament - Richard Dawkins. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QkZ8_mLCoA