I would first like to confirm that I am not a religious man. I hold no faith in god(s), though I can respect in some ways a persons devotion to something higher than themselves. The following is a brief overview of things I have learned during the course of my religious explorations. Though it may not directly answer your question, I'm sure it will shed some light on the sometimes strange policies of Christianity.

As somewhat of a disclaimer, I understand that the church(es) do not represent the entire population of Christians, and those who choose to follow the examples of Christ are sometimes unjustifiably thrown in the pot and judged by the actions of the church.

Christianity, the church and the bible, have all been subject to revision and alteration ever since the first gospel was put to parchment. Insight from the dead sea scrolls has shown that although we accept the new testament to be truth, it is far from the whole story. There were many gospels written although those that did not reflect the divinity of Jesus Christ were omitted by counsel. As such, many religious sects still follow the practices set forth by gospels that remain only in the the hearts of some followers.

Early Christians had varying beliefs and policies determined by geographical location, political leadership and how many other gods happened to be in the neighborhood. Admittedly, that last sentence was deliberately comical. Before Christianity there were many gods. After Christianity, there was only one true god and that has since developed into there being only one god.

Christianity has undergone many changes and policy reviews by the church. Though many hold the belief that the will of god is not subject to change, the dogmatic approach of the church has proven otherwise. Church policy on the bible has changed dramatically over the years. At one point people were tortured and killed for possession of the bible as at the time, the word of the local bishop was the word of god and study of the bible was considered heresy. Ghastly I know, but the truth is often ugly. This is not meant to demonize the church or Christianity in anyway. Policy changes are affected by government, economy, population and the like. Though long ago it seemed that feudal lords were the government, more often than not they were controlled by the church.

The modern church has a less visible impact on government. Democracy is not subject to the will of the church, so once again church policy must change in order to suit the times. People no longer burn at the stake for being witches, homosexuals are no longer stoned in the streets and you no longer go to heaven for killing Saracens. Some would argue that the will of the church is no longer the will of god, yet the dogmatism of the church is as strong as ever.

As you can see, policies of christians are not set in stone, unlike the ten commandments. As long as you follow the word of the church, your policies will be subject to current events, and be in a constant state of flux. As such, enjoy lamb while you can because next year the eating of lamb could result in a stoning.

Those of you who do not follow the church, but instead serve god by your own understanding of either the bible or other writings, may be outraged at my article by now. Understandably, as you have been tossed in the pot with the rest of Christians. However, I encourage the pursuit of truth, albeit not yours. Please keep in mind, there will always be your truth, my truth and the truth.

Hoping you found this article informative and controversial, and I hope to see some feedback. Happy reading

Scott