Cherries in the Bible

Her 8-year-old son approaches her, smelling of graham crackers and orange drink, and subtly says "Mommy, I don't like Derek, because he's loud in class and gets me in trouble. So tomorrow, I'm going to make him spill his drink at lunch."

She kneels down and says "Son, the Bible teaches us to respect one another, love our neighbors, and treat people the way we want to be treated. If you have a problem, tell the teacher. But don't go against God's word."

On the surface, this appears to be a wonderful lesson for the child. It just may work - this time.

But what his mother won't tell him about "God's word" is that it also said to kill a woman who is not a virgin when she gets married (Due 22:20-21), kill anyone who works on the Sabbath day (Exodus 35:2), and that God is okay with slavery (Exodus 21, Ephesians 6:5, & 1 Timothy 6:1).

She won't mention that in John 7:24, we are commanded to pass judgment on others. She'll shy away from 1 Samuel 15:3, where Saul is ordered by God to murder infants, nursing children, and women for the sake of revenge in war.

When she goes to work, she will not discriminate against the gay man down the hall. She thinks he deserves a fair chance, and loves talking to him. But she won't pass judgment as God commanded. She won't kill him as ordered by God in Leviticus 20:13.

When she was given a promotion, she accepted it, despite "God's word" in 1 Timothy 2:11-12 which prevents her from holding authority over a man, and ordering her to learn with submissiveness.

So why do so many Christians cherry-pick the Bible for things that make sense to them, and then completely ignore the horrendous suppression and murders that make them uncomfortable?

All questions will be answered in the end, right?