From: Damien Broderick (thespike@earthlink.net)
Date: Thu Feb 20 2003 - 15:38:17 MST
Ramez Naam comments:
>I am indeed referring to Onan "spilling his seed". I
> haven't heard that interpretation before, though it makes a certain
> kind of sense.
Hey, it's not an *interpretation*, it's what's right there on the page:
Genesis 38
6 Judah got a wife named Tamar for his first-born, Er. 7 But Er, Judah's
first born, greatly offended the Lord; so the Lord took his life. 8 Then
Judah said to Onan, "Unite with your brother's widow, in fulfillment of your
duty as brother-in-law, and thus preserve your brother's line." 9 Onan,
however, knew that the descendents would not be counted as his; so whenever
he had relations with his brother's widow, he wasted his seed on the
ground, to avoid contributing offspring for his brother. 10 What he did
greatly offended the Lord, and the Lord took his life too. 11 Thereupon
Judah said to his daughter-in-law Tamar, "Stay as a widow in your father's
house until my son Shelah grows up" - for he feared that Shelah also might
die like his brothers. So Tamar went to live in her father's house.
Incredibly, the loons who have this posted at
http://www.godsplanforlife.org/Onan_account.htm
simply ignore what's on the page and editorially head the extract thus:
< The culture of death will not be defeated until there is repentance from
contraception. >
Ah well. For the continuing inspirational adventures of Tamar, Shelah and
that godly and horny man Judah, I refer you to the biblical text.
Damien Broderick
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