Should Disobedient Children Be Stoned?

The Bible says yes.

Deuteronomy 21:18-21 (KJV)

If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son, which will not obey the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother, and that, when they have chastened him, will not hearken unto them:Then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him, and bring him out unto the elders of his city, and unto the gate of his place;And they shall say unto the elders of his city, This our son is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton, and a drunkard.And all the men of his city shall stone him with stones, that he die: so shalt thou put evil away from among you; and all Israel shall hear, and fear.

This verse is a good example of why I'm skeptical of interpreting the Bible by a literal reading of the plain text. Such an approach leads to ethically dubious conclusions, in my opinion, including such doctrines as the flat earth, polygamy, and infant damnation.

How then should we interpret the Bible? Here are some of my principles:

1. I'm suspicious of anything that isn't explicitly stated in the Bible. It doesn't mean that such doctrines are not true. It just means I apply a higher level of questioning before I can accept them. These include, for example, the doctrine of the rapture and trinity-- two words that don't appear in the Bible.

2. The more difficult the doctrine is to understand, the less important it is. It doesn't mean that it isn't true. Just that it isn't all that important. Fundamental truth is fundamentally simple.

3. I minimize Bible teachings about things that are in the distant past (such as Genesis) or in in the future (The Revelations). It's hard enough to deal with the "now" than to get worked up about events that have happened or will happen. I prefer to focus on things that I can change or that changes me.

4. I interpet the Bible through my understanding of the character of Jesus, whom I view as the supreme ethical model and as someone who would not stone anyone.