Blog #10

Purity/Impurity, as Douglas describes, are things that create unity in experience. Purity creates order, and impurity highlights the disorder. That order is following the life that God wants mankind to follow, therefore purity is the way of God, and impurity is sinning. The problem with following the way of purity is the challenge of doing so. Sinning is a part of being a human being, which means impurity is inevitable. God understands this though, through his history of being a part of every interaction ever. As Kaufmaa says “impurity is not bound up with demoniac activity.” Straying from the way of God and purity does not lead directly to damnation. To right the impurities you have demonstrated, the only way back to purity is to do as God has given within the scriptures. Purity/Impurity not only represent spiritual characteristics, but also physical. For example, as represented by Leviticus, in the culture of the Israelites, there are strict procedures to follow to stay cleanly. They cannot ingest blood, for blood is the main transmitter of disease. Also, animals that were described as “unclean” were said to be toxic. God, within Leviticus 1-11, creates rules as in the offerings of grain. In Leviticus 19, God describes rules of which humans should carry themselves and act. Here you see God creating order. Without this order of following the pure way, humans will live in chaos which can be exposed during the times humans stray from purity.