By Cyril Anderson

 Some Christians, particularly those influenced by the teachings of the Epistles of Paul, see the laws of the Torah followed by Jews, and similarly the laws of the Muslims known as shariah, as a yoke, a contraining burden with no real purpose

 This was one of the thrusts of the arguments of Paul in his preaching to the Gentile masses in his travels through the Hellenic world teaching his particular interpretation of the teachings of Jesus (as)  According to Paul, the law was simply an impossible burden which was done away with by the sacrifice of Jesus (as) on the cross.  In this view, the Law of the Torah was just a set of arbitrary Laws of no practical value, designed solely to test the obedience of the Israelites

 As a result, Paul taught a much easier path to the Gentiles, a path that disregarded the Jewish laws, in particular referring to the dietary restrictions of the Jews and the Abrahamic covenant of circumcision.  Paul taught that there is no value to these practices, that again, they were arbitrary tests of obedience

 However, nothing could be farther from the truth.  God is not an arbitrary Law Giver; rather, He is the best lawgiver, and gives all His laws with meaningful reasons behind them.  First of all, one must understand the purpose of law.  Law is meant to regulate the behaviour of people in a society so as to bring proper balance and bring about the best possible state of affairs.  To make good laws requires high knowledge of nature of humans biologically and psychologically, emotionally, so as to design rules that will bring about the best state of affairs if followed.

 God has such knowledge, and the laws that He has sent down over time to Humans, early on through Moses (as) in the Torah, later Jesus (as) through the Gospel, and Muhammad (saws) through the Qu’ran and the shariah based on it systems of law that represent blueprints for the best possible society, principles that when applied to the specific time and conditions of life will give the best ways of life for people.  These laws are meant to be very practical; not only do they test obedience to God, with reward for doing so in the next life, but as a reinforcement to follow the laws, the benefits of following the laws is seen in this life as well. 

 There are reasons behind the divine law.  Humans may not be able to know them all, but the idea is that God does not give arbitrary laws.  There is always a rational reason, though it may not always be clear.  But because God is just and his justice is compatible with our reason and our internal natural sense of justice, it is possible to understand to a reasonable level.

 One example of the wisdom of the Divine Law is the Abrahamic covenant of circumcision, which  Paul taught is useless.  Paul has clearly been proven wrong by recent research in medicine, that demonstrates an important benefit of circumcision; it apparently cuts rates of HIV transmission in males by up to 60%. 

Further research needs to be done to confirm results before further action, but results indicate that a program of preventative circumcisions of all male infants in for example Africa could potentially save hundreds of thousands, if not millions of lives, all with a cheap, simple, and ancient medical procedure.

 Another example is the laws of diet; science shows the harms of for example eating pork, both on the body and on the environment trough the pollution caused by pig farms.  Numerous studies demonstrate the harmful social effects of such vices as alcohol consumption and gambling, both of which Islamic law prohibits.

 Further studies show that these laws, when examined carefully in the light of the complete legal systems of which they are a part, are great blessings given by our creator to us.  They offer, in a way, a useful instruction manual, or guidelines from the Being who engineered us in the first place and who knows us best, our strengths and our weaknesses, and what is best for us and what is harmful, now, in the past, and in the future.  Far from being a yoke or burden, these laws provide a liberation for those who choose to follow them by freeing them from harmful consequences.