This is intended for those who come from a background in which the Bible played an important part of their religious training. If you did not have such an upbringing, or if you don’t care about what the Bible says, you can skip this post. It has a number of Biblical quotations that will probably seem unimportant to you.
If, however, you were raised up with the Bible, you may want to read this, because I address some important issues about what the Bible actually says. Much of what people think they know about the Bible is wrong.
Considerable damage has been done to people by those who have chosen to inflict their own, narrow, incomplete understanding of scripture onto others. Most of the time it is Fundamental Christians who learn a few verses and then turn around and insist to others that if they don’t wholeheartedly believe in their particular interpretation of the Bible, they will certainly go to hell. If these Christians are telling this to their children, such assertions can be terribly frightening and horrifying. Other victims are often those who have become confused, despondent, or deeply hurt by life events, who are seeking solace through spiritual teachings. If they are met with talk of hellfire and damnation, they may also be seriously damaged by such dogmatism.
The main stance of the Fundamentalists is that their scripture is the complete, eternal, “inerrant” (completely accurate, without any errors) Word of God, and the only Word of God. For Christian Fundamentalists, this scripture is the Bible. All other scriptures, no matter how inspiring, meaningful, beautiful, or uplifting, are imperfect at best; and the devil’s work at worst. Only the Bible has the truth, and only their particular understanding of the Bible is valid. Anything else leads to hell. The apparent beauty or meaning of these other scriptures are just the work of Satan, trying to lead you astray.
The Bible itself is divided into two main sections, the so-called “Old Testament” and the New Testament. The “Old Testament” is the scripture of the Jews, their Bible, which I will refer to as the Hebrew Bible. The New Testament is the additional text that is believed by Christians. Fundamentalists believe that both the Old and New Testaments are the Word of God, perfect and complete and unique.
Fundamentalists generally claim to follow the literal meaning of the Bible, both the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament. They believe that certain parts of the Hebrew Bible have been “updated” or “fulfilled” by the New Testament; hence, many Fundamentalists feel it is OK to eat pork or to do certain other things prohibited by the Hebrew Bible.
One of the problems with Fundamental Christians – and indeed, with Fundamentalists of any religion – is the lack of kindness and love they express. They claim to follow their scripture, and can generally recite verses to justify their behavior. They often condemn those who do not follow their beliefs, warning them of hellfire, damnation, sometimes even taking it upon themselves to do harm to these people. For example, they may attack someone who is a homosexual, claiming that God considers a homosexual to be an “abomination”. In fact, the Hebrew Bible does say that the act of same-sex bonding is an abomination; however, it does not condemn the person as being an abomination.
The problem with all this is that the Bible has a great deal of material in it, and it is often contradictory. The Bible cannot be “inerrant,” because it is internally inconsistent if you include both Testaments. A simple example should clarify. In Acts 7:14, it says: “Then sent Joseph, and called his father Jacob to him, and all his kindred, threescore and fifteen souls.” That would be 75 people that Joseph was calling down into Egypt. However, in the Hebrew Bible this number is not 75, but rather 70: Genesis 46:27 “ … all the souls of the house of Jacob, which came into Egypt, were threescore and ten.” The importance here is not how many people actually went down to Egypt. Whether it was 70 or 75 isn’t the issue; it’s that there are two conflicting statements. One of them must be wrong, since the verses refer to the same incident. If the New Testament;version is wrong, then the New Testament; isn’t inerrant; it contains at least one mistake. If it has one, it might have many; but at any rate, you can’t say that it is perfect. If the Hebrew Bible is wrong, you still have a problem, because the New Testament; claims to be based on the Hebrew Bible If the Hebrew Bible is wrong, then the NT is based on an imperfect book, and so it cannot be inerrant. Ultimately, the NT cannot be inerrant in either case.
The next problem is somewhat related. The Bible often makes conflicting statements. We are familiar with the commandment, “Thou shalt not kill” (Exodus 20:13). Simple enough, right? And yet, Exodus 32:27 “… Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Put every man his sword by his side, and go in and out from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbour.” God commands the tribe of Levi to go and kill a bunch of people. Again, Leviticus 20:2 “… he shall surely be put to death: the people of the land shall stone him with stones.” We have one place where God forbids killing, and many other places where God commands people to kill.
This particular problem has an easy solution. The Hebrew doesn’t read, “Thou shalt not kill”. It says, “Thou shalt not murder,” which is an entirely different meaning. Murder is the unsanctioned, unjustified killing of another. Murder is forbidden by the Bible; killing is not. The problem is that this verse is mistranslated, at least in the King James Version of the Bible, which is the most popular English-language version. There are a number of other incorrect translations from the Hebrew. I don’t know whether there are also Greek mistranslations of the New Testament; but it would surprise me if the translators messed up in the Hebrew, and got all of the Greek right somehow. Since most Fundamentalists don’t read Biblical Hebrew or Greek, they must rely on translations; and there is no translation available that is without errors, even if the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts are perfect.
Fundamentalists tend to focus on the sin and punishment parts of the Bible, and to neglect the many verses of love, forgiveness, kindness, and gentleness that are also in the Bible. They want to punish the sinners – but usually, only the sinners they disapprove of – and forget all about the message of love that is in there. Their selection of sins to condemn is also spotty. They are quick to condemn homosexuals as “abominations,” but are often silent about adulterers or Sabbath-breakers. The Bible is clear that adulterers and Sabbath-breakers are as evil as homosexuals.
The following are some quotations taken directly out of the King James Version, along with the chapter and verse numbers. If you like, you can look up each one to make sure they’re really in the Bible. After all, maybe I’m just making all this stuff up… but it’s all there. Even this mistranslated, biased book has some exquisitely beautiful sentiments in it. It’s not all blood and guts, plagues, famines, and earthquakes from a pissed-off God (Oh, “pisseth” is also in the Bible, in several places: 1 Sam. 25:22; 1 Sam. 25:34; 1 Kings 14:10; 1 Kings 16:11; 1 Kings 21:21). That last quote: “Behold, I will bring evil upon thee, and will take away thy posterity, and will cut off from Ahab him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel…” So yes, it meant the same thing back then as it does now, and it shows that people were much the same then…
But the quotes below, I hope, will show that the Bible isn’t all about anger and vengeance, but is about love and forgiveness as well – even more so, in fact.
And thou shalt not glean thy vineyard, neither shalt thou gather every grape of thy vineyard; thou shalt leave them for the poor and stranger: I am the LORD your God.
(Leviticus 19:10)And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not make clean riddance of the corners of thy field when thou reapest, neither shalt thou gather any gleaning of thy harvest: thou shalt leave them unto the poor, and to the stranger: I am the LORD your God.
(Leviticus 23:22)And if thy brother be waxen poor, and fallen in decay with thee; then thou shalt relieve him: yea, though he be a stranger, or a sojourner; that he may live with thee.
(Leviticus 25:35)If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of thy gates in thy land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother: But thou shalt open thine hand wide unto him, and shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need, in that which he wanteth.
(Deuteronomy 15:7-8)For the poor shall never cease out of the land: therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land.
(Deuteronomy 15:11)For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise, saith the LORD; I will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him.
(Psalms 12:5)A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation. God setteth the solitary in families: he bringeth out those which are bound with chains…
(Psalms 68:5-6)The poor is hated even of his own neighbour: but the rich hath many friends.
(Proverbs 14:20)He that despiseth his neighbour sinneth: but he that hath mercy on the poor, happy is he.
(Proverbs 14:21)He that oppresseth the poor reproacheth his Maker: but he that honoureth him hath mercy on the poor.
(Proverbs 14:31)He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD; and that which he hath given will he pay him again.
(Proverbs 19:17)Whoso stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor, he also shall cry himself, but shall not be heard.
(Proverbs 21:13)He that giveth unto the poor shall not lack: but he that hideth his eyes shall have many a curse.
(Proverbs 28:27)Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy.
(Proverbs 31:9)
The following is one of my favorites – it speaks volumes, talks about what people even now are doing. It directly refers to what some so-called “righteous” people do. Note that I have added some explanatory comments in brackets [ ]. Some of the words have meanings different from what modern English would suggest.
Wherefore [why] have we fasted, say they, and Thou seest not? Wherefore [why] have we afflicted our soul, and Thou takest no knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your labours…
Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul? is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the LORD? Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?
(Isaiah 58:3, 5-7)
God is basically saying that He doesn’t care if we afflict ourselves; He wants us to help one another, to show mercy and kindness to each other.
Thou shalt neither vex a stranger, nor oppress him: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt. Ye shall not afflict any widow, or fatherless child. If thou afflict them in any wise, and they cry at all unto me, I will surely hear their cry; And my wrath shall wax hot, and I will kill you with the sword; and your wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless.
(Exodus 22:21-24)For the LORD your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward: He doth execute the judgment of the fatherless and widow, and loveth the stranger, in giving him food and raiment. Love ye therefore the stranger: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.
(Deuteronomy 10:17-19)Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy.
(Psalms 82:3)Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.
(Isaiah 1:17)Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Execute true judgment, and shew mercy and compassions every man to his brother: And oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the stranger, nor the poor; and let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart.
(Zechariah 7:9-10)
This next one basically puts those who oppress the “hireling” (that is, a wage-earner), foreigner, widow, and orphan on an equal level with adulterers and sorcerers.
And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the LORD of hosts.
(Malachi 3:5)
Here, “charity” does not refer to mere almsgiving; it refers to “agape”, unconditional love. This is one of those verses that many Fundamentalists seem to neglect in their haste to condemn those who don’t believe as they do. The gist of this text is that all your religious posturing and acts are meaningless, if you don’t have love for others.
Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity [love], I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity [love], I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity [love], it profiteth me nothing. Charity [love] suffereth long, and is kind; charity [love] envieth not; charity [love] vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity [love] never faileth: but whether [where] there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether [where] there be tongues, they shall cease; whether [where] there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. And now abideth faith, hope, charity [love], these three; but the greatest of these is charity [love].
(1 Corinthians 13:1-13)If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain. Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
(James 1:26-27)
So to sum up: the Bible ought not be taken too seriously, because it is not “inerrant,” perfect, or complete. It is just one holy book among many. Like any other holy book, it contains some outdated, primitive, or barbaric notions that have no place in the modern world. And like any other holy book, it contains verses of great beauty, profundity, and hope. Take what is good and useful, and leave the rest.
If you feel that you must use the Bible, then take the whole thing, not just the angry, condemning bits. There’s plenty in there about sin, wickedness, punishment, and suffering. But don’t overlook the gentleness, the love, beauty, and forgiveness that is also there, that is the most important part.