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The Bible is Bad
“The Bible is a homophobic, racist, misogynist, violent document that suppresses minorities.” Statements such as this are often insisted upon by adversaries of Christianity. Attacks against the Bible sometimes begin with such generalities. When public university students confronted me with assumed grievances against Scripture, I would respond with three questions.
One, have you read the Bible within the context of the time it was written? Two, can you give me examples from your study of the Bible that would give evidence of what you claim? And three, by what standard do you evaluate ethics from the Bible or anything else?
My questions were always greeted with silence; students had not thought to honestly assess the Bible.
So, is the Bible an anti-sex, anti-gender, anti-race, anti-love, anti-minority document? Nothing could be farther from the truth. Genesis 12 says that God’s intention is to bless all the peoples of the earth through Israel. Deuteronomy 10 declares that God loves the orphan, widow, or displaced stranger and expects His people to do the same. God is “no respecter of persons,” says Paul in Romans 2. God shows no partiality between people or people groups. So where do human problems come from?
What folks who attack the Bible do not want to acknowledge, is that all the problems in the world begin with us, not God. Seeds of hate and violence come from the human heart. And when anyone wants to declare something as ‘bad,’ my response is always the same, “By what standard are you declaring a standard? Where do you think standards come from?” The very Book that people want to attack is The Book that has given the world the concepts of freedom, individuality, rights, and protection from the powerful. Yes, the Bible outlines boundaries and limitations for human living. But the Bible also gives the very basis for equality between people. For the Comenius Institute, this is Dr. Mark Eckel, Executive Director of the Center for Biblical Integration at Liberty University, personally seeking truth wherever it’s found. [First published at MarkEckel.com]
Next week: Why the Bible is Good
Published in General
One can only hope that today’s youth have enough children so that they may be judged by their offspring by what ever the next social fad’s relative context.
I probably don’t know the Bible as well as most Ricochetti, Mark, so excuse me if this is a dumb question. What is the connection between the photo and the article?
Four, would you say the same about the Koran?
I am a Christian and believe all of Scripture is the Word of God. But if someone said, “The Bible is a homophobic, racist, misogynist, violent document that suppresses minorities” I would have to say, “Are you talking about all 66 books of the (Protestant) Bible? About the Psalms? About the Proverbs? About the Book of Ruth? The teachings of Jesus? Or books of history? Or Epistles to Churches” It’s important if their prejudice comes from any knowledge whatsoever.
Certainly the Bible has been used to promote ‘homophobia’, racism, misogyny, violence (and then some), and the suppression of minorities. Specific passages can be taken out of context to do so. Sometimes even in context.
While I agree that the Bible in toto is unfavorable to the above, and that reading without regard to when it was written is presentism that prevents understanding*, people who are only about gay/race/women/peace/race again are likely to find the First Testament to be a little off.
It doesn’t help that ‘We’re all sinners, but especially you,’ is a message that frequently gets pointed at some of the groups above.
My point is that while I agree that the Bible is misjudged in regard to…interest groups, it is not completely misjudged and while one could say, ‘holy texts don’t kill people, people do’, sometimes there is a paper trail.
* though I would point out that Christians maintain that it is timeless.
Great question! I really struggled with connecting the visual with the verbal on this one. Finding pictures of something “bad” offered few options. I went with “rubbish” or “trash” to make the connection. Thanks for putting up with my lack of artistic creativity!
The Bible isn’t homophobic, the homosexuals are God-ophobic – and for good reason… Racist? No one told Phillip… Minorities? Like the Jews?
why it’s almost as if those who think themselves the pagan elect might be re-writing the Bible – that they’ve never read. 😊
Yes. Yes. Yes. I don’t know how many times I used that simple question in public university. It usually shut down the discussion.
Indeed. “Taken out of context” is true. There will always be those who use any text to support their POV. I actually addressed this idea in a faculty teaching this past week. I cannot adjudicate every false hermeneutic but I can continue to argue for the universal idea posited here. Point one is crucial for me and needs to be applied in whatever situation I find myself in. Thanks so much for engaging. I will continue to expand my teaching on this point.
One of my favorite bits of Shakespeare:
I am an Agnostic on the existence of God and the validity of Christianity, yet I wholeheartedly agree with the author’s post. I have read the vast majority of the Bible (if not all, I’m not sure). Most naysayers just like to cherry pick verses or passages that seem to bolster their personal narratives. It is a common human fault.
Clear, refreshing thoughts. Thanks.
Most atheists and apatheists don’t seem to give much thought to where their ethical standards come from. Many seem to absorb them through osmosis from others.
But all of the ethical standards that have ever survived for any length of time are founded on belief in God, and the reasonable conclusions that derive from that belief.
Reading the Koran (admittedly in English, which Muslims would characterize as a paraphrase rather than a translation, since only the Arabic version is legitimate) made me appreciate the Bible more.
No offense to my Muslim friends, but there’s not much in the Koran other than “obey the Prophet.” While it says that all male believers should be treated fairly and equally, it makes no such assertion about people generally.
It is interesting that Islam has, to a greater extent than Christianity, spread through force rather than through peaceful persuasion. On the flag of Saudi Arabia is the Muslim shahada – the basic statement of faith – and beneath it, a sword.
Muslims invented truth or consequences.