Original post
April 15 2019
April 15 2019
I have come to the conclusion that most religious people pick and choose what scriptures they will follow. Theologians call this behaviour “selective literalization.” It occurs when someone ignores, or does not even recognize, one part of scripture yet recognizes another. It’s all about the pick and choose. Specifically with Christianity, followers of the Bible believe that it is “without error or fault in all its teaching”; or, at least, that “Scripture in the original manuscripts does not affirm anything that is contrary to fact.” All the while, they fail to see the trap that selectively literalizing is. They believe they follow the Law and the Covenant but they do so from the safety of an imaginary editing room. It seems that Christians (like with other religions) take what they want from God and tend to forget about anything that might specifically apply to them. They spend so much energy attacking and judging other people for their lack of loyalty to scripture that they do not realize they themselves are breaking commandments, ignoring the rules and, for the most part, condemning other people rather than pointing the finger at themselves. Sometimes the reason people ignore difficult events in scripture is because it would be to hard to acknowledge the truth yet remain faithful to any deity of choice. For many Christians, the Second Vatican Council of the Catholic Church made clear the doctrine of the inerrancy of scripture, as “the books of Scripture must be acknowledged as teaching solidly, faithfully and without error that truth which God wanted put into sacred writings for the sake of salvation.” If all scripture is valid and true, then I would like someone to explain to me why such strange and often weird parts of the Bible are ‘left on the cutting room floor.’ We take what we want and ignore the rest. We condemn others as we refuse to acknowledge we too are bound to doom by the infallibility of it. Some pills are hard to swallow.
I once sat through a Pentecostal fundraiser where shrimp was served as a part of the appetizer. It was fun watching sinner after sinner suck the cocktail sauce off each. They popped them down like they were candy. I’m not sure that they realized how unclean the entire process really was. It was right there in scripture yet they disregarded the rule completely (Leviticus 11:9-12). Apparently, not one of them stopped to think about the implications. A few years ago, I met Desmond Tutu at a function for one of my charities. The gentleman who sat across from me at our table claimed to follow Jesus in that scary born again way. His loyalty was right in your face. During the evening, I observed him showing another guest his tattoos, including the one “that was still fresh.” He was a good Christian boy, to be sure, as he attempted to evangelize even more from his vantage point. I don’t think he recognized just how ironic his claims of obedience were, considering. I guess they sat all the abominations together at one table for easier judgments. It was nice to have the company. As my tattooed comrade made clear, he did not believe his state of Grace had been compromised by anything, as the ink dried on his arm (Leviticus 19:28).
Whether it’s angels fucking women (Genesis 6:1-4), or the giant offspring that resulted, there are just some parts of the Bible which come across like some X-rated children’s story. Angels with a penis seem rather anthropomorphic, if you ask me, which nobody has. This may be why so many die-hard followers exclude anything inappropriate. It can be a difficult thing locating a just God amidst all the curses and judgments, so many religious people disregard anything that may be construed as contradictory, strange or fictitious, in order to avoid more confusion. If the event does not relate to the sinner at hand, then there is no reason to pay it heed. Most Christians fail to mention one thing after another because there is no real explanation other than the obvious. Instructions on how to handle serpents (Mark 16:18) is rarely tossed about as an option but it is still there, as valid any other divine notion would be. Quite often you can read about this pastor or that pastor dying from the deadly bite of the Lord. Each one only did what he believed was commanded, they followed the instructions. They say this ritual reveals God’s judgment on the bearer, noting that you may just get what you asked for. We are to instructed to believe in every word of the “good book” but each one of us decide what to listen to and what to focus on. We only pay attention to what we see as important, as revealed in God’s message to us. Follow the leader gets an entirely new definition. Somewhere within the pages, you can always find an excuse. Spiritual deflection tends to be the norm. It would be best to remember that just because Jesus walked on water doesn’t mean that we could.
I had no idea that Noah once got drunk and passed out, only to be raped by his son Ham (Genesis 9: 20-27). All the while, his brothers watched. The Old Testament can turn rather kinky rather quickly. It never occurred to me thatLot would rather whore out his daughters than face the wrath of God (Genesis 19:6-8). The very idea that angels need saving, in exchange for mere women, seems rather moot to me. In fact, the God of the Bible can be a sexist pig. Presuming there is something obscene in a woman’s menstrual cycle also presumes that once a month or so every woman becomes unclean. Being ritually unclean for seven days is, apparently, a curse that comes with a transferable condition (Leviticus 15:19-21). Objects and people who interact with said woman must maintain ritual purity. Men of the cloth must avoid her, everyone should. Even to touch her, to touch where she sleeps, or even upon the chair where she sits, is impurity. The very natural act of purging becomes the very judgment of God. You can’t even masturbate when you want to, at least not without divine consequence. You can’t even pull out without the threat of death and destruction. You shall not waste your seed (Genesis 38:8-10). God, so they say, finds masturbation a very “wicked” thing, punishable by death. Talk about anti-climactic. This gives an entirely new meaning to “If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire.” (Matthew 18:8, NIV). It is not just a metaphor when instructed to cut off your hand if it causes you to sin. I can hear billions of men groaning in disapproval. The implications regarding what that scripture really means leaves me imagining the worst. Cut the bloom off and you can never grow seeds.
I had no idea that Noah once got drunk and passed out, only to be raped by his son Ham (Genesis 9: 20-27). All the while, his brothers watched. The Old Testament can turn rather kinky rather quickly. It never occurred to me that
There are two versions of the creation story contained in the first book of the Bible. The account from Genesis 1 differs from the account contained in Genesis 2. The two tales even seem to contradict each other. Rather than some infallible template, we see clearly the reality of the human condition. It stinks of man and goes directly to motive. There is even more to note. Apparently, dinosaurs roamed the planet at the time of Job (40:15-20). The price you pay for hitting below the belt is harsh and will take the hand that did it (Deuteronomy 25:11-12). If you are a fornicator, idolater or an adulterer, you are not welcome in the Kingdom of God Kingdom of God Kingdom of God
Long before my enlightenment, I was introduced to the ideology that Jesus was about return to us and bring with him the End of Days. I was taught to believe that the Apocalypse would free the righteous and sentence the rest. At one point, I was given a copy of The Late, Great Planet Earth (1970) by Hal Lindsey. This piece of work only reaffirmed that the end was near. Almost 40 years later, and I am still waiting. The Second Coming is taking longer than Jesus’ Second Coming. The Christ that I knew as a child is long gone from my thinking. There is no bringer of peace, he has only made things worse. There is no just God, no loving God, just a warrior hell bent on the destruction of anyone who does not necessarily agree with his rule. Everyone forgets to mention that Jesus made it clear who he was talking to, and it most certainly was not just modern man (Mark 13:30). I always thought Jesus was the Prince of Peace, but I was wrong. He wasn’t sent to this planet to help us, he was sent to destroy us, well noting, “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword” (Matthew 10:34, NIV). This is not just some internal dialogue between the Sons of Darkness and the Sons of Light. To the Christian, this is the pinnacle of all the teachings of the New Testament. Unfortunately, warrior Jesus is rarely mentioned. I grew up believing god was love but sometimes that definition can seem repugnant, considering the facts. God is love, but only if you do as you are told (John 6:38-40). Sometimes, the God revealed in scripture is as vile as any creature who He may have sentenced to dwell below (Exodus 11:4-6). Still, there is always hope, regardless of our sins and folly. In the end, there is no end. All this talk about the End Times and the Second Coming seem irrelevant. The prophetic horror of Armageddon is lost in the final act. Their truth be told, a truth so many fail to mention. The Seven Seals, the Anti-Christ, even the Lake of Fire Holy City
Either god hates everyone or god loves everyone. there is no other option. Since we all are equal sinners in His eyes, then the measure of his mercy is not strained. This is such a hard pill to swallow for many. If one is denied, then all shall be denied. If one is taken in, then all receive the same mercy. We all deserve God’s love and acceptance, even if He tosses us off to hell just for good measure. Unlike most religious people, god does not selectively literalize anything, particularly the scriptures he purportedly wrote through inspiration. Picking and choosing scripture is like God’s love. It is either there or it isn’t, one does not get to edit based on mass appeal or personal favouritism. Selectively literalizing scripture is like swimming in an empty pool. The only thing you really get is concrete. The very foundation of the things we follow and do not follow is determined by the level of aware we get, in spite of all the nothing. People base entire relationships on scripture, nothing else matters. Who to and not to listen to becomes more a lifestyle than a moral judgment. We skip this rule but we pay attention to that rule. There is little left for notions like tolerance, humbleness and God’s Grace. I am reminded that I too am a consequence of all my years of “religious training.” I do not see such people as weak or lacking intelligence. I think we all find safety in how we choose to believe and pick what to believe in. We are all human, after all.
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Sources
https://www.bibleodyssey.org/en/passages/related-articles/two-creations-in-genesis
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