Bibliolatry

A couple of years ago, during a less than comfortable conversation with a parishioner concerning Biblical interpretation, she became very angry when I told her she was interpreting a text literally that was meant to be read metaphorically. She picked up a well worn copy of her "Good News for Modern Man" Bible, held it high in both hands and said, "I believe every word in this Bible, every word is true, I worship this Bible." Well, that about says it all doesn't it?

Eric Gritsh in his book "Toxic Spirituality" would call this "Bibliolatry." Gritsh defines Bibliolatry as "an excessive adherence to the literal interpretation of the Bible" also known as "Fundamentalism." (page 45). Fundamentalism is toxic, it destroys people who do not agree with its premise, and in time, it destroys those who believe or are fundamentalists themselves. The other problem with Bibliolatry is that the person so wrapped up into it turns their worship, and the Bible into gods, a modern day form of idolatry.

Now, if you are a fundamentalist you are probably hyperventilating by now. Well, calm down, first of all, despite what you are probably thinking, I believe the Bible is the Word of God. However, it is not inerrant as you would like to think; there are contradictions, and in a couple of cases just plan goofs.

The notion of an inspired, inerrant Bible can be traced to the first Greek Jewish converts, known as "Hellenists" and has continued down through the ages, picking up steam in the United States by the likes of Dwight L. Moody whose commentaries are still quoted today in fundamentalist congregations.

The danger is threefold: one, the Bible was never meant to be read literally because it wasn't written literally. The Bible is full of stories told as metaphor. Some stories are taken from ancient myth and formed into stories of faith, most stories have been written down generations following the events, passed down generation to generation via the oral tradition. Another danger is that people who read the Bible literally often do what my parishioner did; she "worships" the Bible. The Bible was never intended to be an object of worship, rather a tool of worship. The Bible points us to who we are to worship, not the object of our worship.

The final danger, and the danger that I believe is the one most prevalent today, when read literally, the Bible becomes a weapon. Fundamentalists use the Bible to beat down people who are different than themselves. Of course this only applies when pointing out the sins or lifestyles of others. When the text points out their sins, well then it is ok to stretch the reading just a bit.

Let's read the Bible as God's Word and through it see how God wants us to live our lives.

See you next Sunday