And About the Bible . . .

                                                                                       

 Some years ago, we had a lovely couple as long-time tenants of the house where Justin and family now live. They were excellent tenants, not only keeping everything in good repair, but making needed improvements. They were also committed Jehovah's Witnesses.

                                                                                       

They asked, at our first meeting, if that would be a problem and we said of course not--but we're not interested in Watchtowers and Bible study. 

That understood, we had an excellent relationship. Then, some years later when Ethan was getting ready to go to college, the wife of the pair gave me a book for Ethan to read. All about the Bible and what it means and how to lead a biblical life.

I thanked her and said I'd pass it on to him. But, I warned her, we don't "believe" in the Bible as anything more that a collection of old stories and songs, passed down and changed over and over in the passing.

She was gobsmacked. Around here, the prevalent religion was Baptist and those folks take their Bible seriously. Or pretend to.

                                                                                        

Now I'm the one who's gobsmacked--at the rise of Christian Nationalism in this country--which was founded by people escaping the lack of religious freedom in England.  

Alabama's Chief Justice and Speaker Mike Johnson are two recent examples of politicians basing their decisions on the Bible--which is a lot like using a map from 1700 to drive to California. 

I am wary of a government run by folks who care less for the here and now than a hoped-for heaven. Why worry about the environment? The Rapture will be coming any day.

When John was in grad school at University of Iowa, studying Comparative Religion, I had no job. So I  typed all his papers and, having an interest in the subject, read most of his textbooks. 

It was fascinating to learn how errors in translation and doctrinal disputes had shaped the Bible over the years. Man's work made the book what it is.

In the King James version, it rises to poetry in places. Some of the New Testament, the Beatitudes for example, is pretty darn woke. But the Inerrant Word of God? Give me a break.

Running a government based on the 'Holy Book' of a subset of the population is wrong. It would be wrong if it were the Queran, the Vedas, the Analects of Confucious, the Torah, the Tripitaka. . . or Atlas Shrugged or the poems of Rod McKuen.

And it's wrong when it's the Bible.