Bible Hiders

No, I am not talking about people that have some compulsive disorder in which they hide their bibles.

I mean, what would you call that, Biblical compulsive disorder?

Anyway, moving on.

I am talking about people that hide behind the Bible.

That’s right. Those folks out there that justify their less-than-stellar-behavior and judgments of others based on the Bible.

I don’t like them.

Seriously.

Don’t get me wrong, I consider myself to be a faithful person who believes in God, Jesus Christ as my savior and that the Bible serves as a great manual for life.

But….

And prepare yourself because if there were a big pile of doggie doo in the middle of the room, I am about to stomp in it…

(And seriously, I am not a Bible expert by any stretch of the imagination so please do not take this post to be some expert opinion on theology and the Bible. It is simply a perspective….mine)

There are certain writings in the Bible that I disagree with, question, struggle with and otherwise think might be a (hold on now) bunch of whoeey (spelling on this- I'm not so sure about).

Oh, no I didn’t.

But, yes I did.

I did just say that perhaps we need to put the Bible in a bit of a different perspective. Actually, I didn’t say exactly that but it is what I meant.

For instance, "Neither shall a garment mingled of linen and woolen come upon thee." -- Leviticus 19:19.

Alright then...you better start stripping or hit your knees and start asking for forgiveness.

I’ll be right back...I’m gonna hit the deck here for a sec....given that it’s -5 degrees here and I’ve got about 10 layers of clothing on I’m guessing I just blew this rule out of the water.

Seriously.

Historically speaking, the reason for this law is simple. It is believed that the pagans wore mixed fabrics and this was a way for the non-pagans to distinguish themselves.

I’m hoping that my behavior, not my clothing, helps distinguish me from those pagans running around out there.

Just saying.

"When a woman has a discharge of blood, which is her regular discharge from her body, she shall be in her impurity for seven days, and whoever touches her shall be unclean until evening." -- Leviticus 15:19-20

So, this is simply guilt by association. Does that mean that when I go to a meeting for work, I need to announce to the room that “It’s that time. Don’t touch. And, oh, by the way, don’t sit where I have sat just in case.”

Becuase apparently anything I sit on then becomes "impure".

Seriously.

And if you visit my house, better be prepared to stand because you’re SOL for seating.

I’m sure that’d go over like a ton of bricks. And, well, truth be told, it’s a little bit embarrassing. It’s a bit like being Hester Prynne (you know...from the Scarlett Letter) but instead of an “A” for adulterer it’d be an “I” for impure.

It’d be like going into an emergency room and someone announces “Watch out, she’s a bleeder”.

Seriously.

"When men fight with one another, and the wife of the one draws near to rescue her husband from the hand of him who is beating him, and puts out her hand and seizes him by the private parts, then you shall cut off her hand." -- Deuteronomy 25:11-12

Are you kidding me?

Not that I plan on running out and grabbing someone’s package in the near future, but seriously, how insane is that? Why so specific? If I kick him in the you-know-what am I okay?

Seriously.

"For everyone who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death. He has cursed his father or his mother. His blood shall be upon him." (Leviticus 20:9)

You know as well as I do that every teenager in America would be dead and human beings as we know them would have been extinct many, many years ago if we held ourselves accountable to this one.

Seriously.

And I know that all of these are from the Old Testament and that there are lots (most Christians if I'm not mistaken) of people that believe that when Jesus died on the cross, these rules were "erased".

But....

And watch out now....because my second foot is heading into that pile of poo.....

If all of these “rules” were forgiven with the death of Jesus on the cross then why do we cling so tightly to this one.

"If a man lies with a male as he lies with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination. They shall surely be put to death. Their blood shall be upon them." (Leviticus 20:13)

Some would say it is because the word abomination is used. Okay.

In some versions of the Bible the word abomination is also used to discuss the eating of shellfish.

So you Red Lobster lovers out there better hit your knees and start asking for forgiveness.

Again, I am most definitely NOT a Bible expert. Someone out there (and I could give you names of people I think are going to) is going to say I am wrong.

Fine. Go for it. Have a ball!

There is lots of theological and biblical research out there. Lots and lots of it. And lots and lots of it come to different conclusions about different things.

My purpose in pointing this out is simply this....I use the Bible to figure out ways in which I can live my life in a positive manner. I try (and am not always successful) to not use the Bible to judge others or impose my beliefs upon them. Rather, unless your life choices dramatically impede upon someone else’s life, it’s your business.

Now, if you go out and, you know, try to murder someone, that could be an issue. I would consider that a pretty dramatic impediment to their life.

And what really gets under my skin....when people apply parts of the Bible in judgment of others but they are somehow exempt from parts of the Bible that apply to their life.

Really?

And yes....I fully recognize and own that this is a very shallow and basic look at some biblical verses but the thought it the same. While there is some real value to much of what is said in the Bible, perspective is important as well. The historical time period in which the Bible was written must be considered. This is something that I often struggle with and have had discussions with many people about. I was once speaking with someone and he made a good point. During biblical times, following the rules was a way to ensure that people were incorporating God into their daily life. Therefore, if I had to think long and hard about the material I was going to wear that day, the idea was that I had also thought long and hard about God.

While I am sure the intention was there, I am not sure that this is how God intended us to use the Bible. I’m sure I can establish better ways to incorporate God into my daily life like, you know, oh, having a conversation or two with him throughout the day. Or, acknowledging his presence and role in my life.

Which I do.

Just in case you were wondering.

I don’t think God intended us to use the Bible as a way to discard people, or judge them or treat them poorly because we think that since our decision is based on Biblical principles, we are better than them.

What a crock of poo that is.

I am a firm believer that faith is personal. So my faith is my faith. Not my neighbor’s faith, not my coworkers faith, etc.

I think sometimes we get so caught up in following the rules and the legalistic side of religion and the Bible that we forget that it’s not about the rules, it about the relationship that you have with God. While there are certain things I don’t believe belong in church, like visible bra straps and cleavage (tacky people, just tacky), I don’t think God cares what we wear as long as we show up.

So, if God were to judge you (whoever you are) as much as we as a society judge each other, what would he (or she...I just can’t help myself) say?

And I certainly apologize if this offends anyone, that is not the purpose. It is simply in the hopes that it will encourage people to think about what they spout as reasons for their behavior and perhaps offer a bit of perspective.

Because I think if you’re husband is getting his a$$ kicked, you should be able to grab a guy’s package to save your husband’s.

And when it’s cold outside, I think you should be able to wear whatever it is that keeps you from getting frost-bitten for just looking outside.

And I certainly hope you’ll have a seat if you ever come visit me.

Seriously.