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Monday, September 23, 2019

They Can Pry My Bible From My Cold Dead Fingers

I wondered recently (5th item) how it could be that an "inclusive" country like Finland could allow such an offensive book as the Bible to remain legally available there. It was, of course, sarcasm, but too often what is sarcastic can be way too close to what is true. With the offensiveness of the Bible coupled with the "offended" mentality of the nation, how long before this becomes real?

"Offended" mentality? Yes, that's the current perspective that a basic human right (as long as you're among the "correct" group) is to not be offended. If something is offensive, it is wrong ... possibly criminal. There will be blood.

"Wait ... 'offensiveness of the Bible'?" Yes, and you know it, right?

The Bible says that women are not permitted to teach or have authority over men (1 Tim 2:12). Certainly sounds sexist. Add in "Wives, submit to your husbands" (Eph 5:22) and now it's certain. Discrimination on the basis of gender. The Bible includes an event where God orders King Saul to kill every man, woman, child, infant, ox, sheep, camel and donkey among the Amalekites (1 Sam 15:3). Really? Genocide? The Bible doesn't stutter when it says that those who practice homosexual behavior will not be allowed into the kingdom of God (1 Cor 6:9-10). Now, that's just anti-LGBT, isn't it? The Bible recognizes only a binary gender world (Gen 1:27; Gen 5:2). Not very inclusive at all. And, of course, let's not forget, "Slaves, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect" (1 Peter 2:18). So, the Bible endorses slavery. Yikes!1

We in America used to believe in the freedom of speech and the freedom of religion and the freedom of the press. Well, in theory, at least. That hasn't stopped the government from impinging on all of them. Pastors cannot speak about politics from the pulpit (not freedom of speech) and people with religious views that prevent them from participating in morally offensive behavior must do so if they own a business (not freedom of religion). And without getting touchy about it ("That evil government hates us!"), the government has often censured and censored books and such for centuries. With all that, given the offensiveness of the Bible to the modern culture (although, if properly understood, this all makes much more sense than they give it credit for, especially when they start from an "anti-God" perspective) and the current view that seeks to criminalize that which offends, it seems as if the days of having a Bible legally are numbered.
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1 For the sake of clarity, 1) No, I am not counting the hours until they come for my Bibles and 2) the Bible is not sexist, or hateful toward those LGBT folks. The Bible does not support genocide or slavery (or even polygamy). The only way to argue that it does is to ignore the plain texts in context and clear intent of Scripture. But the world at large is not concerned with either plain texts or clear intentions, especially of the Bible.

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