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bible breakup
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My name is David Hayward, and I am the nakedpastor. I am a graffiti artist on the walls of religion.
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‘It’s not you, it’s me – I thought you were something different to what you are. There will be other people out there who haven’t been brought up with such limited expectations for a book full of human experience and wisdom and varied ideas about God, alienation and redemption through love.’
OMG Bridget totally with you on that one!!
Still useful for transformation. What ever is good, what ever is noble….. Some good advice here and there.
I remember well the day my bible stopped being an idol to me. The breakup was unexpected, kind of scary. Eventually we found a way to become friends without all the false pretenses.
Powerful… I’ve always believed the bible was one way of telling the story. If you’ve felt differently, then the breakup must be devastating. There’s another layer too, of breaking up with the “great thinkers” who have “interpreted” its texts to us. They leave us without a tradition…
Here’s to finding a way to stay friends
We could all stand to break up with lots of books, gurus, gods and heros. The Bible is only one such example — but big in America.
I felt guilty for years for not reading it because it was the top of the priority list if you were a Christian. We broke up officially about a year ago. I had heard someone say, if you can’t hear the Bible (what Jesus says specifically) in a tone of love then you are reading it wrong. I never heard love but disappointment, anger, and frustration. So I just stopped and instead am experiencing love in real life.
I never grew up with the Bible being an idol, or some sort of magic, or something to whap people over the head with, or shove down their throat. I was lucky that way.
Tradition and aother biblical writings were given great weight as well, and the bible was not something that was seen as literal or without error… God inspired meant God was the muse or concept that moved people to write about their experiences, as well as a history and a bit of a rule book.
In fact, in my circle of middle-of-the-road liberal-leaning, United Baptist folk, the more fundamental bible-thumping was seen as ‘showmanship’ and somewhat tacky, and misguided, as were the hands-palms-up-eyes-closed VERY LOUD, “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus” crowd. Hands in the air, eyes shut wasn’t that bad, but the loud “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus’ was enought to set my mom’s teeth on edge… which for a well-read bible-savvy, kind hearted, Baptist minister’s wife, was, in my opinion, saying something.
So, luckily I never had the breakup with the bible, we were friends in the first place, and when I broke up with god, it was a whole different process over time. The bible and I aren’t as tight as we used to be, but we still hang out from time to time.
Love this one, David. I keep going round in my head with the question of who do I love, God or the Bible? The first step for me was seeing that they were not one in the same. And… right on Bridget! I will have to remember that little gem, “There will be other people out there who haven’t been brought up with such limited expectations for a book full of human experience and wisdom and varied ideas about God, alienation and redemption through love.” Spot. On.
This is just amazing to me. That the center of one’s faith would be in a book. God is so much bigger than that! Hopefully after the breakup, a new, fuller relationship is found.
“I’m just not able to accept you for what you are, rather than what i want you to be. Andthat’s not fair to you.”
David, there’s no way to explain to you how weird it is to see so much of my experience put into cartoon form.
My love affair with the bible was a sham. I was in a literal, dogmatic church bible-wise, and I believed it, felt beholden to it, felt guilty whenever I couldn’t follow it to the letter, tried to *really* understand it.
But I never “got it”. I hated reading the bible alone, I never read it for enjoyment, I was never edified by it, I didn’t hear God speak through it. There was no passion. But I didn’t dare say so. It was a “beard” more than a lover. I didn’t want them to know I couldn’t see the emperor’s clothes.
And when I left and tried to see what I might not have let myself see before, I found a different book, one that was soft of things I felt condemn by it for, but tough on other things in a way I had refused to see. It was a different book. But it was still a sham.
And then the view of how the bible came to be and what it meant among my friends and spiritual travel companions shifted. Not a rulebook but a collection, an authority but without obedience.
And then I only had one question: “Why?” Why this book? Why do we think it valuable? Why would be consider it an authority? Why do we let it get away with things we wouldn’t stand from other books?
And there was no aura to peel away, because I never felt it. No tears to cry because I never cared for it. And yet, there it is.
I’d still like an answer.
@Christine
“Why?” Why this book? Why do we think it valuable? Why would be consider it an authority? Why do we let it get away with things we wouldn’t stand from other books?
What do you think is the answer?
The Bible is PHAT!
Honestly, Brigitte, I’m starting to think there isn’t one – at least, not a good one. (This is based mostly on the complete failure of those who think it valuable to provide any solid reason why they feel that way.)
It is because of the Bible that I missed out on gaining knowledge through other books. I was taught the only book I should be reading was the Bible, and I believed and followed their advice. Thankfully, I have come out of that, and I am doing a lot of catching up!
The value of the Bible is not in rigidity or absolutes. The value is in its call for us to move forward and beyond the experiences and theology of the authors. The whole collection is instructive and informative. There are experiences that are inspiring and other experiences that serve as a warning and experiences with the divine, the profane, and the ordinary. And there is metaphor and parables and morality puzzles and layers of meaning. The Bible is not to be read, it is to be mined. The Bible is neither an instant mix or fix – it needs time to simmer and ferment – and it needs to have other long-established theologies of love and grace and peace and service stirred into it and peppered and spiced with questions and doubt.
Treat the Bible as a singular xenophobic end-all be-all – and it is worthless.
” It was a “beard” more than a lover. I didn’t want them to know I couldn’t see the emperor’s clothes.”
Christine, that is a really powerful way to convey that relationship, and one that portrays my relationship not to the bible, but more to the ‘feeling/knowing/hearing’ god… Even at my most believing, I never had the experience of God talking directly to me and telling me what to do, but so many people I knew seemed to have this… I always had my doubts and confusions; the times where I truly felt god or heard god, it was at a deep sensing level…not anyting spoken or any kind of instruction.
I never pretended to have that, but… I really hid a lot of doubt and confusion, and because of that, of not continuing to question in the face of those that seemed to be so certain, to have heard god so clearly…I really did feel I was ‘faking it’ so that others wouldn’t feel uncomfortable.
Doug – Here’s where I think I don’t get it:
1) In order to get value out of the bible, as you describe, we need an *independent* sense of right and wrong – those other long-established theologies included – something to teach us what to be inspired by and what to be appalled by and show us what direction that “moving forward” is actually going in. But, if we can already do that without the bible, what is it giving us exactly?
2) If the bible is to be used as you described, what gives it a special status? Wouldn’t just about all great literature, particularly combined, do a better job than this one collection of texts?
3) Christianity existed for five centuries without a definiitve collection of texts called “the bible” and another thousand before the individual believer could or was allowed to read it. In fact, the obsession (read: idolatry) over the bible as the *only* guide and as a rigid rulebook has corresponded with notably less grace, compassion, forgiveness and justice within Christianity. Isn’t the bible doing us more harm than good?
Christine…great observations all of them. I particularly like your 3rd one and have been an advocate against biblical idolatry for some time now. I have never asked the blatant question before…but it may indeed be doing us more harm than good now.
Christine,
1 & 2) The value of the biblical narratives is it provides another historical reference. It is valuable in how it contributes to a universal theology and morality and community.
3) The usual purpose of the biblical narratives for most of their existence has been to provoke questions, not provide answers. The literal/inerrant view of the Bible is a fairly recent development in the life of the biblical texts and is strongest in the United States. The literal/inerrant view was born out of ignorance – ignorance of the biblical texts in their original language and of their metaphorical context and ignorance/misunderstanding of scientific discoveries and theories.
So many times I have pointed out that Jesus promised to send us the Spirit of Truth, not the bible. And it seems that every time I do I am criticized by many who say that our spirit cannot be trusted without the scriptures to keep it in check.
This view has always bugged me for a couple of reasons.
First…this logic does not reflect Jesus promise, but rather a man made add on.
Secondly…those who adhere to the scriptures as their ultimate authority have splintered themselves into literally hundreds of factions who are often quite combative in their defense of their specific interpretation of scriptural authority.
Seems to me that when the human spirit wanders…it is NOT because we are not listening to the bible…but because we are not listening to the Spirit of Truth. In fact the bible for many has become a substitute (biblioletry?) I might even dare to say for most. The bible is fine when we keep it in perspective…it is most certainly NOT a suitable replacement for God’s Spirit.
It is in this vein Christine that I think your 3rd point representd a question that desperately needs asked.
@Doug:
“1 & 2) The value of the biblical narratives is it provides another historical reference. It is valuable in how it contributes to a universal theology and morality and community.”
This does not feel like an answer. “Another historical reference” seems to only reinforce the idea that the bible is nothing unique, special or necessary. I also don’t get how the bible can contribute to “a universal theology and morality and community” if you already need that theology in order to understand the purpose and message of the bible.
“3) The usual purpose of the biblical narratives for most of their existence has been to provoke questions, not provide answers. The literal/inerrant view of the Bible is a fairly recent development in the life of the biblical texts and is strongest in the United States. The literal/inerrant view was born out of ignorance – ignorance of the biblical texts in their original language and of their metaphorical context and ignorance/misunderstanding of scientific discoveries and theories.”
Yes, I know. But the point stands – those who use the bible more, or view it as more important, are less like Jesus. That’s a disturbing correltation. I recall something about judging by the fruits…
@Gary:
You might want to add to your list of rebuttal points that it’s crazy to think that our ability to translate and interpret the bible without bias is somehow greater than our ability to tell right from wrong on our own.
@Christine
“You might want to add to your list of rebuttal points that it’s crazy to think that our ability to translate and interpret the bible without bias is somehow greater than our ability to tell right from wrong on our own.”
What an excellent point. Indeed I will keep this in mind the next time I encounter a fundy. (Won’t have to wait long I am sure…lol)