To paraphrase Alexander Pope, “A little theology is a dangerous thing.” Now, I know this is going to ruffle the feathers of the “stick to title issues” crowd. However, since Mr. Rutledge was good enough to open that door by giving us his take on Scripture, I’m going to take the occasion to set a few things straight here (no pun intended).
I’m 53 years old, have been a disciple of the teachings of Jesus Christ since age 14 and have been reading and studying Scripture since before I was able to walk. In other words, I’ve done my own homework (thanks very much), so the irony of a statement about “people not knowing what they don’t know” about the Bible is not lost on me.
First of all, it has been my experience that most people who make assertions about the so-called “faulty interpretations” of the Bible “which are read very differently by clergy, theologians, and many other Christians today” are seeking loopholes, not truth. Morality and law are inextricably intertwined, and no amount of demonizing those who disagree with one’s moral position by calling them “bigoted” or “prejudiced” is going to change that.
Secondly, if one believes the Bible to be the inerrant Word of God (as I do), there cannot be “many different interpretations” of Scripture, because God is not the author of confusion. Humankind changes; God does not. Furthermore, the Bible does not condone slavery, nor the treatment of "women as 2nd class citizens" as Mr. Rutledge puts it. I don’t intend to take the time to unpack those statements here, but I do have an extensive bibliography of reference materials on those subjects, which I would be glad to share via private email.
Lastly, the statement citing statistics about suicide among homosexuals is questionable, given the fact that such numbers have been found to have been derived from what sociologist Joel Best once described as a “chain of bad statistics.” Those numbers, repeated often enough by advocacy groups, tend to be accepted as fact without anyone ever bothering to challenge their veracity. As Mark Twain once wrote in attribution to Benjamin Disraeli, “there are lies, damned lies, and statistics.” Such faulty statistics harm the credibility of the advocacy groups who rely on them, and thus do a disservice to those whose cause they claim to care about.
Well, I've said about all I'm going to say, so I won't be responding to any replies, at least not in this thread. I've probably rankled enough people with this post as it is.
Regards,
Scott Perry
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