Just a Book
I was a weird kid. I know it’s hard to imagine that, seeing as how I’m such a shining example of normality and good cheer. But it’s true. I was also the son of a Minister, which meant I went to church pretty much every week for a long time. (It was a hell of a way to grow up, spending your Saturdays learning how to shoot pool in smoky bars and your Sundays in Church, but hell, that’s what made me the man I am today, for better or worse and all that.)
Anyway, as often happens to children in Church (I was eight), I got bored and started thumbing through the Bible. I was a pretty advanced reader and was shocked to learn that I actually could understand some of the stuff in that huge and mysterious book. After a few minutes of reading, I found The Book of Revelations and became very interested. After the service ended, I decided I would take that book with me.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” asked my Dad.
Now, I was used to this question and always had the same answer ready for it.
“I’m not thinking.”
“You’re damn right, you’re not thinking. You can’t take that book. It belongs to the church. Besides, we have damn near every type of Bible ever produced at home.”
“Dad,” I said. “You can’t steal a Bible. They’re free for everyone.”
“The Bible is the best selling book in America, Son. It costs people money. You can’t just steal it from a church.”
And that’s when it hit me like a ton of Lincoln Logs.
The Bible, I thought, is just a book. Hell, even Dr. Seuss wrote and sold books. What the hell is everyone getting so wrapped up in this crap for?
I replaced the book, apologized to my father, and began what would become a long exploration of the human psyche through written words.
It’s weird, you know? The moments that define us are so hard to pinpoint until long after they happen. That little exchange started an operation on my eight year old brain that has still yet to complete itself.
Who knows where it will lead?
by Nathan @ 6:28 PM | permalink |
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Excellent point!
Hell.
A preacher's kid? Now, you make sense!
Remember that book I let you borrow one time, called Holy Blood Holy Grail? You called it "demon gossip"! Try reading it now for some better insight. (It was mentioned in The Da Vinci Code.)
I've used the term, demon gossip? What the hell was I on? Wait. Don't answer that.
You were a preacher's kid? That does explain everything... welcome to the club! I wonder if your dad knew my dad - probably explained why I never got away with anything in Hannibal.
What people never understand is that mainstream Christianity never attached any specific importance to the holy grail. The same people who look for the grail also think that King Arthur and Merlin really killed dragons and such.
Coletrain, my Dad is a psychologist. Mom is the preacher.
Damn, now that explains everything.
The Bible is not just a book. it is THE book. It is inspired by God. It makes claims no other book makes or can make: it is the Word of God, is it God breathed, it has authority. No other religious book makes these claims. By saying that the Bible is just a book, you are implying it has no more authority than Aunt Sadie's diary, which makes you wonder why the martyrs would die for "just a book." would you lay down your life for what was contained in Aunt Sadie's diary? "Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God." So how does anyone come to faith if the Bible is just a book? I'm talking, preacher's kid, about saving faith in the substitutionary death of Christ. As far as stealing the Bible, I don't see anything wrong with that. Because the word is powerful, sharper than a two edged sword.... etc.
umm... yeah. the bible was written by man. and much of it by scribes to whom the men dictated their "prophecies" and what not. i mean if i had been a man back then i could've written a book and said 'hey god told me to' and people would've died for it. you, debbie, are underestimating the gullibility of the general public. but all that aside, do you not see how the bible has brought about more chauvinism in the world? i'm not a feminist dyke or anything, but i'll be damned if i'll "walk in man's shadow". many christian religions preach equality but their text contradicts. ridiculous.
People dying for a viewpoint laid out in "just a book?" That's ridiculous. Just ask Communists, Nazis, Fundamentalists, Cultists, etc. Perhaps Aunt Sadie should think really hard, pick a select group of people to degrade for various reasons (homosexuals, Jews, sinners, capitalists, good god pick any one), outline a plan of attack for protecting ourselves against these dangers to society, and write about that in her diary. If she's good enough, maybe she can get people to die for it. If not, they might at least kill for it. See: Mein Kampf. See: Communist Manifesto. See: Old Testament genocide.
So it seems sometimes people will do some crazy shit in response to mere books. Like the Bible.
Yeah I can never understand everyone is so quick to say "its the word of God" How do you know? You really don't. BUt here some things we do know about the Bible.
• It is a collection of short stories.
• There was huge debate over which stories were to be included in the cannon of text. Hence the several gospels that never made it in to the bible.
• The stories that were included were chosen by MAN. And were chosen based on their ability to represent the religion and community.
Man this starting to sound like propaganda huh? "Hey we need some thing we can hand out for this Christian thing" "Lets assemble some stories!" "Yes and make sure they are all centralized to the belief, and we can call them the word of GOD!".
So who really decided it was the word of god? A bunch of priests who needed to centralize their fledging religion, and make a definitive guide, what better way than to label it the word of GOD.
The Word of God that we have butchered over the centuries based on politics and power.
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