So, there I was the other day at the Starbucks in Kansas City making small talk while waiting on my latte (skim, extra hot, thanks for asking). Why was I there, I was asked. I said, I was visiting to give a workshop and to preach at one of the local Unitarian Universalist churches. I was told, oh, I do paintings based upon the scriptures. The conversation didn’t go well from there. She was at the very least a pretty conservative Christian, very likely a fundamentalist, and started by assuming I was, too. I didn’t play as nice as I like to think I am. I left with my latte, fortunately, before going into my full on denunciation of the Bible, which sometimes gets the better of me.
In fact I do think the scriptures contain all the guidance that is necessary to salvation.
But, I also think the scriptures are filled with traps for the unwary, like poisoned meat set out for feral dogs. Multiple authors in that book, no doubt, some wise and wonderful. Others, well, not so much…
And taken together the Bible is a powerful text, no doubt. Much truth. And, again, many lies. And, and this is important, no good internal guidance to sort one part from another. Nourishing meals and poisoned meat right next to each other on the same counter.
Speaking of poisoned meat I see today is the fest of Timothy & Titus.
Back in seminary as we worked our way through the scriptures, among the interesting forgeries that had snuck into holy writ, these so-called Pastorals were pretty interesting examples. Attributed to Paul, but not the crazed and sometimes compelling ecstatic visionary, but rather a bureaucrat telling women to keep silent in churches and slaves to be obedient to their owners.
Talk about poisoned meat.
Caveat Emptor…
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