Back to the Bible? Bad Idea

Many religious conservatives, evangelicals, and fundamentalists promote the idea that society in general would be better off if we went 'back to the Bible' - that is to say, if we defined our social norms and laws to more closely match the norms and laws followed by the ancient Hebrews as depicted in the Bible. Is this a valid argument - indeed, is it even a consistently made argument? No, it's not.

The problem is not simply that there is little reason to think that modern society would be better off if it acted like a Bronze Age society; just as important is the fact that those calling for a return to the Bible don’t entirely seem to believe it either. If they did, they would advocate it consistently rather than inconsistently:

The hypocrisy of conservative Christians is astonishing. They take a salad bar approach toward the Bible. They pick out the bits they like, considering them to be ultimate truths that are undeniable (i.e. sodomy prohibitions), while simultaneously ignoring or “reinterpreting” the passages considered disturbing. ...Why do conservatives such as Ashcroft embrace Bible-based prohibitions on homosexual behavior, but not push for equally biblical prohibitions against working on the Sabbath? If conservative Christians are going to impose their private religious beliefs on others, they ought to attempt some rudimentary consistency. ...

Despite the calls to “return to the Bible,” our society is dramatically more moral than those of biblical periods. Women enjoy far greater equality and opportunity. Pluralism, freedom and tolerance are the norm. Slavery has been abolished, and the crusade against homosexuals is finally ending. The list goes on with many of the greatest societal achievements in direct defiance of Biblical law.

The call for a return to the Bible is based, at least in part, on the premise that basic moral standards must come from God rather than humans and that these moral standards can be found in the Bible. That, however, does not appear to be the case — unless people want a return to slavery and women having a second-class status. Those biblical norms and laws are defied and should be defied as immoral. So why not the biblical norms regarding homosexuality?

 

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