There are a million things that can influence a person’s religion or lack-there-of. For me, it was the Bible. Personally, the translation, interpretation and manipulation makes faith in the Bible as a holy book impossible.
The first book I ever wanted to read was the Bible. I sat in the church pews with my mom, grandma and aunts staring at the words on the page, impatient to learn what they meant so I could understand what made this congregation so dedicated.
As soon as I could read, I experienced being underwhelmed for the first time. I was told to behave because I would go to hell and eternally burn if I did not. I was told childbirth would be incredibly painful someday because two people ate some fruit thousands of years ago. My dad still loves to tell the story of his three-year-old daughter’s indignation about that.
My skepticism continued, and by the time I started middle school confirmation classes, I was an agnostic. We were made to memorize endless passages in those classes as if that could prove you were a devout Lutheran. Any proper Christian can recall random bible verses, prayers and creeds on command, right? If you memorize it, we will give you a shot of wine every couple of weeks. That is how I thought about it as I growingly resented this supposed holy book.
My real issue with the book came in college. My first class as a freshman was an Ancient Greek language class. Full disclosure, I thought it was a contemporary Greek class, but I stuck it out because maybe it would be fascinating. For the most part it was boring and impossible. The one thing it taught me, though, is that translation from a dead language is a hot mess. When we would attempt to translate as a class, our TA would give us an A for effort, then explain with a straight face it could mean what we first assumed or could mean the opposite. Really? Translating something from Ancient Greek to English can mean two, irreconcilable things? Sounds like a book deserving lifetime devotion.
That is just a direct translation of simple sentences in a college classroom. The Bible is translated into hundreds of languages—at least through Greek, and then Latin before it, and only then was it printed in English, in the fourteenth century. It has been revised at least twice since then. Revisions include translation debates decided by committees and decisions to add or subtract content. Would I read a book that has become so warped over the centuries for entertainment or historical value? Yes. Would I base my beliefs on the purpose of life and afterlife upon it? Absolutely not. If we cannot use hearsay to convict a person in this democracy, how can we follow hearsay laws? We cannot write a paper in college with one, outdated source so why should anyone live their lives by it? The books, the letters, the laws in the Old and New Testament have been passed through many languages across thousands of years.
That does not mean that they are unusable, but every society upgrades its laws according to the current climate and culture. So I find it difficult to understand how Christians still find value in many parts of the Bible, particularly the Old Testament.
Leviticus, a book of the Old Testament, is one of the most debated sections of the Bible, and in my opinion, the most outlandish to accept as “truth.” This book includes the nonsense about a man not lying with another man. While any anti-gay group clings to this supposed undeniable truth of the Bible there are a few more things they should be against. Leviticus also bans eating shellfish, so turn off those Red Lobster commercials. Leviticus declares no one should wear mixed fabrics, so check your tags. Leviticus bans tattoos. I guess my Shakespeare tattoo is my one-way ticket to hell. Fortune telling is out, so we should probably stop teaching our little cousins how to play M.A.S.H. or make cootie catchers. Oh, and we can’t play football either. Sorry, Badgers, you shall not touch the carcass of a pig. You can’t eat pigs either, so no more free bacon Tuesdays. And, similarly, other parts of the Bible ban divorce, wearing gold or my favorite, pulling out. We as a society heartily ignore all of these, just as we find ways to ignore other parts of the book that are supposed to be the word of God.
As it is, people translate the text over and over again, they revise it as they see fit, and it is thousands of years old. The changes in wording and content across time make it undeniable that humans, not God, determined the content of this holy book. The King James Version of the Bible has over 30,000 verses. Among them are endless laws and contradictions one can take to cater to their personal beliefs and agendas. We need to stop hiding behind a book most of us have not read or do not fully use anyway, further exemplifying that we all just do what we want anyway. Many people just use religion as an excuse for their opinions or actions. As an atheist, my moral compass is internal and social, not ancient or Biblical. I live my life well not for the promise of Heaven, but the guarantee of brevity. One life, I live it as I see fit.
What do you think of Biblical interpretations? Tell us your thoughts! Please send all feedback to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
