Hiding Behind the Bible

I work with some awesome people. One, in particular, serves as the sympathetic ear to the entire office. If you have a problem (and in the line of work we do, that's often) you always know that Rachel will listen and genuinely enter into your frustration or grief. She is one of the most sympathetic and genuine people I know.


I also value Rachel because she grew up in a fundamentalist home. This experience has soured her to much of what Christianity has to offer (her stories sour me toward Christians too!). Having lived it, Rachel provides me with countless stories that demonstrate just how rude, unloving, and... well... just plain ignorant of the bible we Christians really are. Rachel has been exposed to the bible by her father having used it to exert authority over his family, to oppress women, and gain control of the lives of his adult children. It is truly sad. Here is an example of an exchange Rachel and I recently had:

Rachel's sister was in the hospital and was/is very ill. While the family was gathered together at the hospital, her father (a former pastor) tried to assert his authority, seizing the opportunity to lecture his children on biblical matters. Not only was this completely inappropriate because of the timing, but the subject matter demonstrates just how arrogant and insensitive we can be, being that "we are the soul possessors of the truth and we must educate everyone at all times." POOP ON THAT! 
The sad thing is, this story wasn't hard for me to believe.
We can be such douche's sometimes

Her father turned his attention to Rachel, stating that he was concerned about the kind of woman she would be as a wife. His concern being that she had a career, a career that she is passionate about (as she should be: she is very good at her job). Her father lectured her that it was a woman's job to stay at home, not to pursue a career. Rachel pushed the issue, saying:

"Why Dad? why does a woman need to stay at home?"
"Because the Bible says so. That's why"
"Where does the Bible say so?"
"I'll tell you where. Titus 2. That's where."

It was at this time that the office phone rang and our conversation was interrupted. I printed off Titus 2 however, and Rachel and I took note of a few things.


The passage that her father was referencing is as follows:

 ³ Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. ⁴ Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, ⁵ to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God

I pointed out to Rachel the verse just beneath it:

 ⁹ Teach slaves to be subject to their masters in everything, to try to please them, not to talk back to them, ¹⁰ and not to steal from them, but to show that they can be fully trusted, so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive.

I said to Rachel:

"Ask your father if he is for the institution of slavery. More than likely, he will say that he is not. If he cannot explain why, than that is a contradiction right there. More than likely, if he knows a little bit of the bible he is hiding behind, he may say that the the trans-Atlantic slave trade was very different than the slave trade of Paul's time. If your father says this, tell him that the passage that he quoted to deter you from your career is also very different from the 1950's, June Cleaver bullshit that he's propagating."

It was such a prime example of hermeneutical inconsistency and hypocrisy. My professor pointed out a similar inconsistency that I have personally seen thrown in the faces of women frequently.

 ³⁴ Women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the law says. ³⁵ If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church.

We quote this all the time, yet we never condemn women for wearing jewelry or for braiding their hair, or dressing fanciful on a Sunday morning. Is this not also spoken against in the scriptures? The scriptures tell us to pray with our hands lifted high, but my guess is that these same churches would be upset if someone prayed this way in their congregation.

People are still using the scriptures as a tool of oppression. Our methods of interpreting have left us  inconsistent and hypocritical.

Augustine, concerning interpretation, stated that an interpretation was valid so long as it lead the interpreter to love God, and love his neighbor. There is nothing loving about the way Rachel's father treats his children by imposing "biblical authority" as a justification for a "my way or the highway" mentality. There is nothing loving about churches who oppress women by taking their voice and confining them to reside in the home as the only viable expression of femininity. 

It is cowardly to hide behind passages of scripture to justify our hatred and bigotry when we know there is no justification for it. I ask for forgiveness, having done so myself, and I invite my brethren who are in the same boat to repent of this as well.You know in your heart that what you are espousing is wrong, may God help you if you continue to kick against the goad.