As the 2024 campaign heats up, be wary of politicians who ‘textjack’ the Bible

[GodLovesCats]

As the 2024 campaign heats up, be wary of politicians who ‘textjack’ the Bible

This practice is a bipartisan affair. It’s not confined to one party or any one era. But it gets particularly heated during campaign season when scriptural references and allusions sprout like mushrooms on the campaign trail.

One theologian, however, is providing the public with a biblical sloppiness detector. Kaitlyn Schiess, author of the new book, “The Ballot and the Bible: How Scripture Has Been Used and Abused in American Politics and Where We Go from Here,” offers some notorious examples from US history of politicians abusing the Bible.

So far no Bible gaffes such as the ones described in this article have been reported AFAIK. But I have no reason to doubt there could be unreported mistakes in quoting Scripture among current politicians. I am afraid many people cherry-pick verses or chapters, then reinterpret them to fit their own agendas, which I am sure is what Ronald Reagan did when he called America "a shining city on a hill" and Jeff Sessions did when he cited Romans 13 to support separating kids from their parents. So we need to settle it once and for all: keep the Bible out of politics no matter what because American is constitutionally prohibited from being a theocratic nation, like it or not, and only 43% Christian.

 

[PloverWing]

It's tricky to keep the Bible out of politics altogether. I agree that we're not -- and should not be -- a theocracy, and should not have an established religion. But I think I want my political leaders to take ethics into account as they govern, if they have some ethical principles that they live by. For me, many of my ethical principles are informed by my faith. That's true of some of our political leaders as well, so in that way I'm willing to let their faith influence the policies they support.

I like the word "textjacking", though. It happens far too often.

 

[GodLovesCats]

It's tricky to keep the Bible out of politics altogether. I agree that we're not -- and should not be -- a theocracy, and should not have an established religion. But I think I want my political leaders to take ethics into account as they govern, if they have some ethical principles that they live by. For me, many of my ethical principles are informed by my faith. That's true of some of our political leaders as well, so in that way I'm willing to let their faith influence the policies they support.

I like the word "textjacking", though. It happens far too often.

You have to be very careful. One mistake is expressing anti-abortion views by cherry-picking a few verses, like Jeremiah 1:5, instead of looking at the big picture and focusing on the meaning of all the surrounding verses too. You can see this in Joe 10,, where he alternates between his creation and destruction by God's hand to explain it is better to be born and suffer constantly than get a free ride to heaven as somebody who never sinned (miscarriage or stillbirth) after criticizing God for creating him only to destroy him.

 

[GodLovesCats]

You have to be very careful. One mistake is expressing anti-abortion views by cherry-picking a few verses, like Jeremiah 1:5, instead of looking at the big picture and focusing on the meaning of all the surrounding verses too. You can see this in Job 10,, where he alternates between his creation and destruction by God's hand to explain it is not better to be born and suffer constantly than get a free ride to heaven as somebody who never sinned (miscarriage or stillbirth) after criticizing God for creating him only to destroy him.

 

[PloverWing]

You have to be very careful. One mistake is expressing anti-abortion views by cherry-picking a few verses, like Jeremiah 1:5, instead of looking at the big picture and focusing on the meaning of all the surrounding verses too. You can see this in Joe 10,, where he alternates between his creation and destruction by God's hand to explain it is better to be born and suffer constantly than get a free ride to heaven as somebody who never sinned (miscarriage or stillbirth) after criticizing God for creating him only to destroy him.

I agree. Selected verses from the Bible get misused in all sorts of ways, and this is one good example.

An example of a positive (in my view) way that the Bible might influence politics is this: I believe that I have a moral duty to care for the poor and the outcasts in society, as far as I have the power to do that. This belief isn't unique to Christians -- it's shared by many people of other faiths and by many atheists -- but I learned it from reading the teachings of Jesus. This moral belief influences how I vote, and I can see that a similar belief influences some of our political leaders, and I think that's okay.

 

[SavedByGrace3]

Or is this just another scam to try to keep the Bible out of the public view and pubic discussion?
Some people are sincere about their faith and have no problem discussing it in any context.
Would we prefer to eliminate it from all public discourse?

 

[GodLovesCats]

Or is this just another scam to try to keep the Bible out of the public view and pubic discussion?
Some people are sincere about their faith and have no problem discussing it in any context.
Would we prefer to eliminate it from all public discourse?

I never remotely implied that. My comments were only about politicians, going along with the article I posted. If you want to discuss the Bible in the correct context and are able to cite the correct verses, go right ahead. But you are never allowed to change the context of a Bible verse or chapter to fit your political agenda and must refrain from guessing Bible references. It is also mandatory to respect the American government system as a free country that permanently prohibited itself from being a Christian theocracy in 1791.

 

[SavedByGrace3]

I never remotely implied that. My comments were only about politicians, going along with the article I posted. If you want to discuss the Bible in the correct context and are able to cite the correct verses, go right ahead. But you are never allowed to change the context of a Bible verse or chapter to fit your political agenda and must refrain from guessing Bible references. It is also mandatory to respect the American government system as a free country that permanently prohibited itself from being a Christian theocracy in 1791.

But some in politics and other area of our culture do. Many unbelievers are against the Bible and many believers are ashamed of it.
It is just the way the world is until Jesus returns.