Misinterpretation of the Bible's message

[amy21]

hello,

I would like to open a discussion about a topic that has been on my mind. Why so many people seem to have misinterpreted the Bible. I'll keep this short: my main observation is that so many christians preach hate, and discrimination, while the Bible says to love all and treat others as you would wish to be treated. Any other opinions?

 

[rshanen]

John 12:37-40 "But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him: That the saying of Esaias the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, who hath believed our report? And to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed? Therefore they could not beleive, because that Esaias said again, He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart: that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them."

 

[MrSnow]

Sin is easy, and it normally feels very good.
Righteousness is difficult, and it is normally not a whole lot of fun.

 

[JTLauder]

I think a major problem leading to misinterpretation is reading the Bible out of context. People like to pick and chose individual verses (many people not realizing the original text were never broken up in such a way) and use them to prove their own point with little understanding of the context those verses are really about.

 

[BigNorsk]

hello,

I would like to open a discussion about a topic that has been on my mind. Why so many people seem to have misinterpreted the Bible. I'll keep this short: my main observation is that so many christians preach hate, and discrimination, while the Bible says to love all and treat others as you would wish to be treated. Any other opinions?

Well, I don't think most, though there are a few, actually preach hate. They preach the Law. Are you a thief? The Law condemns you. If you do not have God first above all, the Law condemns you.

People confuse the Law with hate. They don't like the Law, they don't like to know that they are a sinner worthy of eternity in the Lake of Fire.

It is the Gospel that once one is prepared for by the Law, it frees you, and saves you.

Both need to be preached. But the Gospel, the good news, the love of God should predominate. The Law doesn't save, it doesn't strengthen.

But you should not only preach the Gospel. For without the Law, you do not even know you need saving. If you only hear of love, you will think you are just fine even when you are not.

So preaching the Law is not an act of hatred but an act of love whereby people are prepared for the Gospel. The fact that people hearing of their hatred for God through the Law, twist that around and claim that it is the hatred of them is not surprising. Facing oneself is scary and people will seek to blame anyone and anything for all sorts of things to avoid that.

Now it's true, there are lots and lots of people who can't tell Law from Gospel. They don't rightly divide the Word. And so their lack of skill shows and they even say things like preaching the Law is preaching the full Gospel or other nonsensical things. You find a lot of groups who seem to study the bible yet evidently know little of it.

Marv

 

[amy21]

yes i see what you're saying, but you have to realize christianity isn't the only religion practiced in America. You can't go around telling people what they are doing is wrong just because your religion says it is. Our contry says seperation from church and state, and also says EQUALITY for ALL. Yet i don't see that, ever.

 

[rshanen]

The word of God, the Bible, isn't intended for everybody. If it is intended for you give praise to God. The Bible at no time or place states that everyone in the world is to be saved. God wants the word to be preached into all the world but he doesn't state that it is going to save all the world. Many people will not and cannot understand the word of God by the design of God himself. This is where the grace of God comes: we are saved by grace through faith.

 

[amy21]

if only everyone understood that.

 

[BigNorsk]

yes i see what you're saying, but you have to realize christianity isn't the only religion practiced in America. You can't go around telling people what they are doing is wrong just because your religion says it is. Our contry says seperation from church and state, and also says EQUALITY for ALL. Yet i don't see that, ever.

Actually freedom of speech is guaranteed by the US Constitution. But understanding of course that isn't absolute, the old you can't hollar "Fire" in a theatre and expect protection, and the hate crimes legislation does indeed affect free speech.

But if you believe something is wrong, you certainly can say so. That's a basic part of the separation of church and state. If the only acceptable position is that everything is equal then that means universalism is the only acceptable religion. That would not be freedom of religion but the establishment of religion.

People are freed from unreasonable intrusion into their life by someone who disagrees with them. You may believe that premarital sex is a sin. (and example) You are free to say so and teach so. But you are not free to go into people's homes to stop them. You are not free to stand right in someone's face wherever they go and hammer them with your belief. You have a freedom of speech but not an unlimited freedom of speech.

Now is saying that premarital sex is a sin, hatred? No, generally it's not. But it can be labelled as such by someone who wants to pressure someone into shutting up about it. Or if they may simply want to dismiss what you say.

Marv

 

[GratiaCorpusChristi]

yes i see what you're saying, but you have to realize christianity isn't the only religion practiced in America. You can't go around telling people what they are doing is wrong just because your religion says it is. Our contry says seperation from church and state, and also says EQUALITY for ALL. Yet i don't see that, ever.

A person can be morally wrong without being legally guilty.

For instance, I think I'm well within my rights to tell a practicing homosexual that what they are doing is against God's law, but at the same time I think they have full rights under the U.S. constitution to practice their form of sexuality and even call their long-term monogomous relationships 'marriages' (even if I don't believe that's what they are).

 

[BenAdam]

The word of God, the Bible, isn't intended for everybody. If it is intended for you give praise to God. The Bible at no time or place states that everyone in the world is to be saved. God wants the word to be preached into all the world but he doesn't state that it is going to save all the world. Many people will not and cannot understand the word of God by the design of God himself. This is where the grace of God comes: we are saved by grace through faith.

You are quite wrong, it is God's will that all be saved.

"This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth"
(1 Tim. 2:3-4). "The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance" (2 Pet. 3:9).

 

[theAlphaandOmega]

Let me correct you on one thing, most pastors, preachers, ministers (whatever you may call them) do not preach hate. The only church that I have ever seen preach such hate towards other men is Fred Phelps and the WBC. I will agree that there is a lot of misinterpretations of scriptures, this is why we have so many sects of Christianity, but I think you are wrong when you say that is why they behave in a unChristlike manner. Christ told us to go out into the world and preach his message, and many people feel that they have to do this anyway they can. They become caught up in the saving souls, that sometimes they don't realize the hurt that they may be causing. Many people see how some Christians stand on street corners and preach hell and damnation, and this turns them off. We have to remember that we live in a country with freedom of speech, it is there right to say whatever they want.
Personally, I am LDS, I have been told that if I follow this false religion that I am going to hell, that I will face eternal torment, that I am wrong. I have been told these things while visiting LDS Historical sites, by people standing outside with bullhorns, yelling and screaming. This is not what Christ intended to happen, he did stand and yell and scream, he only once lost his temper. Even when they killed him he still loved them, and sought for their forgiveness, this is the Christ that I want to be like. Mahatma Gandhi said it best....
"I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ."

 

[amy21]

what is all this about morality. i don't see how it is morally wrong. can someone please explain to me what is morally wrong?

 

[rshanen]

Luke 13:23-25 "Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them, Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. When once the the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and knock at the door saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall say unto you, I know you not whence ye are."

 

[artybloke]

Everybody misinterprets the Bible to some extent*, only some do it more to prop up their Pharaical attitudes to others. Many, many preachers seem to use a cut-and-paste technique with the Bible: a verse from here (snip!) a verse from there (snip!) and lo and behold the Bible tells us that rock'n'roll is sinful. A very good example of that is posted above: a single Bible verse, quoted entirely out of context, that supposedly "proves" just what the poster wants it to say.

*We can't help it. The vast majority are reading a translation from at least two ancient languages. No translation can possibly get the full meaning of a text over from one language to another. We also live 2000 years after the fact; and are quite likely to look down the well of scripture and see our own faces reflected in the water at the bottom, if we don't remember that.

 

[rshanen]

I didn't wish to offend anyone, if I have I am very sorry. God plainly tells us in his word, I believe, that he will have mercy on whom he will have mercy and, by the grace of God, I hope I am chosen to receive that mercy. There is nothing about me or anyone else that is so special that I or they deserve the mercy and grace of God. As Jesus says, many are called but few are chosen. I believe the word of God is twisted around by many people by the very design of God. He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, according to his word. He desires that all come to him but he plainly states that this is not going to happen. Perhaps I am the one twisting things around and if I am I can only apologize.

 

[MrPolo]

It think Peter addressed problem this well:

2 Peter 3:16: He speaks about these things in all his letters, in which there are some matters that are hard to understand. The untaught and unstable twist them to their own destruction, as they also do with the rest of the Scriptures.​

And he provided a solution:

2 Peter 1:20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.​

We Catholics understand Scripture to therefore be interpreted within the public Tradition of the Church and within the rest of Scripture.

 

[artybloke]

God plainly tells us in his word,

God may plainly tell you, but it's quite plain even from this thread, that God plainly seems to be plainly saying something else to a lot of other people.

 

[rshanen]

If the word of God is intended for everyone and meant to bring everyone to God, why is there judgement and a place called hell? Ps 5:4-6 "For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with thee. The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: thou hatest all workers of iniquity. Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing: the Lord will abhor the bloody and deceitful man." I don't think I'm twisting this around when I say that "thou(God) hatest all workers of iniquity" Maybe this worker of iniquity that thou hatest can and will be saved by the grace of God but we still have to fiqure out who hell is reserved for. Perhaps the unsaved whom God chose not to save by grace. Ecc 12:13-14 "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgement, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil."

 

[artybloke]

If the word of God is intended for everyone and meant to bring everyone to God, why is there judgement and a place called hell?

Hell is a place invented by the powerful to scare the powerless into doing what they say.

I see you're still taking your big fundie scissors to the Bible by the way...

We Catholics understand Scripture to therefore be interpreted within the public Tradition of the Church and within the rest of Scripture.

Tradition is fine as far as it goes... but it doesn't trump knowledge of the facts... The tradition can be wrong; though it should always be taken seriously.