Opinion: The Bible is a product of its time · 1:43am May 15th, 2020
This Wednesday, I attended a Facebook livestream called Love Thy Neighbor: A Webinar on SOGIE Equality as a Religious Value. SOGIE stands for sexual orientation and gender identity expression. The speakers consisted of leaders who represent 4 different religions and they shared stories about people who experienced discrimination and struggles. It was very informative and I agree 100% with one of the speakers, who happens to be the pastor of MCC, that one needs to take into consideration if the passages are relevant or irrelevant in today's climate.
There are passages in the Old Testament that condone submission of women, violence, murder, slavery, misogyny, rape, stigma about sexual behaviour, and other negative things. The same goes to cartoons and movies back in the day that contain racism, sexism, Nazi propaganda, and outdated gender and cultural stereotypes. They are products of their respective times and they're part of history that can be considered offensive in the modern times.
The Bible may be a book of moral guidance, but it is a really complex piece of literature that can be interpreted in many different ways, both good and bad.
That's the biggest problem that religion has today: that while the world is changing, the books considered Holy are not changing with it. This is both admirable in that historical literature is being preserved, but it is also unfortunately a driving force behind people's unwillingness to accept that we live in a different world.
There are people old enough to remember a time where Christians knew that Interracial Marriage was wrong in the eyes of God. Same for women having careers or a say in state affairs (voting or holding public office).
It doesn't help that people naturally fear the unknown and nothing is as uncertain as change.
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Pretty solid argument you got there. Everything you said is totally on point.
As Mary Levy said, "If you don't change with the times, the times are going to change you."
I follow what in the Bible truly feels in my heart as something God would want, what truly seems befitting for a benevolent being.