Why Literature Is Good (And Literalism Not So)

I am not a literalist when it comes to reading the Bible. While I do believe that the Bible was inspired by God-loving (and fearing) people, I feel that since it was ultimately penned by people, whether due to biases or the limiting (and liberating) nature of human expression, the Bible fails to accurately portray God. Even within one’s own language, often people come upon times when they can’t express themselves clearly! On top of this, even with one text, people can draw multiple interpretations. So that’s to say, even people from way back would have confused each other. So that’s why the Bible can mislead people unintentionally.

Another linguistic reason: translations loses original context. Unless your reading the old school Hebrew and/or the Greek Bible, admit it or not, you’re bound to miss the original nuances of the text. For instance, take the note, “Selah,” that appears very often throughout the Psalms. Most people agree that Selah is a musical note, but no one is sure what it actually meant. Others think it has something to do with weighing. What do I think as a college student not yet twenty? My knowledge on Selah includes two factors: 1) it appears throughout the Psalms (as stated before) and 2) there’s an awesome Christian music band named Selah (and the sad fact that I only own three songs by them). But silliness aside, admit it or not, no matter what staunch KJV admirers say, the original context has been lost to us language differences.

On top of these linguistic reasons, cultural differences hinder us further in our quest to literally read the Bible. The differences between ancient Jewish culture (and the surrounding Middle East) and current Jewish culture are great (just as it is with medieval and modern day Asia, Europe, etc.). There are things in the Bible that we just wouldn’t understand no matter how hard we try. For instance, people exchanged sandals to come to an agreement (Ruth 4:7). Here’s another odd thing from back in the day (since Biblegateway.com is super awesome and gives a lot of cross references.) So would you give a sandal to your roommate if you guys agreed on buying pizza instead of Subway? I wouldn’t! I don’t understand what the deal was with sandals and nor do I plan on having a lot of mismatched sandals for the sake of agreement. It’s been more than 2,000 years since the Torah was written (according to Wikipedia biblical scholars think around 539 BCE at the earliest), and since culture changes… we don’t understand the things they did back in the day. Despite everyone’s efforts on being a good student of the Bible, it’s hard for anyone alive to actually comprehend the Bible in all its complexity and the continuous flow of time.

I also believe in the power of literature. While I do believe that the Bible provides valuable instructions, I don’t think everything in it is in the form of the 10 commandments. If this was so, the Book of Job could be condensed to a simple line advising one to be steadfast in God despite calamities. I’m sure there is a plethora of different takes, but that’s what I think it’s about. The Bible is full of allusions, whether in th form of metaphors, allegories or cross references. Still disagree with me? Jesus spoke in allegories, an indirect form of conveying one’s message. Throughout the four gospels, Jesus repeats the phrase that, you have to look harder than just glancing about. (See Mark 4:10 – 12) Another simple way to look at is, if you actually claim to be a literalist, you believe that Jesus was actual dietary food, ultimately suggesting you have a cannibalistic diet. So, if you’re ever around me, let me know in advance that you are a literalist, so I can maintain my safety distance.

On top of cultural, linguistics and literature reasons, literal interpretation limits one’s own take on the Bible. To be closer with God, one needs to form a personal bond rather than just following a watered-down, spoon-fed doctrine that you hear from a church that you go once every two months.

So here’s my opinion in one sentence: literal interpretation of the Bible misleads true followers at best. In no way am I putting down the Bible. Rather, I believe that careful Bible reading can lead to a closer relationship with Jesus Christ the Lord. So read it!

Some people believe that if you don’t take the Bible literally, you’re not a real follower. The thing that eggs me about this belligerent view is that no where in the Bible do I find that condemning and limiting idea. To be a Christian isn’t believing the Bible literally. Following Christ is having a relationship with God through Christ (John 1: 9 – 14) and actually living out life (1 John 3:18) than just being a Bible thumper. It is to respect than to be respectable and to love others (1 John 3:16) than to be accepted by a community of “Brothers and Sisters.”

I’m not one big on labels, but one of the few labels I do accept is the mark of being Christian. When I say that I am Christian, I do not mean to say that I belong to one of the world’s largest religions; I do not mean I am better than you are; I do not mean that your religion is wrong (I simply disagree with your views. Respectful disagreement is a beautiful thing.). I simply wish to convey the message that I follow the One Saviour, Jesus Christ; that I am forgiven despite my sins; and that I believe in a forgiving God. A Christian imitates Christ (Eph 5:1), and that is what I wish to do. I believe Christ loves, accepts and heals others. So, if you take nothing away from this (too) long post, please at least consider this not so radical idea. Rather than being busy condemning others for whatever the reason may be (a.k.a. scrutinizing other Siblings in Christ for different beliefs not only Bible interpretation styles, but also denomination, backgrounds, et. al.), why not take a step back, raise it up to God and then try to understand from another point of view?