Bible Literacy - 6

41. Paul forbids divorce, but Jesus allows it under one circumstance. What is that circumstance?

Answer: B - If the wife has sex outside of marriage.

Sexism illustrated: in Christianity, only a male can divorce a cheating spouse.

"It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement: But I say unto you, that whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery." (Matthew 5:31-32) Not only did Jesus contradict Paul (I Corinthians 7:10), he admittedly contradicted the Mosaic law (Deuteronomy 24:1), which allowed divorce on much broader grounds.

My Comments:

Divorce in Jesus' time was sexist, just as marriage was sexist. The wife had few rights under Jewish law and divorcing her husband was not one of them. The husband on the other hand, could divorce his wife if he decided there was anything wrong with her or if he simply got tired of her.

This teaching from Jesus came because he was upset by seeing women cast off so casually. Women in Jewish soceity were extremely vulnerable and a divorced woman was put out of the house with no money, property, or means of support. Often begging or prostitution were her only means of survival. Jesus' teaching was meant to protect women from this harsh and unfair practice.

42. What group of people will make it into the heavenly choir?

Answer: D - 144,000 male virgins who have not been defiled with women.

No women allowed! Notice the sexism: women "defile" men.

"And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads. . . . And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth. These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb withersoever he goeth." (Revelation 14:1-4)

My Comments:

The FFRF got this one pretty much right. Like most of the images in Revelation, this is symbolic rather than literal (the number 144,000, for instance is symbolic. It is created by multiplying 12 squared by 10 cubed. Both 1 and 10 are symbolic of wholeness.)

43. Which one of these words is in the bible (Trinity, Liberal, Christmas, or Rapture)?

Answer: B - Liberal.

In the King James version of the bible, "liberal" is a good word. The word "conservative" appears nowhere in the bible.

Different translations translate this differently: NIV="giving generously" giving liberally in , which is rendered:

"The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself." (Proverbs 11:25) "The vile person shall be no more called liberal, nor the churl said to be bountiful." (Isaiah 32:5) "But the liberal deviseth liberal things; and by liberal things shall he stand." (Isaiah 32:8) "Whiles by the experiment of this ministration they glorify God for your professed subjection unto the gospel of Christ, and for your liberal distribution unto them, and unto all men . . . Thanks be to God for his unspeakable gift." (II Corinthians 9:13-15)

My Comments:

Very true. It's an amusing thought, if not really a comment on modern politics (though it is true that many Christians are political Liberals and vice versa.)

It is hard to know when early belief in the Trinity arose, (likely sometime in first several centuries of Christianity) but the word "Trinity" only dates back to the 13th Century and never appears in the Bible.

The Christian celebration of Christmas dates back to the 4th Century CE. The actual word "Christmas" is pre-12th Century but does not appear in the Bible.

The word "rapture" comes from 1594 but the theological understanding of the Rapture is much more recent and comes from 17th Century America.

44. Where does the bible say that all men are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights?

Answer: D - Nowhere.

Nowhere in the bible will you find an acknowledgement that human beings have inherent rights to life, liberty, happiness, dignity, fairness, or self-government. In the bible, humans are sinners, worms, and slaves--God has all the rights.

"There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death." (Proverbs 14:12) "Lean not unto thine own understanding." (Proverbs 3:5) "Bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ." (II Corinthians 10:5) "Captivity" is not freedom. The U.S. Declaration of Independence is a humanistic, anti-biblical document.

My Comments:

It is true that the Bible contains no declaration of human rights; no ancient document does. The very concept of a declaration of human rights is a modern one.

The focus on human beings as "sinners, worms, and slaves" is not really biblical. A quick survey of the KJV trns up only 3 instances of people being called worms. Two of these (Job 25:6 and Psalm 22:6) are the reflections of deeply depressed men and the third (Isaiah 41:14) a word of reassurance to Israel at a time when the people feel like worms. In all these cases, it is the people, not God, who call themselves worms.

The words "sinners" and "slaves" are much more common in the Bible but they are not really used as the FFRF characfterizes them. Different specific groups are called "sinners" in scripture but the word is never used as a blanket characterization for all people. As for "slaves", the term is used a lot in the parables of Jesus, but it is a reminder that all people have responsibilities, not that we are unworthy. The FFRF's objection really applies to the way some preachers talk about humanity, not the way the Bible talks about them.

When the Bible says that people should submit to God it means that they should be loving, truthful, generous, forgiving, etc. It is not the same as the freedom to lie, to hate, to act out of greed, malice or selfishness, but these are the only "freedoms" that submission of God takes from us.

As for the Declaration of Independence, it is a noble documant and it is humanistic. It is hardly anti-Bible though, not in the eyes of most American Christians, nor in the eyes of its Deist author, Thomas Jefferson, who wrote: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.(emphasis mine) nor in the eyes of the signers of the Declaration, 32 of whom were Episcopalian, 13 Congregationalist, 12 Presbyterian, 2 Quaker, 2 Unitarian, and 1 Catholic.

45. Should Christians allow nonbelievers into their homes?

Answer: No

Acting inhospitably is the Christian thing to do. Notice how this verse unfairly equates unbelief and diversity with evil: "If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds." (II John 10-11)

My Comments:

Like many of the writers of the epistles, the author of 2 John was dealing with a specific situation. It looks like there were some non-believers in the community who were actively trying to talk believers out of the church. His advice made sense in that situation but wasn't meant to be for all Christians everywhere.

Hospitality is one of the core values of Christianity ans it shows up in many scriptures, including Matthew 25:34-40.

Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what's coming to you in this kingdom. It's been ready for you since the world's foundation. And here's why:

I was hungry and you fed me, I was thirsty and you gave me a drink, I was homeless and you gave me a room, I was shivering and you gave me clothes, I was sick and you stopped to visit, I was in prison and you came to me.'

"Then those 'sheep' are going to say, 'Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?' Then the King will say, 'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.'

46. Should Christian men kiss each other?

Answer: Yes

Why do we not see men kissing in church, then? "Greet all the brethren with an holy kiss." (I Thessalonians 5:26. See also Romans 16:16; I Corinthians 16:20; II Corinthians 13:12; I Peter 5:14)

My Comments:

Well... this was the custom of the time, but it's not exactly a command. :-)

47. Should Christians always give what they have to anyone who asks for it?

Answer: Yes

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said: "Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again." (Luke 6:30, repeated in Matthew 5:42) Try asking Christians for their houses and possessions, and see how faithful they are to the teachings of Jesus. Borrow a Christian's car and see if they ever ask for it back. Modern believers know that Jesus was wrong and the bible is not to be taken literally.

My Comments:

Jesus was using exaggeration to make a point about generosity. Rather than hoard resources and turning a blind eye to people in need, he suggests sharing without complaint. Ther FFRF is half right here, this passage shouldn't be interpreted literally, as an inflexible rule, but Jesus wasn't wrong: generosity is a better way to live than selfishness.


48. Do the Ten Commandments prohibit incest or rape?

Answer: No

The "ten commandments" (see Question 1) do not condemn any sexual acts. The only sexual practice prohibited by the list in Exodus 20 is adultery, which, although a valid marital concern, is a legal act between consenting adults. The violent and degrading crimes of rape and incest surely should have rated a "top ten" list, but they do not appear. Adultery in the Old Testament was considered a crime that could only be committed by a wife. Harper's Bible Dictionary explains: "The law was probably intended to ensure that any child born to the wife was really the husband's child, since it was considered crucial for the husband to have offspring, so that the family name could be perpetuated." Adultery had bearing on the patriarchy, while more violent crimes did not.

My Comments:

This is essentially correct. Rape and incest are prohibited but are not given the special status of being in thew 10 Commandments. The Ten Commandments do reflect the culture and the time they were written. as much as they reflect the word of God.

49. If you lose a lawsuit, should you pay exactly what the court decides?

Answer: No

You should pay twice as much! In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus commands: "And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain." (Matthew 5:40-41) Are bible-believing Christians really paying double court-ordered child support? Or are they wiser than Jesus?

My Comments:

This is another case of Jesus exaggerating to make a point (as with question 47). In this instance the point is that Christians should try not to get caught up in the hostile dog-eat-dog world of lawsuits. When you are in a dispute, Jesus teaches that it is better to reach out in kindness and generosity than to lash back. It wouldn't work as an inflexible rule, but Jesus had little use for those and offers it as a guiding principle.

50. Can Christians ask their boss for a raise?

Answer: No

It is un-Christian to ask for a raise: "And [John the Baptist] said unto them, Exact no more than that which is appointed you. And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? and he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages." (Luke 3:13-14) Modern Christians who love their families know better than this: it is not responsible to deny yourself a fair market wage, especially if you have children to support. Real family values transcend the bible. [John the Baptist was "preparing the way" for Jesus when he supposedly spoke these words.]

My Comments:

As with a number of scriptures the FFRF cites, this one changes when you read the whole thing. Here is is in KJV:

And the people asked him, saying, What shall we do then?

He answereth and saith unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise.

Then came also publicans (tax-collectors) to be baptized, and said unto him, Master, what shall we do?

And he said unto them, Exact no more than that which is appointed you.

And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages. (Luke 3:10-14

And it's even clearer in the Message version:

The crowd asked him, "Then what are we supposed to do?"

"If you have two coats, give one away," he said. "Do the same with your food."

Tax men also came to be baptized and said, "Teacher, what should we do?"

He told them, "No more extortion—collect only what is required by law."

Soldiers asked him, "And what should we do?"

He told them, "No shakedowns, no blackmail—and be content with your rations."

John the Baptist was telling people to stop harassing and eploiting others. There's nothing here to suggest he'd have any issue with a laborer asking for a fair raise.

So... how did the FFRF do on their own test? FWIW, I'm giving them credit for all correct answers even where they made false statements in their comments.

THEIR SCORE: 36 out of 50.