Is the Bible a Weapon?
Source unknown
Print version: PDF
This meme has been making the rounds of social media. It is all too telling. The Bible has, unfortunately, become weaponized in today’s political debates and culture wars.
This meme represents what the Bible has all too often become: a weapon to wield against enemies.
Let’s consider what this meme implies.
Assumption 1: The Bible is One and Unified
In the meme, the Bible is represented as a single pistol that someone can pick up and fire.
The meme assumes the Bible speaks with one voice, as if the Bible presents a single divine perspective. The Bible presumably contains a single set of rules for living in a society based on supposedly biblical values.
The assumption that the Bible speaks with one voice runs into some problems, however. Referring in general terms to “biblical” values is easy if it does not require actually reading the Bible. To read it is to encounter its many contradictions. That is because the Bible is not just one book.
The Bible contains different texts by many authors from different times and situations. The Bible speaks with many voices. On many issues, the Bible even presents differing views.
On some of the issues most central to many of those who weaponize it, the Bible actually says little to nothing. Other posts on this website will discuss some of those issues. You may be surprised!
Actually the Bible is a collection of books and views.
Assumption 2: The Bible is Ours to Control
Picturing the Bible as a gun turns it into an object that can be picked up and controlled.
The meme reveals a desire to control the Bible –
to aim it at whoever disagrees with us,
to have it available to defend ourselves against people we fear,
to be able to threaten anyone we disapprove of.
This is not the only way to picture the Bible, however. Many faith communities and many academic scholars instead see the Bible as a resource for connection.
Exploring the Bible offers ways to connect –
to people who have gone before us,
to God, the divine, understood in many ways,
to other people in thoughtful discussion of differing interpretations.
The Bible can be part of a larger relationship, not something we control. Perhaps a different picture could portray the Bible as a web of connecting threads.
The Bible offers connections instead of control.
Assumption 3: The Bible Says What We Want It to Say
The meme assumes that the Bible must say what whoever produced it wants the Bible to say. They believe it denounces the people they want to denounce. We can guess that the “biblical” values they assume as one set of rules for society strangely match their own views.
The Bible may also say what we DON’T want it to say!
Assumption 4: The Bible Demonizes the People We Hate
The caption on the meme threatens “the Devil” with the Bible as a loaded weapon. The meme requires an enemy as a target. Who is “the Devil,” though? That depends on who you choose to hate.
The Bible certainly contains stories and verses about making enemies. If you choose to use the Bible to target enemies, you will find plenty of models for your demonizing. The Bible is not full of peace and love. The Bible contains a lot of gory stories and tales of vengeance and warfare.
The Bible also contains many admonitions against making enemies, however. Many verses urge care for the foreigners in your midst, for example. The Bible also contains the teaching of Jesus to “love your enemies.”
The Bible also teaches us about loving our enemies.
Assumption 5: The Bible is an Ammo Dump
Are verses of the Bible proof texts for ammunition? Is this why you are interested in studying the Bible? Are you looking for ammunition?
This is certainly one way people read the Bible. Regardless of who your target is, you can probably find verses to forge into ammunition.
It’s not all ammo, though. Other ways of reading the Bible can offer much more meaning. The Bible contains rich and complex stories and poetry. Reading it for reflection and meaning can be rewarding without using it against anyone. The Bible contains literature written by ancient people, many of them common people. It offers a rich source for understanding major aspects of the human story.
The Bible has MUCH MORE to offer than ammunition.
The Bible has MUCH MORE to offer than ammunition.
On this website you will find posts on “The Rescue” page that address ways the Bible is used as ammunition against certain groups of people.
We will not attempt to provide equal but opposite ammunition, however. Our intent is not to mine the Bible for the materials to make weapons.
Our purpose is not to aim Bible verses at anyone, not to shape Bible verses into bullets or arrows or sharp-edged swords.
Instead, we intend to offer tools for de-weaponizing the Bible and for exploring the many layers and depths of meaning it can offer.
