With constant shifts during a pandemic, there’s a constant barrage of information and staggering fear-mongering disinformation seemingly everywhere. The same preface often holds true for organized religion. In Christianity, for example, if The Bible is “The Book…” why are there so many different denominations within Christianity and so many variations or versions of The Bible?
Of course, that was a rhetorical question. Just as there are as many faiths or religions to speak to the variety of the ways different Children of the Divine can receive The Message, there will be variations within each of those faiths or religions… who offer it.
Perhaps it’s time to take a step back and wonder why so many of the Christian religious zealots who choose to want to browbeat or bully those who do not follow The Word, (as in the King James Version or more archaic or literal interpretations,) are also often the ones who’ve insisted on building The Church as idol monuments or as professed, “testaments of faith.” Then, clearly not “doing as Christ did” which was to BE among the people… not convincing people to spend their money building and maintaining churches, bringing other idol symbols like stained glass Biblical scene depictions where Jesus has mostly been portrayed falsely as Caucasian, with gold or gold or bronze plated crosses… despite Jesus dying on a mere tree/beam/hunk of wood with a thorn of crowns that if on an alter would be a more accurate depiction of what The Bible identifies to be “The Story.” I mean if they want to remain true to what they profess is the original, “true story” for accuracy’s sake, why do they blatantly overlook the ways they are failing implementing ALL of The Book, literally?
I find it amusing; but, heartbreaking most of the time, how blind we are at the many ways those of us who have/had been Christians, walk blindly or turn a blind eye to so many glaring inconsistencies or manipulations in what’s professed within the church walls during the services, or amongst one another outside of them, to be from The Bible. In speaking with, listening to, and reading works by many theologians throughout my lifetime, there’s one consistency. Each person, each human has our own interpretation of The Word… despite reading the same words.
Throughout history, we’ve seen many religious leaders use The Bible as their primary tool to brow-beat or bully their congregants, their “subjects…” to keep them “in line,” while trying desperately to hide their own sins and actual crimes… often choosing defamation as their secondary deflection tool. In other instances, those who prance around within church walls or groups using defamation and other narcissistic tendencies are too often excused as simply mistakenly coming across as “overbearing.” What if we actually took the biggest lesson from all of those enlightenments to be that we can ALL have our own interpretation of The Bible… and perhaps, The Word(s) we need to listen to the most or give the most credence to adhering or trusting wholeheartedly are the ones the Divine whispers to us directly? We ALL have a direct line to The One who created us in perfect Divine love and image. Why is it we seek so badly to disregard that direct connection with the Divine we know and feel deep within… in exchange for greater reverence to DO for those maligning what The Son became incarnate and SHOWED us… to BE? I know I’m not meant to understand the answer… and that’s okay. Amen.