By Steve Eickhoff
Fountain, MN
Mr. Gustafson’s commentary on February 21, “Ban this Book,” cast a very negative, dark shadow over the Holy Bible, which most Christians believe is the inspired Word of God. While the Bible contains a lot of what he claims, murder, adultery, prostitution, ethnic cleansing, etc., his vague account of those stories doesn’t speak to their intended meaning.
As our culture tries to persuade us that anything goes, and our emotions should rule our lives, the Bible sets standards built on truth that will bring true joy to our lives. It teaches us how to be good husbands and wives, parents, children, and leaders. In addition, it teaches us how to respect our fellow man, while remaining grounded on solid moral and ethical footing.
The Bible points out to us the consequences suffered by those who ignored God’s word. History was recorded in the Bible and elsewhere in an effort to discourage us from making the same mistakes as others. This, in turn, should prevent us from suffering those same consequences.
Mr. Gustafson failed to mention that the Bible sets the bar high in regard to how we treat our fellow man. Matthew 5:44 tells us to love our enemies, Matthew 7:12 instructs us to treat others as we would like to be treated, and Luke 6:37 says “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” All words to live by.
Atrocities/sins have been committed in the name of religion throughout history. People have misinterpreted scripture and committed grave sins as a result. This doesn’t negate the truth of the Bible, but simply proves the sinful nature of man.
The Bible IS exclusive, as Mr. Gustafson claims, Jesus said, “I am the way the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through me,” John 14:6. It’s also INclusive in that God desires ALL to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth, 1 Timothy 2:4.
Rather than banning the Bible, it should be studied and applied to teach respect, morality, and civility in a culture that is in desperate need of it. Rather than excepting Mr. Gustafson’s opinion of the Bible, or mine for that matter, read the verses and stories mentioned by both of us in context, and study it for yourself. You’ll find that God’s desire for all of us is that “your joy would be full,” John 15:11.
Jeff Erding says
@ Rodger,
Point 1: Separation of church and state is a leftist fallacy that has no Constitutitional basis. Not in the Constitution, not in the Bill of Rights. It exists exactly nowhere except in the dreams of Radical Leftists.
Point 2: what I and all fair minded Conservatives wish to do Is to remove filthy, inappropriate materials from being accessed by children before the youngsters have attained the maturity needed to properly understand and process them.
School age children should not be exposed to pornography. What good can come from youngsters perusing tutorials that encourage homosexuality, sodomy , incest, drug use, violence, and all manner of disgusting, degenerate behavior? These materials have no place in public schools or libraries. Their presence is just as wrong as as a library bringing in a drag queen to read to elementary students….. something that was unimaginable a few short years ago but now occurs with astonishing regularity.
I hope you will share your position on the comments I have made…. and I hope, in vain I suspect, that you will share my desire to protect young minds from damage by exposure to filthy, inappropriate material they are completely unable to comprehend in a mature manner.
Rande Gustafson says
Steve,
Thank you for your articulate response to my Bible commentary. My satire was not suggestive of actually banning the Bible, but was an irony to invoke people to think about the ridiculous rationale on banning books. I simply applied their book-banning criteria to our Holy Bible.
You make some new and valid points for not banning any books:
First, like many banned books, you point out how the Bible teaches us to live good lives.
Second, like many banned books, it teaches us to respect our fellow humans.
Third, like many banned books, it records history – both good and bad – so we don’t suffer the same consequences.
Lastly, you rightfully point out that the Bible commands us not to judge, and that includes judging book authors.
Do we really want to ban books that teach life lessons? Why wouldn’t we want our children to learn the accurate history of the Holocaust, slavery, the Civil War, racism, homophobia, women’s rights, or world religions? I did not write about Christian faith – mine or yours – and I agree with you. The Bible should be studied. Perhaps if all readers actually understood Jesus’ teachings, fewer Scriptures would be misinterpreted and manipulated.
Rande
Merlin D Meyer says
AMEN Steve!!✝️
Steve says
Rodger
You completely missed the point. Whether you believe in the God of the Bible or not is not the point. The moral and ethical decline in this world needs addressing. The Bible gives voice and instruction as to how to treat others and live a moral life. Society is proving it needs direction. Civility is at an all time low. Would you propose we just stand back and continue to watch as the culture continues its downward spiral? Why are you scared of the Bible? Are you promoting censorship? We have a lot of books in our libraries, the Bible needs to be, and deserves to be included.
Rodger says
Many would argue the Torah and the Koran and other religious books teach the same or better morals, ethics, and values as the Bible. Would you argue that these books should be taught? I would guess not. There is a separation of church and state. All religions, including no religion, are welcome in America, as noted in the Constitution. What you’re not welcome to do is force others to adhere to your religion. If you want that kind of fascism, you should be careful, as what denomination or sect of Christianity will be adhered to? Some sects don’t allow women to have a say outside of the house. Some sects don’t allow drinking or smoking. Some sects handle snakes and speak in tongues? Who decides? That’s one of the reasons why a separation of church and state is important. You worship how you like and practice how you like, but that’s limited to your life. You don’t get to impose that on anyone else. So many right-wing “Christians” fear monger about Sharia Law (without even knowing what it is), but really just want to practice their own version of Sharia Law. You don’t have a problem with the idea of imposing religious beliefs on unbelievers, but rather, only have a problem that it isn’t YOUR religious beliefs that are being imposed. That’s not American, nor freedom.