LRC, Houston - the weekends-free church in Houston, Texas

This will be the first of several commentaries on what reading the Bible LITERALLY has done, does, can do. I was taught to interpret the Bible literally. I struggled with the implications of those instructions, but I forged ahead nonetheless. I made excuses for this story and I created wild theories for that story. A man could live in the belly of a whale for three days. The sun could stand still in the sky. The waters would part. How all that could happen would have to be “because of God” of course since my mind could not fathom any of it. Then I saw the tragedy of taking John 15:6 literally as had been done in history.

In the New Living Translation (NLT) it reads as, “Anyone who parts from me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned.”

So it was that the burning to death of heretics was justified by this lone verse in the Gospel of John. Hitler used this verse as justification for the killing of millions of Jews in his racial purity laws. And it would only be appropriate that the Nazi SS would have on their belt buckles these words, “God is with us”.

Need more justification?

To add verification for the mass genocide, persecution of the Jews was in retaliation for the Jews having killed Jesus. They even admitted it as Matthew 27:25 reads, “We will take responsibility for his death—we and our children! And then by literalizing John 8: 44 we get…”For you are the children of your father the Devil, and you love to do the evil things he does.”

And then by making Revelation 2:9 literal They say they are Jews, but they really aren’t because theirs is a synagogue of Satan), we now have every right and obligation to kill these subhuman people called Jews!

Do you not think the Muslims have the same opinions today of the Jews?

I’m not really liking doing this series; however, religion, literalists, and fundamentalists need a wake up call. More importantly those not yet there but “listening to the literal nonsense” need a red flag.

I’m afraid my next commentary will be nothing but shame for the church, but if we see the reality of what we’ve done “in the name of God” that’s totally not God, maybe we can break the cycle and truly follow God- who is LOVE!