One
of my Facebook friends asked a very interesting question: Can the
Bible ever be an idol? The answers people gave were very
well-thought out, with a wide variety of opinions. This is such an
interesting and important question that I wanted to mull over it some
more and share it on my blog.
My
short answer to that question is yes, in my opinion, it absolutely
can become an idol. My definition of an idol is something that
brings you further away from G-d instead of closer to Him. Going by
that definition, anything could be an idol, and that would include
the Bible.
(I'm
going to stop here and say that, while the subject of distorting
Scripture to justify atrocities is certainly an important one, it's a
different subject altogether so it's best saved for another day.)
How
we handle our interpretations of the Bible says a lot about whether
or not we are idolizing it. Someone who doesn't idolize the Bible
has no fear of being “wrong” or of someone disagreeing with them.
A person who is idolizing the Bible is terrified of being wrong.
They'll say things like, “Drinking is wrong because the Bible says
so,” and they won't leave any room for the other common
interpretation of those verses that say it's getting drunk, not
drinking, that's immoral. That is idolatry because it puts pride
above connection with G-d and connection with other believers.
I
would also say that our approaches to reading the Bible can also help
determine whether or not we are idolizing it. While I wholeheartedly
agree that most Christians don't read the Bible anywhere near as
often as they should, our antennas should go up if someone tells us
we “have” to read it in a certain way, for a certain length of
time, and at a certain time of day. (Why no, this is not at all a
direct reference to all those “experts” who say you must pray and
read the Bible every morning like clockwork! :P) Imagine how life
would be if we approached our relationships with our spouses and our
friends that way! Our relationships with each other are not one size
fits all, and our relationships with G-d are the same way.
I
would love to hear what you all have to say on this subject! :)
