I frequently address the dangers of biblical literalism on this blog, but I have not yet devoted a full entry to this topic. Ever since I decided to call out the fundamentalists on their unmerited hatred of the LGBTQ community, this issue has only become more important to me. If you’ve read any of my other blogs, you know that I despise biblical literalism. But why?
In this post, I wish to address some of the dangers of this false ideology. I will begin with a personal note. Biblical literalism defined much of my early life; it made me spiteful of those who are not “real Christians” and gave me a haughty view of myself and my beliefs. Once I deconverted, I realized how toxic this concept can be. Let’s get right to it.
Ignorance
The first danger of biblical literalism is ignorance. I will use a popular, yet polarizing example: creation. Now let me be clear, I do believe in creation. I personally do not believe science can explain how everything came into being. The odds of earth being the perfect distance from the sun, with enough food and water to allow humans to exist for so long, and the complexity of animal bodies, among other things, just seems too magnificent for everything to happen ‘by chance.’
But I do not believe in the Christianized Genesis account. I do not believe God created everything in six days. Additionally, I do not believe the universe is a mere 6,000 years old. I deem such beliefs completely bonkers. I have a specific reason for believing so.
The very first university-level class I took was Introduction to Earth Science; I was in eleventh grade at the time. Now, I attended Liberty University, a supremely conservative, fundamentalist university. For this course, I was required to uphold a young-earth creationist view. Each assignment required me to defend this belief and attack Darwinian thought. The course, in no way, shape, or form, encouraged critical thought or practical application of science. It simply required me to believe that the English rendition of the Genesis account was pure science.
This is quite dangerous. While, again, I do believe in creationism to a very minimal extent, the scientific consensus is that young-earth creationism is completely bogus. Biblical literalists, who believe that God made everything in six days, are purely ignorant of science. And this ignorance is not accidental, it is a choice.
If somebody believes in a six-day creation, good for them. I will not judge someone for holding this belief. However, once they begin to insist that their belief is the only way and true science is false, it becomes dangerous. Such people choose to be ignorant of knowledge, and this becomes a problem. The example of creationism is only one example.
Hatred/Bigotry
The second danger of biblical literalism is one that I have especially focused on lately. This danger is hatred and bigotry. Biblical literalists use the Bible to uphold their presuppositions (often political in nature) that encourage division, animosity, and, once again, ignorance. In keeping with my recent entries, I will use the example of the LGBTQ community.
It is no secret that biblical literalists weaponize the Bible against the LGBTQ community. They insist that the Bible says homosexuality is a sin, one that will send many people to hell. When I corrected this false belief a few weeks ago, the fundamentalists had a meltdown on Facebook. They began to say I am a false teacher, I am promoting sinful lifestyles, and I, along with the LGBTQ community, will suffer for all eternity in hell.
This is outrageous. Again, I state, the tactics biblical literalists employ to encourage hatred are no different from those of the Pharisees and Sadducees. And we all know how Jesus felt about them. Jesus encouraged a gospel of love. He taught that his followers must love everyone, including those they disagree with.
However, the biblical literalists continue to choose ignorance. They use the Bible to say that they are the holy ones, and those who have differing lifestyles are below them. The biblical literalists are the homophobes, the antisemites, and the racist pigs, among many other things. They believe that their way is the only way and those who oppose it will suffer.
False or misleading information
It is no secret that evangelicals believe Donald Trump is some sort of modern prophet. According to a recent Pew Research poll, Trump draws support from 81% of white evangelicals.1 Why is it that the archetype of greed, pride, gluttony, and lust appeals to such hardline fanatics of purity? I will never understand.
But what I do know is that Trump and fundamentalists share some common ground: they both embrace misinformation. Both believe that the Bible is a history textbook. I will not venture to say that the Bible is historically inaccurate; I do not believe that to be true, either. But the Bible is not a book of history.
While there may be tidbits of historical information in the Bible, it is illogical to say all of the Bible is history. To read the Bible for history is to read Shakespeare for current events. It simply does not work. Interpreting the Bible requires much more than reading a passage and saying, “This happened.”
Remember that much of the Bible is allegorical. Interpreting a passage takes work; we must understand the original settings, contexts, socio-economic situations, and genre, among other things, before determining what it is trying to say. The Bible is ambiguous. That does not mean it is wrong or inaccurate, but it takes a higher level of interpretation than reading a news article.
Biblical Literalism is not actually biblical literalism
The biggest problem with biblical literalism is that it does not understand the true Bible. Fundamentalists do not read the original texts as they were written long ago. We read translations of translations of copies of copies, ad infinitum. Reading the KJV or NIV without the aid of research is a fruitless endeavor. Our English Bibles are translations, they are not magical.
Literal translations differ sharply from dynamic translations, as I have recently demonstrated regarding LGBTQ acceptance. A word-for-word translation produces results far different from a thought-for-thought translation. We possess so many differing types of translations that it is impossible to truly practice biblical literalism.
There is no way to interpret the Bible literally. As I mentioned previously, the text is ambiguous. That does not detract from the Bible’s significance, if anything it makes the study even more interesting. But the fundamentalist concept of biblical literalism rids the study of the Bible of its practical use. We are then left with an empty study of a book that has shaped the world we live in.
Conclusion: Biblical Literalism is Dangerous
I do not expect any fundamentalists to agree with what I have written in this post, or any of my entries for that matter. Such extremists are hard-headed; they will not accept any other methods. But to those still reading this, the study of the Bible can be life-changing. It certainly has been for me.
The Bible has a greater influence on our world than any other literary composition ever written. But blindly accepting our contemporary renditions of the text strips the mystery and intrigue of the Bible. Understanding its ambiguity is the first step in properly reading these ancient words. When you reject the boorish method of biblical literalism, you embrace the compelling nature of the mysterious Bible.
1. Gregory A. Smith, “Voters’ views of Trump and Biden differ sharply by religion,” Pew Research Center, April 2024. https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/04/30/voters-views-of-trump-and-biden-differ-sharply-by-religion/