Holy Bible Challenge for Christians

Speck's Sunday Soapbox:

I've been following a religious debate lately that has grown across several blogs. It is amusing to me that seemingly intelligent people waste their time arguing over some minuscule point about the practice of Christianity. Note I did not say they were arguing about Christianity, but the practice of Christianity.

Religious debates make my eyes glaze over. Somewhere early on the words exegesis and hermeneutics are bandied about, followed by the godfather of all bastardized English words, "disfellowshipping." Whoever coined that word should be shot, and whoever uses it in serious dialogue should get 40 lashes.

The anatomy of a religious debate looks something like this:

First Guy:
"This is the way things are supposed to be..."(Gives dogma for being "good" Christian.)
"This is the biblical reference..."(thump, thump, thump)
"This is what that means...."(his interpretation)
"If you don't believe the way I do, then you, (point, point, point) are sinful and are going to Hell."

Second Guy:
(see First Guy example)

Third Guy:
(Wringing hands), "Why can't we all just get along???"

I cringe when I hear someone say, "See, this word, right here (thump, thump) means..."

Holy Toledo, Batman! The fact that the Bible they happen to be holding has that word does not mean that every Bible has that same word. I own a variety of Bibles, all different versions, and they all are a little different from each other.

The exact words of the Bible are a little suspect in my mind, for the Bible has been edited and translated many ways in the past 2,000 years. Things have been added, deleted, and transmogrified to serve the political purposes of those in religious power. The early writers of the Gospel probably wouldn't recognize their own letters if they read 'em in current editions. So, to nitpick the individual words or phrases is an exercise in futility.

I think Bible-thumping, finger-pointing, hand-wringing Christians Religionists in America would all be better Christians if they closed their Bibles, stepped back a bit and took a deep breath. Finding vague, obscure passages to support or disprove one particular viewpoint is, to me, a waste of time. Figuring out the gist of the Bible, then living by those tenets, would lead, I think, to a more Christ-like Christian, or a least a better person.

Think figuring out the gist of the Bible would be hard? Nope, not really. Christianity is a simple concept and can be explained using simple words. ("Disfellowshipping" is NOT one of those words.)

So here is my challenge for anyone who has ever used the words exegesis or hermeneutics in a sentence, and actually knew what they meant without having to look 'em up:

THE HOLY BIBLE CHALLENGE FOR CHRISTIANS

1) Summarize the Bible in ten (10) words or less:

2) Live those words.