Why do people deny that the Bible is misogynist, sexist and racist?

Of course you are right.

People deny it because they don't want to claim it as their own belief. If they are literalists, that means they can't pass it off as what it really was, just the ancient tribal culture from which the book came.

Instead, literalists are forced to put a spin on it and say that's not what it really says.

Literalists are in a real pickle. Either they claim the evil as part of their own belief, or they look stupid by denying what it says.

Interestingly, over time, the particular evil issues they are willing to claim as their own versus those they are not, changes.

When society in general came to consider racism as immoral, the literalists changed from claiming the book supported it to claiming it did not.

Same with sexism, same with homophobia.

I won't deny that virtually anyone can find, twist and interpret scripture to suit their own agendas, but we all have to realize that's what's going on. As the Bible is a record covering thousands of years, it has to be read and understood in its original context, a context which is sometimes greatly different from our 21st century one. The Bible being used for evil is no more the fault of the Bible than if I take a baseball bat and whack someone on the head with it. Is that the fault of the "Louisville Slugger" company? No.

For every claim you make, such as "The Bible does promote a view where women are mindless property of their fathers . . . " I'd have to see a chapter and verse reference on it. I'm sure, if the context of the time and the writer were understood, such claims wouldn't hold up. Many say, for example, the Bible justifies slavery. Slavery was common in those times; everyone did it. What the Bible tried to do was soften the captivity of the slave, provide for his welfare and eventual release.

The book I read is the actual Bible. I don't know what you've been reading, but it's not the Bible. Try again when you have some examples to give us. The Bible promotes unity and love.

Galatians 3:28

"There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus."

1 John 4:16

"And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.

God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them."

Please feel free to show us examples of where the Bible endorses slavery. You could also provide some examples of how people used it to endorse slavery. Maybe the high school history class you took was a little bit too rudimentary, because anyone who has read any actual history knows that the emancipation of slaves, from beginning to end, was conceived, developed, and executed by evangelicals who were inspired by the Bible.

I'm still not seeing any examples. Just unsubstantiated rhetoric.

Keep trying. You'll get it right eventually if you don't stop making the effort.

They don'''t want to admit that the Bible was written by men. Men who had a very different view of the world than most who now read it. They think that it was written by God, and therefore must be good as they perceive good. It is a historical document with all the racism, sexism, etc. of the time that it was written. I was shocked when I first read the Bible from cover to cover. I started marking all the things I found offensive, then gave up when there were so many. I firmly support your right to read the Bible (and any other book) and interpret it according to your own conscience.

Hello,

Many do not:

1) We are dealing with different time frames and philosophies of life in Biblical times and much of what they did was just as awful to our late 20th and early 21st century society as things we do and believe would be equally as abhorrent to them.

2) Racism was not an issue in those times. In the New Testament Roman times there were as many blue eyed blond slaves as were darker olive skinned or black. What was discouraged was mixing religions which the prophets harped about a great deal. King Soloman started setting a bad example by taking on pagan wives and concubines which eventually facilitated Jezebel her actions, civil war and partition of Israel. Also too many Jews were later adopting Roman habits of divorcing their wives on the drop of a hat for economic or political purposes which theologians believe caused Christ to clamp down on divorce.

Cheers,

Michael Kelly

confident i did be responsive to that. whether it style of feels as though no-one rather cared while they have been in basic terms sexist and racist. whether the Bible have been abolished homosexuality nonetheless does not make sense from a expert creationist view factor. basically in a mad scientist's worldwide of genetic manipulation will they have the potential to have progeny, which i think of would be a fact in the recent destiny.

You can read whatever you want into it, but please clarify which part denotes racism.

So, the OT of Bible, written about the Hebrews, God's chosen people, is racist towards them.... interesting.

Racism - hatred or intolerance of another race or other races.

Slavery wrong as it is, isn't defined as hatred or intolerance of another race or other races. Racism was born out of emancipation. Which you would know if you studied a bit more in your high school history class.

Because people are deluded sheep, terrified of death, who'd rather not think for themselves.

And yet, for all their sexism and misogyny, they still sometimes had queens as leaders. Weird eh?

The bible is a reminder of everything we should NOT be.

Ahhhhh, I always wanted SINNERGIRL under me :)

The only way you could argue that is by never reading the bible and basing your belief strictly on what your leaders tell you

darling I read the Book and it's full of contradictions, christians pick the beatiful verses but they don't read the dark verses