The Holy Bible Review

by Jaye Beldo

Ever notice how Holy Bibles are never double spaced? That’s because we would then be able to read between the lines. Something I’ve had to learn how to do on my own in the three year journey navigating through the entire King James Version of the most infamous tome in human history. The ‘inerrant’ word of God for many, it has caused the shedding of more blood on this planet than any other tome compilation. And the ultimate paradox is that within its sultry pages are some very real spiritual truths and inspirations unmatched by any other literary work. One needs to appreciate the inherent metaphoric import of the bible, within both the Old and New Testaments to get to them however and this is not easy. It takes a considerable amount of cultural and societal deconditioning to do this as the poetic dimension is all but lost now, thanks primarily to the disease of biblical literalism.

Biblical literalism constricts the brain and impedes its holographic function. (I’ve always wanted to do CAT scans of biblical literalists and see what areas of their brains shut down). Not surprisingly, literalists rarely walk their holy talk. As an example, how many biblical literalists do you know that have cut off their right hands as suggested in Matthew 5:30? And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.

The snake handlers of Jolo, West Virginia caught up in whirlwinds of Pentecostal ecstasy while dancing around with Copperheads and Water Moccasins would be a bit deflated if they knew that the word ‘snake’ simply meant ‘enemy’ in Mark 16:18 and nothing literal at all: They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

Even though many Christians tout the bible as the word of God, you never hear them enthusing about the passage where a woman is gang raped and then dismembered, into 12 pieces to be exact. Not exactly Sunday School fare but it’s right there for your morbid perusal in the Old Testament:

And when he was come into his house, he took a knife, and laid hold on his concubine, and divided her, together with her bones, into twelve pieces, and sent her into all the coasts of Israel.

Judges 19:29

That’s two less pieces than Osiris was divided up into! How often do you hear Christians talk about the lurid pornography found in the bible? :

There she lusted after her lovers, whose genitals were like those of donkeys and whose emission was like that of horses.

Ezekial 23:20

Or cannibalism? : So we boiled my son, and did eat him: and I said unto her on the next day, Give thy son, that we may eat him: and she hath hid her son.

2 Kings 6:29

Look how many literalist Christians have fallen into the Lex Talionis AKA an eye for an eye trap. Christ would roll over in his grave, if he had one, for he preached a message of love and forgiveness. Something Oklahoma republican Scott Esk seems to have forgotten when he publically announced that it he was all for stoning homos to death as so unequivocally spelled out in Leviticus 20:13:

If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.

Ironically, the bible contains the most effective guidelines in regards to spiritual warfare and does not downplay evil as merely being an illusion as most eastern forms of spirituality do. It is for this very reason that I abandoned yoga and meditation-something I practiced for over 20 years. Demons are very real and so is deliverance, descriptions of which abound in the New Testament. The psalms contain some of the most sublime poetry I’ve ever encountered and were originally set to music of which I’m still yearning to hear and someday play. The story of Exodus has a genetic dimension to it that you’ll never hear discussed by your average preacher at the pulpit. The story of Jacob/Esau contains some of the most profound spiritual, genetic truths as well. But these cannot be realized going to church no matter what its denomination is or how much you tithe or how often you go to bible study groups. Understanding and integrating these experiences requires one to be all alone and against all odds. I defend the bible in this regard and have done my best to live by the guidelines spelled out in Christ’s Sermon on the Mount. Truly the hardest, loneliest, spiritual path I’ve ever encountered and I’ve tried everything from Tibetan Buddhism, Sufism, Kriya Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, etc. Putting oneself last and helping others is not a very appealing thing to do and you will inevitably get used/abused by other people, spit on and hated-just like Christ himself. If you have read my blog entries here-you will see that I am not lying about this.

http://roadruin.blogspot.com/

I’ll continue re-reading the Holy Bible for the truths it does contain-all the while not falling into its many trappings in regards to belief systems, dogma, etc. all the while keeping an open mind and an even more open heart.