In speaking to a liberal Christian group in 2006, Obama made the simple point that even among Christians there is hardly agreement on what is the correct interpretation of the Bible:
“Even if we did have only Christians in our midst, if we expelled every non-Christian from the United States of America, whose Christianity would we teach in the schools?” Obama said. “Would we go with James Dobson’s or Al Sharpton’s?”
Apparently Focus On Family’s James Dobson knows for sure what every passage in the Bible is supposed to mean, because on the basis of that speech he’s accused Obama of “distorting the Bible“.
Says Jimmy D (not to be confused with Jimmy Dean, the sausage guy):
“I think he’s deliberately distorting the traditional understanding of the Bible to fit his own worldview, his own confused theology,” Dobson said.
“… He is dragging biblical understanding through the gutter.”
So pointing out that there are many possible meanings to biblical passages and then citing a few examples where there is frequent disagreement is tantamount to deliberate distortion? Or is Jimmy D (not that I have anything against sausage) just throwing a radio-broadcast temper tantrum and shouting “My distortions are better than your distortions!”
Because the larger issue here – and both Dobson and Obama need to have this scribed into some holy book so maybe they’ll start to believe it – is that any interpretation of the Bible as anything other than a collection of fairy tales devised by people who got bored with the old fairy tales is a distortion – a distortion of reality. Lending it any credence beyond what’s due to a mixed-message collection of Aesop’s Fables is a distortion of reason.
So, in conclusion, the best breakfast ever is an omelet with some sage sausage, crumbled up bacon, and the cheese of your choice. Mmmm, that’s good eatin’.
The Daily Show last night