The Bible
Here is a question you might find strange. What is a Bible? Is it a book (albeit leather bound)? Is it a collection of paper and ink – pages sown together? Is it the Word of God?
While I understand we hold “the book” to be a precious (sacred?) thing, and I have no struggle with that, the thing you hold in your hand (on occasion) is just that – a book. I have been through so many in the long years of my life – tattered, torn, dirtied, and coming apart. They are not good for much except taking up shelf space – and disposing of them, or burning them, is probably a good idea. (Although I still have my grandmother’s Bible – ragged as it is.)
Here’s my point (in case you’re wondering): WARSAW (Reuters) – Poland’s Supreme Court opened the way on Monday for a blasphemy verdict against a rock musician who tore up a Bible on stage, a case that has pitted deep Catholic traditions against a new desire for free expression.
Interesting – but, more interesting is this –
Opinion polls show that while 93 percent of Poles identify themselves as Catholics, the proportion who attend church or pray regularly is in decline, especially among young people. Large parts of Polish society have also started to drift away from some of the church’s teachings, especially its ban on contraception and its opposition to homosexual partnerships. “When it comes to bishops’ opinions on controversial social issues, I listen to them, but I don’t treat them as an absolute authority,” said Aleksandra Pulchny, a 22-year-old law student from Rybnik, in southern Poland. (IBID.)
It would appear to this observer that protecting “the book” (paper and ink) is more important to the Roman Catholic Church (and, in my humble opinion, most other Churches as well) than protecting the people with an inculcation of TRUTH which matures their faith and conforms them to the image of Christ (which, might be noted, is not a strong suit of the RCC).
God’s Word needs no protection from the Courts. God’s Word needs proclamation by Godly individuals living out the Truth discovered in the pages – and written on the heart of those who believe. God’s TRUTHS are not words on a page, but a sword in the heart, piercing and dividing until the heart is broken and purified and whole.
At least that’s my opinion.