Book Club: The Bible, Week 1: Women and the Bible

The author of that piece must have really suffered at the hands of the kind of insufferable "Christians" that we've all noticed at the CB. It's no wonder some of them didn't like this article, because sometimes a look in the mirror is unsettling. I think part of it is that when someone casts doubt on what you believe, it makes you uncomfortable. It's always better when you have a rigid set of beliefs to make sure people go along with you, than to have anyone cast doubt.

This fandom has made me very suspicious and wary of any fundamentalist Christians because they seem to have some pre-programmed responses to everything and no empathy for others.

I personally have never noticed that evangelicals are "better" people than anybody else. They just assume the mantle of piety and talk the talk. There isn't any statistical evidence either; e.g., the Bible Belt has far more divorce than "liberal" Massachusetts. I'm definitely from Missouri on this issue. Show me. Otherwise, shut up.


As far as Clay goes, I think he tries to play it both ways. He wants to be understanding of others, but like Solitaire said, that Disney remark was odd. Many people on the boards praised him for that, for his "courage" in standing up for his beliefs. I just don't get that at all. I don't see bravery, when Disney didn't even care about his song. If they had, and he turned down their money and sponsorship, that might be brave, but it didn't happen. (For all the flack Disney gets as some kind of corporate monster, I respect their broadmindedness. My husband works for a Disney company and they provide full benefits for gay couples, so his co-worker can have health benefits for her partner, who is a struggling grad student.)

Clay is a natural politician and he plays both sides of this issue. He'll never talk about it the way the writer wants, because there would be too much possibility for controversy.

No. It’s the opposite of what he taught.

ITA. South Africa has a new deputy president. She was interviewed on t.v. last night and said some interesting things. She’s a Christian who worked for the YWCA for years. One of her responsibilities now is for the “moral regeneration” movement. In her interview, she went out of her way to say that morality and Christianity were not the same thing and that there are lots of atheists and other non-Christians who are moral. (But, this is a country where many people are wary of “Christian values” anyway since it was the Dutch Reformed Church that started and helped maintain apartheid.)

ITA. I didn’t think that including the song was brave at all. I think he probably thought it was in his interest to do this and to say this.

My thoughts exactly. I admit to be curious, though. I’d love to know what he thinks about all those Muslim victims of the tsunami who are now apparently in hell due to what Clay might believe is an act of God.