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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

offensive and outdated or just a belief

182 replies

PupsAndKittens · 17/11/2019 01:45

The bible... believe in it or not, everyone knows it.

My question to all you lovely people, should it be censored ( particularly the homophobic section).

Personally I am really torn on this as I am both Bi and Christian.

For
Society has moved on and has realised that people are born LGBTQ plus and no one has control over it
It is also extremely sexist which also makes me uncomfortable

Against
I will always be an activist for freedom of speech and I believe that every human being should be able to believe what they want, no matter how un PC ( providing that they never physically hurt anyone)
Aren’t we then discriminating against Christians? For saying that their beliefs are wrong and should be made illegal?

So what do you think. is it time that this book is changed to meet current moral standards or are we all snowflakes and should just except beliefs of Christianity, that people have a right to believe if they want to.

OP posts:
virginpinkmartini · 17/11/2019 01:53

I think in an ideal world, people should believe what they want to believe, but not enforce it on other people or affect anyone else. Which is pretty impossible because people obviously pass their beliefs onto their children.
All religion is cult-like in my opinion, so it goes against my libertarian principles.

virginpinkmartini · 17/11/2019 01:55

It should not be censored though, but I think indoctrinating children to be essentially homophobic based on non-facts is really wrong.

virginpinkmartini · 17/11/2019 01:56

As a 'free-thinking' adult, you should be able to absorb whatever reading you choose. As long as you are not hurting anyone else, or curtailing their freedoms. Sorry for the multiple posts, I'm just streaming what I'm thinking as I think it.

Ponoka7 · 17/11/2019 02:01

Why are you picking on Christians? The Muslim religion isn't one of tolerance. Neither are some of the others, in terms of homosexuality.

Should we lie about what religions are about to enlist and divide even more people?

No.

SeaOfDespair · 17/11/2019 02:07

Censoring religion is basically policing beliefs. They're entitled to believe what they like and atheists are allowed to believe they're nuts.

Original poster
PupsAndKittens · 17/11/2019 02:11

@virginpinkmartini it’s absolutely fine! Thanks for sharing your input

@ponoka7 I completely agree that most of the religions have just as questionable beliefs, however I feel that society ( particularly in the western world) had more hate for Christianity then Islam

OP posts:
Clarissa111 · 17/11/2019 02:12

No it shouldn't be censored. Yes there is lots of outdated views in the Bible. And I have actually read it from cover to cover! But there is a lot of outdated views in a lot of books. It is history, and teaches us all.
I'm not a Christian, but respect the Bible. The same as I respect the Koran, or the like.
Times change, and the followers beliefs do too. Most Christian's I know are good people and their faith helps them through the bad times. I wish I still had that.

Howlovely · 17/11/2019 02:14

Altering the supposed word of God because it has become unfashionable kind of devalues the bible somewhat doesn't it?! Who should be tasked and trusted to amend the so-called word of God? You either believe in the omnipotence and omniscience of God or you don't. Or you ask Him to update it by speaking to someone on earth for the first time in thousands of years. The fact is that the bible (other religious texts are available) is hideously homophobic and sexist and it gives bigots a nice reason to justify their thoughts and actions, all the while maintaining that they must be good people because they follow the word of God. What bollocks.

WotchaTalkinBoutWillis · 17/11/2019 02:17

Ooh.
I can see where you're coming from but I've voted YABU.
I don't believe in rewriting history.
I don't believe in a lot of homophobic views nowadays, but it was the so called norm years ago.
Should we just airbrush it out?
Or just educate our children that people come in different shapes, sizes, orientations, that's it's more than fine being you?
That's what I'm trying to do with mine anyway Smile
Believe what you want to believe, everyone's entitled to their opinion but I personally am happy we live in a more tolerant time.

Aquamarine1029 · 17/11/2019 02:19

We don't need the Thought Police. Anyone can believe whatever they want. If you're not infringing upon anyone else, you are entitled to live by whatever guidelines you are comfortable with.

Bluerussian · 17/11/2019 02:24

The Bible, or some of it, can be interpreted in several ways. It also has to be read in the light of the times in which it was compiled. It doesn't have to be rewritten, that would be false.

In 2019 we know a lot more than was known in Biblical times.

There are plenty of gay Christians (and gay vicars), and churches that do not discriminate against anyone for anything, then there are the hard line Bible literalists; you just don't go to a church with that ethos. I wouldn't and I'm not gay.

Original poster
PupsAndKittens · 17/11/2019 02:26

I aggre, I definitely don’t agree in airbrushing history, I just don’t feel that sexism, homophobia or Racism has any place now we are entering the 20s. And I feel that too many bigots justify the homophobia with saying it’s not what I say it’s what God says, Even though I know that God loves everyone no matter what

OP posts:
BoomBoomsCousin · 17/11/2019 02:28

There will be barely an unaltered book left on the shelves if we have to censor out all the stuff that doesn’t sit with what is present day received wisdom about what is right think. And I’m totally with the right think of And I know that sounds like I’m totally with the right think on homosexuality and women’s rights. But what happens when right think starts down a path we don’t agree with - maybe our culture changes so that it’s no longer considered acceptable to think of children as vulnerable and in need of protection - so all the books that discuss safeguarding or point out that children can be targeted by adults get censored. Maybe we start to think that, after all, men are more able to make decisions etc and the all copies of the declaration on human rights get edited so that no one knows that they used to say women should be equal.

Censoring the Bible isn’t the way to a good culture.

Original poster
PupsAndKittens · 17/11/2019 02:28

Thankfuly my church is Inclusive to everyone and we have many LGBT Q plus people who happily attend

OP posts:
Original poster
PupsAndKittens · 17/11/2019 02:30

@BoomBoomsCousin exactly, and that is exactly why I will always be an activist for freedom of speech. Otherwise no one will be allowed to have a say on anything!

OP posts:
HerRoyalNotness · 17/11/2019 02:33

It should stand, but perhaps Christians should focus on the verses like
Love your neighbour as yourself mark 12:31
Judge Not Matt 7:1
Treat others as you wish to be treated Matt 7:12

monkeyplanet · 17/11/2019 02:33

No. The text says what it says. Whether you believe it or not, choose to subscribe to it or not you cannot change it to suit the opinions of the day. If it is the word of God then I doubt He would be pleased with people changing and editing it (though I have issues with it's compilation anyway). And as a bi- Christian wouldn't you and anyone else who is LGBTQ+ or any other subgroup that is mentioned řwouldn't you want to make an informed decision about the religion you subscribe to and take it ugly bits and all

CuntyMcBollocks · 17/11/2019 02:36

Personally, I believe that religion is a way of controlling people. I do however completely respect people's faiths and beliefs, as they are free to believe what they want. What I don't agree with is when they try to make others adhere to their own beliefs/religion, trying to push their faith on others.

I don't believe that censoring the bible would have any positive effect, as it can be so widely interpreted anyway.

ActualHornist · 17/11/2019 02:42

My problem with this question is my problem with most religious questions like this.

Religious bigots pick and choose the bits they want to gloss over - e.g. wearing mixed fabrics, sex before marriage - and loads of others I’m sure. I’m not a Christian so I’m picking the very few I remember!

So I find it difficult to tolerate free speech when it’s in the name of religion. Free speech sees women stoned to death because their husband slept around. Free speech sees children married to gross old men. Free speech sees (as you point out) gay and lesbian people targeted, beaten and killed for their alleged perversions. I know of a very religious lesbian who killed herself because she couldn’t reconcile herself with her religion.

KnowMenClature · 17/11/2019 02:44

Rewriting history Hmm

CeridwenTheWitch · 17/11/2019 02:47

There's far too much censorship going on at the moment. To be honest I'm horrified you want to ban or 'update' the bible!

I'm an atheist, and I believe people should be free to believe what they like. As long as they are not forcing that belief on others then that's fine.

Everyone is offended by something. People just need to focus on themselves and stop trying to control everyone else. You'll never actually change what people think anyway, in fact their views are likely to become much more entrenched if you try to censor, criticize and control them. There is a growing problem with 'wrongthink,' censorship and deplatforming in society which needs to be greatly reduced, not increased.

stealthsquirrelnutkin · 17/11/2019 02:48

Bible thumpers manage to eat pork and shellfish, wear blended fibres, allow women to speak in church, spare the rod, get divorced and remarried, and even suffer witches to live, despite what they read in the Good Book. Give it a while and homosexuality will be as controversial as eating prawns, Christians will still read the bible and call it the Good Book, there'll just be a few more lines they don't take seriously.

The bible is a collection of interesting historical texts. Censoring it would be insane. How will we understand the past if all the written records have been bowdlerised?

Trust people to realise that it was all written by men (check the story of Lot's daughters) a long time ago and reflects the beliefs that people had then. Perhaps we should be making sure that every child exposed to the Bible is also exposed to the critical interpretation of the biblical texts? That would be a lot more sensible than trying to erase the bits we that offend our modern sensibilities.

ILearnedItFromABook · 17/11/2019 02:51

Censorship, especially in matters of religion, is a truly horrible idea. Who gets to decide what is and isn't allowed? No-one is wise or far-seeing or fair enough to wield that kind of power.

araiwa · 17/11/2019 02:53

If you took out all the wrong offensive untrue and just batshit stuff out of the bible it would be written on the back of a postage stamp

sobeyondthehills · 17/11/2019 03:12

My question to all you lovely people, should it be censored ( particularly the homophobic section).

Apart from the obvious name another

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