should we read (and misread) the bible?
Most of you reading this will probably have either read the bible, read parts of the bible or been encouraged to do so by others.
My advice to most people would probably be not to do so. Not that the bible isn't important; of course it is, but how well can we read a book set in those ancient times and how much does the way that we think now, change or invalidate the original intent of what was written back then.
to take 2 small examples.
it is written in the bible that women should dress moderately. in our sex obsessed society, we almost automatically take that to mean that women should be covered and not wear short skirts etc. Given when it was written though, it is almost certain that most or all women would already have been well covered, if for no other reason than to protect themselves from the heat. Given that Jesus told people that rich people couldn't enter the kingdom of heaven and to give away all they had and to follow him, it is far more likely that saying that women should dress moderately would mean that they shouldn't wear clothes that would flaunt their wealth and should dress as a humble person would do. The idea that women then would have been wearing thongs and crop tops is simply not believable, and, as we will see in the next example, is largely the bible being used to set a modern agenda that it was never intended to.
Another example is the following
"Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God." (1 Corinthians 6:9-10, NASB95)
The original Greek word did not mean 'homosexuals', but loosely translated, the original word used meant 'sexual deviants'. This may originally have meant rape, incest, predatory preying on young boys (not uncommon in the military then when generals etc had 'comfort boys'). It may have even included bestiality and necrophilia.
The point is that modern society has decided to make homosexuality the scapegoat here for moral/political purposes. This has happened over the years as governments have become more involved with religious groups and used it for their own ends.
What should we read?
My advice would be to read books around the bible by reputable writers. Most of these will also include bible passages along with an historical and cultural explanation to enable you to understand more accurately.
Perhaps the best thing of all to read though is the life of the saints. This is a good way of understanding the teachings of the bible and perhaps equally or more importantly, learning how to live a humble life. This is perhaps one of the most important things that we can do in this life, and the saints are usually a great example of how to do this.
Two relatively recent saints worth reading (in my view anyway) are St Nektarios and St Paisios. There are also many videos available online too.