Closer Bible reading reveals some interesting passages

I commonly hear people quoting the Bible to support a myriad of views. That led me to wonder if they have heard other parts of the Bible that might offer a different outlook.

While the Bible is one of the most popular books sold, there are many parts of it that rarely see the light of day. So I thought it would be interesting to take a glimpse of some of the lesser-known corners of the Bible by presenting them here, going from the silly to the controversial.

Starting with some lighthearted goofiness, it appears that God moons Moses in Exodus 33:23 — “And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen.”

Along the same lines, God kicks some butt in Psalms 78:66 — “And he smote his enemies in the hinder parts: he put them to a perpetual reproach.”

Oddly, God’s omnipotence is called into question in Judges 1:19, where we find that God was with Judah in his conquest. However, Joshua and God were repelled by people with iron chariots: “And the Lord was with Judah; and he drove out the inhabitants of the mountain; but could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had chariots of iron.”

Adding insult to injury, God refused to let men with crushed testicles enter into his congregation in Deuteronomy 23:1 — “He that is wounded in the stones, or hath his privy member cut off, shall not enter into the congregation of the Lord.”

God decides to destroy Sodom, ironically, not for the sin of sodomy, but instead because they did not help the poor and needy as seen in Ezekiel 16:49 — “Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy.” The Sodomites who tried to rape the angels appeared after the decision was made to destroy their city.

Keeping Catholic priests celibate is dealt a huge blow by 1 Timothy 3:2 — “A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behavior, given to hospitality, apt to teach.”

Catholic doctrine tries to reinterpret this passage by saying the Church is a symbolic wife to a priest. However, this also flies in the face of 1 Timothy 4:1-3, which states that doctrines that forbid marriage come from demons and depart from the faith. Similarly, this passage appears to have some relevance in the gay marriage debates of today.

Pro-life groups may have a hard time with Bible verses like Genesis 38:24, which has a pregnant woman sentenced to be burned to death. Or by Exodus 21:22, in which causing a woman to have a miscarriage is a finable offence, while killing her results in capital punishment. Or by Numbers 5, in which a jealous man may test his wife for adultery by giving her an abortifacient. Or in Hosea 13:16, where God punishes people for their lack of loyalty to him: “Samaria shall become desolate; for she hath rebelled against her God; they shall fall by the sword; their infants shall be dashed in pieces, and their women with child shall be ripped up.”

Most people learn the Bible by hearing it from the perspective of another. Yet the Bible is full of many different viewpoints and oddities that tend to be covered up or reinterpreted by those preaching it. For those who live by the book, I would suggest reading it with a fresh perspective.

Who knows what you may find?

• Perspectives is a slightly whimsical look at life, philosophy, religion and politics. Scott McKinley is a scientist and a local Patterson resident. He may be reached by email at msmperspectives@gmail.com.