MisBelieving in the Bible

CNN has an article today which is really just a rehash of what any Bible student could tell you for decades. People know little or nothing about the Bible, and many things that they think they know about it are actually not even Bible verses. In other words, modern day myths have grown up about the mythic Bible itself. It cites people like Mike Ditka, who mistakenly believe that "This too shall pass" is a bible verse. In reality, the only thing that is close to this in the bible is the frequent transitional phrase "then it came to pass that ...." Other things like "God helps those who help themselves" or "cleanliness is next to godliness" are also mentioned as being mistakenly identified as Bible verses. However, with respect to the first misquote, perhaps people are confusing the sentiment with Mark 4:25 where Jesus makes the charming pledge, "Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them."

This highlights a point which cannot be over-emphasized about Bible believers. They pick and choose the verses they like, interpreting them in ways that they wish were true, and sometimes completely fabricate Bible verses to justify believing what they already believe. That many of them are unaware that they even do it is not the point. Of course they need to be unaware of this or they wouldn't really believe it anymore. Ignorance may not be bliss but it is belief for many. The best way for most believers to maintain blind faith in the Bible is for them to not have a clue what it actually says.