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Problems do occur, however, when individuals and religious institutions take all of scripture literally without looking at its deeper meaning. Rabbi Pinchas Rosenthal, Dean of the Torah Academy of Long Island, has documented some of the problems that arise when Yeshiva students take literally the midrashim, believing, for example, that the arm of Pharoah’s daughter grew to 25 feet in order to bring to shore the basket with baby Moshe, or that a single huge frog emerged from the Nile to cover Egypt. (Maimonides and the Talmudic sages are unequivocal in indicating that the midrashim are not to be taken literally – indeed that doing so would distort one’s basis for belief.)
The same concerns, of course, arise when Christian fundamentalist groups take scripture literally without looking for its underlying meaning. We are well aware of the consequences of such Christian groups taking the creation story literally and opposing the teaching of evolution in schools. More recently a literal interpretation of the Christian Book of Revelation – again with no understanding of its real meaning – has led to a series of best selling books, films and now video games under the title of Left Behind. Their basic idea is that as we approach the “end time,” true Christians will be “raptured” – taken up to heaven, while the rest of us are “left behind.” What ensues is a seven year war (providing the “thriller” basis for the books and films) between “the tribulation force,” (those Christians who now “see the light”) and “the bad guys” (influenced by liberals, the U.N., and the like).
Many persons of faith, including large numbers of Christians as well as Jews and Muslims, not surprisingly, have been disturbed by the “Left Behind” phenomenon and particularly by its potential effect on the younger generation – witness the effort by responsible Christian groups to get Walmart to stop selling the “Left Behind” video games. In the same vein, an effort is underway to create a graphic novella to be entitled Left Behind and Doing Fine Thanks- A Fable, which Rabbi Michael Lerner has offered to publish in Tikkun Magazine. Among other things, this work, humorous yet respectful, will portray the social progress and interfaith cooperation that becomes possible when Christian conservatives are out of the way – progress ultimately convincing even to the reactionary forces. The recent U.S. election has been a rebuke of sorts to the intrusion of fundamentalist Christianity into governance. At the same time, we need to keep watch and respond to the threats and consequences of fundamentalist religion wherever it occurs. Let those of us who genuinely value free religious expression and hate to see it used in ways that increase fear and distrust between religious communities, assume this responsibility.
B'shalom,
Jim |
