In discussions and readings I have participated and perused, it seems that many matters related to religious doctrine and practice boils down to matters of interpretation. I think it is fair to say that many religious works have described horrible consequences for the unfaithful (infidels) and those who are not members of the “chosen people”. In our own Bible, there are many such passages in the Old and New Testaments, and that message is effectively used to keep the flock in the pens, safely secure from the ravenous wolves outside.

As I said, though, these texts can be interpreted any way the reader wishes to. For the True Believer, who interprets texts literally, the justice of the Mosaic Law may well be a Divinely inspired prescription. For those who read the Bible as a metaphorical text, perhaps the scriptures are to be interpreted in a more contemporary light. Just as the U.S. Constitution has been used to delineate the practices and comportment of lawgivers, etc., it took many years before lines like “All men are created equal” were truly examined.

I see literal translations of such texts as rather narrow-minded and as a blunt instrument to keep parishioners in line and to keep outsiders from tainting bloodlines. For populations that are uneducated or whose creative or imaginative spirit is squelched in the name of the Church, a given preacher or Ayatollah, such an appreciation of the Good Book, the Torah or the Koran is quite effective.

On the other hand, contemporary interpretations of these texts, is possible in a diametrically different society, where creativity, imagination and education are allowed to flourish. Opposed to regimes that are threatened by these things, societies that embrace such interpretations are far more flexible and do not see the need to instill by fear but inspire through knowledge.

Whether we’re talking about Christian, Jewish or Islamic faiths and peoples, we are talking about tribes. These texts have been used for many centuries not only as an expression of peoples’ experience and faith, but as documents to inspire and understand. Whether we use those books to share doctrines and discuss them respectfully or use those same tomes to clonk each other over the heads is the question we ought to be thinking about.