THE MONOPOLISTIC INTERPRETATION OF THE BIBLE: CONTROL AND MANIPULATION

 

THE MONOPOLISTIC INTERPRETATION OF THE BIBLE: CONTROL AND MANIPULATION

Introduction

The manipulation of the Bible to control, dominate, and perpetuate misogyny and machismo. The ecclesiastical monopoly in the interpretation of the Bible justifies oppression.

 

The Ecclesiastical Interpretative Monopoly

The Bible, the basis of dogmas and doctrines, was the exclusive property of Christianity, and only the Church, by mandate of God, had the authority to interpret and apply it since only they had the capacity and power to understand it, as they were inspired by the Holy Spirit.

This claim, without solid foundations and which cannot be proven with theology, philosophy, exegesis, or science, has been debated by the Church itself in documents such as the Encyclical Providentissimus Deus by Pope Leo XIII (November 18, 1892), in the Second Vatican Council (1962-1963), and more recently by Pope Benedict XVI (2005-2013).

No one dared in the past, nor dares in the present, to question such authority. If someone dared to dissent, they would lose God's grace through excommunication and be considered a heretic, a grave crime equated to a crime of lèse-majesté.

Roots of Misogyny

To seek and find answers to the origins of misogyny, it is necessary to delve into the past and into the interpretations of the sacred books, which are not sacred at all. Translators, writers, popes, emperors, and the wise saints and doctors of the Church's interpreters distorted, modified, added, and suppressed those writings to alter the content of those books according to their beliefs and interests, and to manipulate, deceive, and subjugate human beings into fanatics, not by persuasion, but by imposing lies, fear, terror, and torture.

For the purposes of this writing, the main reference will be the Genesis or Old Testament, as it is there where all the lies concocted against women originate, and where the creation of machismo and misogyny begins.

The Status of the Bible

Other parts or books of the Bible will be briefly mentioned, as those books have been the most manipulated, the most adapted to deceive, and consequently, the furthest from the truth or truths they attempt to teach.

For believers, and especially for fanatics, the Bible is the word of God, although it was written by men who used their faculties as true authors.

Uncertain Origins

Nowhere in the Bible does it say that it is the word of God, and the one who attributed that authority was Pope Damasus I (304 - 384) in the Roman Synod of the year 382, when he promulgated the Canon of Sacred Scriptures, containing the list of books of the Old and New Testaments that should be considered henceforth as the word of God, i.e., the Bible.

In the Council of Trent (1545-1563), the Canon of the Catholic Church was established, declaring it Dogma, and in the First Vatican Council (1869-1870), it was declared that both the Old Testament and the New Testament were written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and have God as their author. On this matter, there are many responses and interpretations, most of them in Latin, so that only people of certain intellectual training could understand them, containing very eloquent rhetoric, written by doctors of the Church and adorned with many epithets; many of them true; but those do not certify that it is the word of God.

They conclude their explanations by affirming that God inspired the many authors of the Bible and that such inspiration is a fact that escapes all human experience and understanding; thus they conclude that it is a mystery, a term often used by wise religious men when they cannot explain the inexplicable or a lie to their followers. In short, if the many authors were human, it cannot be admitted in this era that such books were dictated to those authors by God, nor that they were illuminated by the Holy Spirit to write those texts; consequently, those writings cannot be considered absolutely certain, and this has been historically proven.

Historical Uncertainty

Among the many questions that arise, several are recurrent: Who, who, and when wrote Genesis? Are they original writings or copies? To date, it is not known for certain who wrote it. Christians attribute it to Moses during the 40 years he spent in the desert, but scholars and the multiple translators of the originals affirm that Genesis is the gradual addition of material over many centuries and by many authors. Some consider that the first eleven chapters deserve to be considered separate from the rest of Genesis.

In later writings, Genesis will be explored in more depth, as it is a highly sensitive topic but of fundamental importance to understand where and when the degradation of women originated and the hatred transmitted through many generations, keeping them in a state of inferiority.

To be continued.