“The Canon of what we now consider the Bible was decided by the Counsel of Nicea”
Actually, DoctorToon, that’s only the Christian Canon. Your use of “we” in that sentence excludes Jews from the conversation, after all, Sam is making statements about Jewish scripture, and thus, indirectly about Judaism that have ugly interpretations.
“IanThal very good post. Trudeau is very intolerant of people who do not think exactly as he does.”
Thanks, fbjsr, however, I don’t think you are being fair to Trudeau. B.D. is a case in point of a character whose politics are very different from Trudeau’s own, yet is treated with great sympathy.
Sam is actually repeating an interpretation of Scripture that is common to both Catholic and Protestant Christianity. In that sense, Trudeau is representing Sam (and mainline Protestantism very fairly.) The problem is that Sloan has always been presented as a progressive, liberal clergyman who cares deeply about social-justice issues (likely a reader of James Carroll or Gary Wills), and so would be aware that Sam’s interpretation of Scripture has anti-Semitic implications– even if she never intended it that way.
This particular strip perpetuates a misreading of the Bible.
In the Tanakh, the Jewish Bible, which Christians refer to as “The Old Testament”, God can be “crabby and snarky” as Sam suggests, however, God is also portrayed as loving, forgiving, merciful, and nurturing as well. It all depends on what passages one stresses.
By contrast, the God of the New Testament is the same God who condemns most of humanity to eternal damnation if they don’t accept Jesus as Christ– I’m not certain that it’s fair to say, in Sam’s words, that “It’s about love.”
This misreading of scripture has been used for many centuries to excuse, and even promote, Christian contempt for and hostility towards Jews and Judaism. Rev. Sloan, who has been presented as a progressive since his first appearances, should have corrected Sam’s misreading (or even questioned if he’s been giving her and his other congregants the wrong message.)
“The Canon of what we now consider the Bible was decided by the Counsel of Nicea”
Actually, DoctorToon, that’s only the Christian Canon. Your use of “we” in that sentence excludes Jews from the conversation, after all, Sam is making statements about Jewish scripture, and thus, indirectly about Judaism that have ugly interpretations.