Monday, March 28, 2005

My Daughter and Her Bible

My family and I were sitting on the couch having a spiritual discussion last night when one of the children asked why we don't let them do a certain thing. We tried to explain to them that we don't leave them unsupervised in public because of the predators that are out, and that they would like to hurt them. This, of course, led to more questions and to more discussion about molestation and rape. My eight year old daughter then brought up “the two girls in the Bible who made love to their dad.” I looked at her in a bit of shock. Then I looked at my wife to see the same confused look. I knew the passage she was talking about in Genesis, about Lot and his daughters. “Making love” is not a term that has ever been used in our house. Not because it's bad, but we just don't use it. I know for certain we would have not used it talking about this scenario. What went on with Lot and his daughters was not “love making”. When you get someone drunk to have sex with them, love has nothing to do with the act being committed (especially among family). This made me wonder where she would get this terminology and have it linked to this particular portion of scripture. I asked her where she heard that. It could have been something that we read to her at one time, but still would have not used “make love” in our discussion. She said that she had read it in her Bible. I asked her where her Bible was and she informed me that it was upstairs in her room. I asked her to go get it. Sure enough, that's exactly what it said. Genesis 19:33 says “That night they got their father to drink wine. Then the older daughter went in and made love to him.” Hmm. On one hand, I was very pleased that she was reading her Bible and retaining what she read. On the other hand, I don't want her to think this kind of sick perversion is Love. She was reading out of the New International Reader's Version “The Beginners Bible”. This is a Bible that her and her older brother received for Christmas a couple years ago from grandparents. Our oldest son's has already been replaced with the KJV. We have been putting off replacing my daughters for some reason. Looks like now is the time to get it replaced. I certainly don't want to discourage her from reading God's Word, but want her to get the real Word. Not something watered or dumbed down for kids. They know that if they don't understand something they read they are always welcome to ask their parents. That's not an issue. I told her not to read that Bible anymore. We have a New King James Version I told her to read until I could get her her very own 1611 Authorized King James Version. She'll love it. Her own “adult Bible”. This is one of the many problems I have with the various translations of the Bible. I know we've had this discussion in the past, and don't want to go off on it again, but this one hit pretty close to home. Maybe that's why there is no holiness in the churches today. There is no conviction in the churches. They are reading a watered down “feel-good” bible. I don't know. I'm confused and really kind of appalled about the whole thing. Maybe it's just me. Oh well. I just had to vent. I don't feel much better, though.

God Bless!

“…holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:” Heb. 12:14

1 comment:

Muddy said...

I dont think that the prophets felt better either once they spoke truth about God and his word-but they had to do it to live in truth.

Be encouraged...I think God takes us through these little steps like this(even shocking ones) with our kids to grow us up in Him as well..as He brings us to a fuller understanding of who He is as our Father. We learn to live what we talk...and walk what we teach. I've had many moments similar to this one you had with your daughter with my own two kids.