Burning Bibles

Valerie Cullers 41 Comments

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A few weeks ago in Portland, Oregon during one of the protests, someone staged a photo of Bibles being burned. The person (or persons) stacked about three Bibles, set them on fire and then took a photo of them. The photo went viral and of course, according to their plan, people were shocked and outraged.

For whatever reason, I did not react to it, but I have thought about it a lot. After all, people have been burning the Scriptures for Millenia. Antiochus IV (Epiphanes) burned the Scriptures when he conquered Jerusalem in 168 B.C. Same with the Romans when they sacked Jerusalem in 70 A.D. The Scriptures were burned during the Spanish Inquisition and during the Reformation. The Nazis burned the Scriptures. I am sure in our modern era that the Scriptures are being burned in countries where despots reign and Christianity is a threat to their power.

So what was the motivation behind the Bible burning in Portland? Do the people hate God, Christians or the Bible? Who knows for sure, but in any case it was an act of defiance against authority. In this particular case, the authority of the word of God, and perhaps the authority of God Himself.

Am I shocked? No. Is the Lord worried as He sits on His throne? No, not hardly. Let’s look at it from His perspective:

Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against his Anointed One. “Let us break their chains,” they say, “and throw off their fetters.” The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. Then he rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying, “I have installed my King on Zion, my holy hill.” Psalm 2: 1-6

Remember this: People will come and go. Nations and Kingdoms will rise and fall, but the word of the Lord will last forever. You can count on it.

Photo by Rafael Juarez, Courtesy of Pixabay.

41 thoughts on “Burning Bibles”

  1. “Remember this, people will come and go. Nations and Kingdoms will rise and fall, but the Word of the Lord will last forever. You can count on it.”

    Amen! Well said, Valerie.

    I often get overwhelmed by the perversion and evil throughout the world, in my own neighborhood, and in my children’s schools. Remembering that God is still in control and is big enough to deal with it all helps me to let go of my worry.

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    • It does me too! The news can be quite depressing, but we have an Anchor and a Rock we can hold on to. America was a Christian nation in the past, it is hard to adjust to it becoming secular, but that is the world we live in. Thank you so much for your comments and sharing your feelings!

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  3. Yes Val. I agree. It’s a horrific thing, but God is mightier than these. I look at these happening around the world and want to scream for justice but then I gently hear something that says “who can be saved then?” None of us are deserving or worthy. His grace and love are gifts. Our priest said at mass yesterday something like: If only we treated our souls as we did our bodies. Santizing, wearing masks, not going out for fear of offending God instead of fear of catching a virus. Oh what this world would be if we only sought to avoid offended God so carefully.

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  8. I’m guessing the Bible burning was an attempt to stir up negative press for the protests. Makes me wonder to what extremes some people are willing to go. I have to agree that Bible burning (and flag burning along with books) have been going on for eons. God knows the hearts of men and he is a righteous judge. Therefore I an not concerned.

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  11. I offer one minor disagreement that has nothing to do with your main point. Jesus is the “Word of God,” per the Gospel of John. The Bible is the “word of God,” or, rather, one form of the “word of God.” As Reformed theology tells us, there is a second book, the “book of nature.”

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  14. Not surprising, there are rebellious haters of God now as there has been through the ages. They accomlpish nothing. We can print more Bibles than they can burn. Pages of a book can be burned but God’s WORD is written in our hearts and His TRUTH endureth forever! Thanks be unto God!

    I am reminded that Paul had Christians killed (which is far worse than burning Bibles) and yet he turned to Christ. The best we can do is pray for these people and perhaps some will come to faith in our wonderful, loving Saviour!

    ❤️carmen

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  15. Burning Bibles, persecution has been around for thousands of years. Its only going to get worse. God’s Word is written in our hearts and His TRUTH endureth forever.

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