The Harlot Shall Be Burned with Fire: Biblical Literalism in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Religion Dispatches: Sarah Sentilles

I must admit that part of me is relieved to have these disturbing passages out in public. These bloody verses that insist women be punished with violent death—often for perceived or imagined sexual transgressions—are usually overlooked, downplayed, skipped over, ignored. Most people like to pretend they aren’t really in the text. Especially people who claim to take the Bible literally.

Passages like these should render biblical literalism impossible. Their existence illuminates that literalists always engage in selective literalism, choosing the passages that support the arguments they want to make. And what is the rubric for selective literalism other than convenience and the maintenance of oppressive power relationships? When faced with such verses—or even passages about keeping kosher or not being around women who are menstruating—many a literalist will argue something like “that was then and this is now,” while in the very next breath (I’m talking to you, Rick Santorum, and you, Michele Bachmann) they’ll insist that homosexuality is an abomination or that women should submit to their husbands. Why? Because it’s in the Bible.

The film could, in fact, be read as an argument against biblical literalism; a warning about the misogynist violence embedded in the biblical text…

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Defending Misogyny With The Bible

Look at the men behind him nodding in agreement.

Women Should Keep Their Mouths Shut–Yes, I Said It

That’s right ladies. You should not be opening your mouth to speak during church services. Just ask Pastor Jack Schaap. Wonder what he has to say about the black church. Many women are quite vocal and physically expressive.  I can imagine the private conversations this man has with his buddies brothers in Christ.

The Changing Face Of Homelessness

An older article but still timely. Don’t be so quick to write off someone who’s homeless as being a deadbeat or drug addict. When you see a homeless person why not take the time to find out why they’re in that situation. Perhaps there is something you can do to be of assistance, other than pray that God intervene on their behalf.

People who work with the homeless say they’re seeing more families, more women and children, and more people who were knocked down by a job loss, divorce or domestic violence – or by jobs that paid too little and medical bills or housing that cost too much. They are also seeing more people who have jobs that pay minimum wage or less and can’t afford housing.

Shelters are teeming with veterans and teenagers, people struggling with mental illness and substance abuse, people who have been homeless for years, and new arrivals who never imagined they would be homeless.

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