How to Make the Bible Fit Your View

So many people do this so naturally and without even thinking about it, but i thought i'd break it down for you with some examples.

1) Read the Bible with pre-set assumptions. You will often find what you are looking for. This is actually what every person tends to do.
2) Pick and choose the passages you want to accept and that fit your view and ignore any that don’t. It usually helps to quote these passages to others so that if people do disagree others can support your view.
3) Pick and choose whole sections of the Bible. If you don’t like something you can always say that it is a metaphor and it should not to be taken literally.
4) Redefine a word to make the verse that it’s in fit your view
5) Impose our culture into the Bible as though it was the culture of the Bible times. Attempting to change the Bible to fit the culture is a long held tradition and is especially sought in today’s society.
6) Don’t even read the Bible, and pretend that you know what you’re talking about.
7) Don’t read the Bible and claim that it is irrelevant, ancient, or useless.
8) Read multiple translations. That way you’re more likely to find one that might say what you want it to. This is especially evident in pop-culture "Christian" books.
9) Keep an eye out for new translations. There have been numerous attempts to make more “politically correct” Bibles that sacrifice accuracy for social acceptability.
10) When the Bible does say something that you disagree with point out any possible contradictions in the Bible and say that it is not accurate and should not be taken seriously rather than working through those, so called, "contradictions".
11) Do research and studies through sources that you know & agree with, and disregard as inherantly flawed any that you don't. It usually helps to point those flaws out to others.

If anyone can think of one that i missed, feel free to comment.
I set up a wikiHow article on making the Bible fit your viewpoint.

Silence is Golden

Silence is Golden

Sorry i haven't posted in a while.  I was commenting so much on Jewish Atheist's blog here for a while that it kind of burned me out.  When the network at work and the satellite uplink started having problems it meant that the only time i could post was in the evenings at home or first thing in the mornings and i found that it was making me a little too temperamental.  So i needed a break.  I’m back for now, but in a limited fashion.  The network at work is still on the fritz for a few more weeks and my mother is coming into town tomorrow, so as usual, my time is limited.  Well, enough of my boring excuses…on to more important things.