Twelfth International Conference on Religion & Spirituality in Society

Abstract

The use of the Hebrew Bible in several contexts that promote violence cannot be ignored (violence in the name of religion). Religious people tend to use these sacred texts to justify their unholy actions. They use the text to legalize slavery, oppression of women, or persecution of certain races. The Bible that should bring hospitality between humans has turned into a Bible that destroys (terror) human relations. In this portion, the Bible disrupts readers because it brings both sword and peace. Reading the Bible with violence in mind must be changed to reading the Bible non-violently. As a result, the Bible is not used to legitimize the violence of specific individuals. To that end, I propose a “disruptive spirituality” approach to interpreting violent texts in the Hebrew Bible. Disruptive Spirituality begins with “analyzing the text”. The texts are not understood only literally, but the interpreter needs an in-depth study to draw initial conclusions from his research on the texts. After that search, the interpreter puts himself in the context to make room for the use of the texts, and I call it the loci interpretation of the Bible. In the end, the interpreter needs to propose two conclusions regarding the recommendations and prohibitions of violent texts so that the reader is not arbitrary about the texts being interpreted. These disturbing texts are not condoned to legitimate violence but to interpret the texts non-violently in mind.