Opus 2012-74, Headlines: Bible and Constitution

Over a year ago I was listening to a pod-cast and heard E.J. Dionne quoted as saying that people tend to quote the Constitution as if it were holy scripture.  At this point I don’t remember the pod-cast or the source of the quote but it seems consistent with what he usually says.

Sounds logical to me.

People who believe the Bible believe in absolute truth.  They believe that words have meaning and the meaning is not what you want it to be but what it is.  Thus when the KJV says “Thou shalt not kill” it means what it says.  Of course, being people of truth who are not afraid of the truth, we look a little further and see that the real translation is “Thou shall not murder.”  That is not a minor nuance but a difference between truth and opinion.  The Bible means what it says.

These tend to be the same people who believe that the Constitution means what it says.  This is not because the Constitution is inerrantly inspired by God but because words have meaning.  Thus when the Constitution says, “Congress shall make no law...” these people tend to believe that it means, “Congress shall make no law....”  To us it seems simple.  To judges it seems confusing.

Don’t be confused by the mention of Bible believers.  I did not say “Christians” or “church members.”  Just as there are many people who call themselves “American” who reject the clear declarations of the Constitution, there are people who call themselves “Christian” who reject the clear teaching of the Bible.  In both cases the clarity is not convenient so it is rejected.  Whether these people are really “Americans” or “Christians” is between them and God.  I will be on the same side of the eternal bar of justice that they are on so my opinion is not vital.

So, yes.  People who can’t understand what the Constitution says seem to be the same people who can’t understand what the Bible says.  It is not a total overlap but it is a major factor.

homo unius libri