Dear Mary,

Having read your latest missive that was ostensibly about Christopher Hitchens, I was struck by what I felt were your unwarranted attacks on most Bible believing Christians. You had some harsh words for those that read the “saccharine” “pastel covered” tomes in Christian bookstores instead of Milton and the like. You also had some very unflattering things to say on regards to those that read the Bible literally and insinuated that they are not well read, and that they are the one’s that give ammunition to the people like Christopher Hitchens to attack the Christian faith.

While I have no problem with your love of literature, as I am a bit of a reader myself, I do not see where the literal reading of the Bible is at odds with literature or scholarship. I think that you have fallen into the trap of intellectualism, in that you have the feeling that only those at your intellectual level are worthy of respect; if that is not your position, then you may need to check what you write and how you write it, because that is what I felt when I read your article.

Let me explain a little about those, who like me, read the Bible literally. We read the Bible literally because we believe that the Bible is the revealed Word of the Living God. We read it literally because we believe that the Bible needs no interpretation except where it so indicates, and I those places the Bible itself provides the interpretation. We see that when men attempt to interpret the Bible, many plain and precious truths are ignored while men search in vain for the “mysteries” that the Bible allegedly contains. We read the Bible literally because we have faith that God has given us his written Word to be our ultimate guide, to be our roadmap, to be the place where we van go to for truth and answers and not lean on the understanding of men who will “interpret” the Bible to suit their own narrow purposes.

You also had some criticism for those that would open up a Bible inspired theme park, or a creation inspired museum; you seem to think that these people supply ammunition to the atheists of the world to attack Christianity, so you launch your own sugar coated attack on them. I will gladly stand to defend them, because I understand what they are trying to do. In a world where violence, depravity, and sexual license is celebrated, even in children’s “entertainment” there are people that feel that Christians need a place where they are welcomed and their faith is celebrated and not under attack. A privately funded Creation inspired museum is certainly no worse than the multitude of tax-payer funded museums that present the theory of evolution as scientific fact, and a Bible inspired theme park is certainly no worse than a theme park where Christians have to schedule their visits so that they miss Gay Pride day, is it? And you should know that people like Christopher Hitchens need no other reason to attack Christians and their faith other than the fact that they exist.

As for your feeling that literalists like me are stupid hicks that belong to the “Jesus club”, and make those that don’t “know” Jesus feel like outsiders, there is a reason for that…and it is not us. I do not know if you know Jesus as your personal savior or not, but your comments make me think that maybe you don’t. When that woman asked you in the laundry room if you knew Jesus, she was not talking down to you or trying to make you feel like you were being left out of a “club”; she was most likely wanting to bring you into a personal relationship with Christ. She was probably trying to lead you to a place where you put your trust in Him and Him alone, she probably wanted to lead you to the peace of knowing that God does love you and wants to take care of you, to be your Friend, Counselor, Comforter, and Redeemer. The way you bristled at that suggestion indicates to me that you know about Him but do not really know Him for yourself.

But hey, if reading Milton is what gets you to read the Bible then that’s fine…whatever floats your boat. But please, please spare me the condescension that I detect in your writing, spare me the gratuitous insults about us stupid literalists that don’t read books “other than the Bible”. We do read other books than the Bible; we just keep it in its proper place as our primary text for living a Christian life. Milton’s works may be classics of literature, but there is only one Book that we ignorant Christians know of that can lead a man to salvation, and provide him a place to build his faith, and to renew his strength or the daily challenges that life throws at us. That is why we treasure the Bible and cling to its words, and not the spurious “interpretations” that the leading lights of the day have for it. We are adhering to the words recorded in Second Timothy 3:16-17 which read: “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

But maybe that is just a bit more simplistic drivel from us Bible thumpers, which gives all of the intelligent Christians pause, and the intellectual atheist’s ammunition.