This week, social media users went after Pulitzer Prize finalist and renowned author Joyce Carol Oates on the X show after she posted a post declaring the Bible to be “fiction.”
Oates also called the Bible a “fertile ground for hypocrisy” and argued that Christians tend to cherry-pick the verses that are most convenient for their personal belief systems.
The “Black Water” author made the comments Thursday in response to a religious statement posted by podcaster and author Matthew Sitman in response to a news article about alleged prisoner abuse in Alabama.
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Author Joyce Carol Oates slammed X this week after declaring that the Bible is a “work of fiction.” (Michael Loccisano/Staff)
“The conditions in our prisons and the way we treat those incarcerated are truly abhorrent. We cage, torture and exploit so many people and call it justice. However, in reality, it is a sin so deep that it incurs God's wrath.'' “
A subsequent post stated, “Widows, orphans, prisoners. Christians cannot shirk their very clear obligations to such people without doing great violence to the Bible,” and noted Oates' I subtracted.
Disputing this, she commented: “'Widow, orphan, prisoner' – do these disparate categories really have anything in common?”
Sitman's co-host Sam Adler Bell responded to Oates by writing, “Please read the Bible.” Her curt reaction led her to ridicule Christianity.
Oates says, “The Bible, as you call it, is a work of fiction. Or rather, an anthology of fiction. For much of the world's population, the Bible is not 'the' Bible; it is their own. Those who claim that are choosing those verses.” Any appeal to them that ignores other scriptures is fertile ground for hypocrisy. ”
The author's attacks on Christianity prompted a massive response from Christians and conservatives against X.
With a touch of humor, Adler Bell said, “Being a theist is Joyce Carol Oates' fault… @MatthewSitman is what I suffer from.”
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USA – November 10: Thomas Jefferson's collection of Bibles from four different translations is on display at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. The nearly 200-year-old book was recently preserved and restored in its original cover. (Photo by Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)
Lawyer and X-influencer Damin Tolle slammed Oates, asking, “Joyce, what do you call it? Is there a secret name in your Bible?”
Political theorist and author Philip Bunn responded to the author, “A famous writer, one of the most prolific writers of your generation, 85 years old, a member of the American Philosophical Association, a National Book Award winner. Imagine being a person and these are the things you occupy.'' You hurt yourself by tweeting. All because you decided today to disrespect widows and orphans. ”
“There was a time when she was being promoted as a candidate for the Nobel Prize. Imagine 20 years from now, a literature student researching Nobel Prize winners and sifting through these tweets. I want her,'' he said, mourning her accomplishments.
“Imagine minimizing the impact of infinitely more books sold than all the books you've written combined,” says the Rev. Ben Johnson, an Orthodox Christian and senior editor at the Family Research Council. reprimanded Oates.
Podcast host and author Cale Zeldin blasted Oates, saying, “It's always amazing to see famous intellectuals come out as ignorant lightweights.”
Christian author Taylor Patrick O'Neill said Oates' views were not as interesting as she thought. “It's 2024. Are we still saying, 'Christians, you must not know there are other religions'? Yes, there are other holy books. Yes, that’s crazy. The Bible is still true.”
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