Cherry Picking Verses

[Moliere]

A couple weeks ago I was assigned to give a lesson on women's roles within the church. This lesson came from one of the correlated lesson manuals. As I was reading through the lesson I noticed that the main point of the lesson was on the equality that exists between men and women in the eyes of the Lord. I don't dispute that men and women are equal in His eyes but I also acknoweldge that isn't always the case in the church (however this discussion is for another thread).

As is the case with correlated lessons, there is always one or two scriptures that are used to emphasize the point the lesson is attempting to make. The scripture in this lesson came from 1 Cor 11:11:

11 Nevertheless neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord.

As I usually do, I decided to get some context around the scripture (the lesson didn't give any). I started to read in verse 1 of 1 Cor 11 and noticed the following:

1 Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.
2 Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and keep the bordinances, as I delivered them to you.
3 But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.
4 Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonoureth his head.
5 But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven.
6 For if the woman be not covered, let her also be shorn: but if it be a ashame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be covered.
7 For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man.
8 For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man.
9 Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man.
10 For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head because of the angels.

Now I'm not a Biblical scholar so I might be wrong, but after reading these verses I felt like the verse had been cherry picked and used way out of context. It also got me to thinking about all the cherry picking that is often done as a way to further a point by taking the verse out of the original context. I had a similar discussion with some people on CB who wanted to affirm that illegal immigration was a sin and to support that theory they quote the 12th AOF. Although in making that assertion they ignore the context in which the AOF were written and instead the 12th AOF is taken as a hard and fast commandment since it is canonized.

What other scriptures are taken out of context and used wrongly to prove some doctrinal point?

[Solon]

A couple weeks ago I was assigned to give a lesson on women's roles within the church. This lesson came from one of the correlated lesson manuals. As I was reading through the lesson I noticed that the main point of the lesson was on the equality that exists between men and women in the eyes of the Lord. I don't dispute that men and women are equal in His eyes but I also acknoweldge that isn't always the case in the church (however this discussion is for another thread).

As is the case with correlated lessons, there is always one or two scriptures that are used to emphasize the point the lesson is attempting to make. The scripture in this lesson came from 1 Cor 11:11:



As I usually do, I decided to get some context around the scripture (the lesson didn't give any). I started to read in verse 1 of 1 Cor 11 and noticed the following:



Now I'm not a Biblical scholar so I might be wrong, but after reading these verses I felt like the verse had been cherry picked and used way out of context. It also got me to thinking about all the cherry picking that is often done as a way to further a point by taking the verse out of the original context. I had a similar discussion with some people on CB who wanted to affirm that illegal immigration was a sin and to support that theory they quote the 12th AOF. Although in making that assertion they ignore the context in which the AOF were written and instead the 12th AOF is taken as a hard and fast commandment since it is canonized.

What other scriptures are taken out of context and used wrongly to prove some doctrinal point?

There are plenty to discuss. The guy to ask is SIEQ.

Here's a doozy he posted in another place in another time: http://cougarguard.com/forum/showthread.php?t=6977

I'd also add the famous 1 Corinthians 3.16 "know ye not that ye are the temple of God"? line.

[Moliere]

We had a doozy this Sunday. Our Gospel Doctrine instructor is also the local ward tea partier. I realize that mixing tea partying with teaching sunday school is a disaster waiting to happen but this guy is a really nice man and seems to keep his political ramblings to a minimum.

Well this past sunday was an exception as Isaiah 5:8-10 was used to decry the evils of Socialism. Here are the verses:

8 ¶ Woe unto them that ajoin bhouse to house, that lay field to field, till there be no place, that they may cbe placed alone in the midst of the earth!
9 In mine ears said the Lord of hosts, Of a truth many houses shall be desolate, even great and fair, without inhabitant.
10 Yea, ten acres of vineyard shall yield one abath, and the seed of an homer shall yield an ephah.

I'm not a biblical scholar, but I didn't see how those verses apply to Socialism. I decided to look into the manual to see how they are interpreted by the correlation committee and noticed that the official interpretation of the church is "greedy desires to own more and more material things." Somewhat ironic and interesting.

[statman]

What other scriptures are taken out of context and used wrongly to prove some doctrinal point?

I always liked the "Oh, that I were an Angel" song (from Alma 29) that was sung by many semi-gifted singers in wards I attended int he 80's.

"1 O that I were an angel, and could have the wish of mine heart, that I might go forth and speak with the atrump of God, with a voice to shake the earth, and cry repentance unto every people!
2 Yea, I would declare unto every soul, as with the voice of thunder, repentance and the plan of redemption, that they should repent and acome unto our God, that there might not be more sorrow upon all the face of the earth."

Well, not really. Because if you keep reading in Alma, you find that, Alma himself thinks he is sinning for having such grandiose thoughts:

"3 But behold, I am a man, and do sin in my wish; for I ought to be content with the things which the Lord hath allotted unto me.
4 I ought not to harrow up in my desires, the firm decree of a just God, for I know that he granteth unto men according to their adesire, whether it be unto death or unto life; yea, I know that he allotteth unto men, yea, decreeth unto them decrees which are unalterable, according to their bwills, whether they be unto salvation or unto destruction.
5 Yea, and I know that good and evil have come before all men; he that knoweth not good from evil is ablameless; but he that bknoweth good and evil, to him it is given according to his desires, whether he desireth good or evil, life or death, joy or remorse of cconscience.
6 Now, seeing that I know these things, why should I desire more than to aperform the work to which I have been called?
7 Why should I desire that I were an angel, that I could speak unto all the ends of the earth?
8 For behold, the Lord doth agrant unto ball nations, of their own nation and ctongue, to teach his word, yea, in wisdom, all that he dseeth fit that they should have; therefore we see that the Lord doth counsel in wisdom, according to that which is just and true."

I was glad when the First Presidency finally put the kaibosh on the OtIwaA crowd...