Famous Author Slammed on X For Calling the Bible a ‘Work of Fiction’

In her post, she called the Bible a work of fiction, which resulted in many X users brigade the post with comments underneath it. The sentiments of many popular comments expressed disapproval of Oates, although some users thanked Oates for her willingness to speak up.

Her post goes on to condemn those who respect the Bible, claiming they “select those verses that appeal to them while ignoring other verses.” She concludes the post by saying the Bible is a “fertile ground for hypocrisy.”

In her career as a writer, she has published 58 novels, many of which were finalists for the Pulitzer Prize. She has won the National Book Award and has received the National Humanities Medal. She also taught at Princeton University for several decades.

This prompted the now infamous response by Oates, which, at the time of this writing, has been viewed over 340,000 times by users of X.

The man, Alexander Edwards, was found deceased in custody with his organs, even his brain, removed from his body. He was 74 years old and died on November 2, 2021.

“We cage, torture, and exploit so many and call it justice, when really it is a profound sin that calls out for God’s wrath upon us,” his post concluded.

“Widows, orphans, prisoners—no Christian can, without doing great violence to Scripture, get around the extremely clear obligations we have to such people,” he wrote. All of Sitman’s posts were well received by users of X, having more likes than comments by a large margin.

She questioned, “‘Widows, orphans, prisoners’–really, these entirely disparate categories have something in common,” This initial post in the thread from Oates was not well received by other users. At this point, Adler-Bell responded, which led to her response where she called the Bible a work of fiction.

Toell’s reply prompted a response from Oates herself. “The Hebrew Bible & The New Testament are two separate gatherings of writings by various persons over a considerable period of time. Those who want to believe that these are ‘divine’ books are welcome to their belief,” she responded.

“If the books of Joyce Carol Oates were to outlast The Bible, it would be shown as evidence of her talent. If the Bible outlasts the work of Joyce Carol Oates—which it will—it’s shown as evidence of people being misled. Isn’t it interesting how biases work,” he wrote.

He encouraged Oates “to read Ratzinger’s Intro to Christianity, anything by C.S. Lewis, Chesterton’s Orthodoxy” and invited her to discover the “joy, truth, and beauty” Christianity can bring. With the deluge of comments on her posts, it’s not clear if Oates saw this helpful tip.

“Even if you think it’s fiction, it’s the most influential written book in history and it isn’t close… for good reason,” Spivey wrote. His sentiment was shared by others in the thread who offered positive responses.

The Center for Religious Liberty (FRC) released a report documenting an alarming increase in vandalism and acts of hostility against churches in recent years. The beginning of 2023 also saw a huge spike in church attacks.

If someone criticized another religion they might find themselves out of a job, but when someone criticizes Christianity it is often just an acceptable norm is a sentiment shared by some Christians.

Another 44 percent felt that their level of discrimination was at the same level as Muslims in the United States. Similar numbers were found for Catholic and other Protestant Christians. Many of these feelings stem from the changing American culture that is shifting away from Christian ideals.

In 2023, NPR reported that attendance at churches continues to plummet as religion is becoming an increasingly less important aspect of the American experience. The identity of an American is shifting away from the religious roots more present at the country’s inception.

A secular culture divorced from religion has emerged for young people. This culture is focused on TV, social media, and shared experiences which have taken the purpose that religious institutions once provided to the nation’s youth.

In their survey, only 16% of respondents said that religion is the most important thing in their lives. This number is down 20% from just the previous decade. Despite discouraging news, 82% of those surveyed said they are optimistic about their church.

Numbers for church attendance have still not recovered to what they were in 2019. The PPRI survey found that before the pandemic in 2019, 19% of Americans regularly attended regular services. This number has dropped to 16% in post-pandemic times.

Pew Research reported in 2022 that 45% of US adults and six out of ten Christians believe that America should be a “Christian nation.” However what that actually means varies greatly among respondents, with many saying they want their church to stay out of politics.

Christianity scored a net favorability score of 34, with Protestantism being the most popular sect with a net 19 favorability score. The next widely favored religions are Amish, Judaism, Buddhism, and Catholicism. Each of these religions was seen favorably among Americans.

In a Pew Research study from 2023, Jews, Mainline Protestants, Catholics, and Evangelic Christians all scored higher than Atheists on a favorability scale. Only Muslims and Mormons scored lower on favorability by those surveyed than Atheists. On this survey, Atheists had a net -4 favorability score.

Social media has the tendency to spread more toxic posts that inflame and keep divisions between people stoked. If attention hadn’t been brought to Oakes’ comments, then many Christians would not have seen them.

Many people need to stay connected to family, friends, and work with an electronic device always being near them. One of the best ways to overcome the toxic feelings that come from social media is to take a detox from it. However, even if someone cuts themselves off from everything, the conversation still continues.