Bibliolatry

Bibliolatry (from the Greek biblion "book" + latreia "worship") is the worship of a particular book. See also Idolatry and Idolatry and Christianity.
==Bibliolatry In Christianity==
In the case of Christianity, the term bibliolatry is used in a derogatory sense toward those who either have an extreme devotion to the Bible itself, or hold to a high view of biblical inerrancy. p. 307 . Those who esteem Biblical inerrancy point to passages such as 2 Timothy 3:16-17, stating that the Scriptures, as received, are a perfect (and in some views, complete) source of what must be known about God. Critics of this view call the view a kind of idolatry, and point to verses such as John 5:39-40 to point out that Jesus was asking humanity to relate to God, not just seek God's rules and spurn a relationship with the God who created them.Bible Study is Not Enough - Avoiding the ditch of Bibliolatry - Dr. Dan Hayden.
Historic Christianity has never endorsed worship of the Bible itself, as worship is explicitly reserved only for God Himself. That is to say, they look at the bible as a kind of signpost which points to God, rather than considering the bible, as a book, itself as valuable as God himself. Most Christians believe that biblical authority is derived from God the author of the text, not the text itself "Unity and Diversity in the History of Interpretation" . So the term is not a reference to an actual belief, but is often used as a pejorative term to negatively label perceived practices of theological opponents. The groups to whom the term is most often applied are Protestants of a fundamentalist and evangelical background who hold to Biblical inerrancy and Scripture as the only divine authority.
Disputes exist as to whether the King James Only movement is or is not a form of bibliolatry.
===Bibliolatry In Roman Catholicism===
Jaroslav Pelikan writes of Unitatis Redintegratio 21, "the Second Vatican Council of the Roman Catholic Church of 1962-1965 could speak with a mixture of genuine admiration and ever-so-gentle reproof about a 'love and reverence, almost a cult, for Holy Scripture' among the 'separated Protestant brethren'."Jaroslav Pelikan, Whose Bible Is It? A History of the Scriptures Through the Ages ISBN 0-670-03385-5. Southern Baptists in particular have in recent years been accused of practicing bibliolatry by numerous and well-respected evangelical leaders due to a wording change in the 2000 revision of the Baptist Faith and Message and the corollary purging of the ranks that removed any professors who believed that historical or archaeological findings might legitimate raise questions about a passage. During the late 1990s, hundreds of Southern Baptist seminarians and denominational officials were systematically removed from office, not for believing a false gospel or questioning the Bible's accuracy, but for either admitting that cultural and archaeological findings helped us understand the context of the Scriptures better or (after the 2000 revision) for refusing to agree to the significant revision in the Baptist doctrine. One example of the vitriole this debate has produced is Southern Baptist William Merrell's response to the charge of bibliolatry in 2000.Bibliolatry — A Fraudulent Accusation, William Merrell, SBC Life, October, 2000.
==Bibliolatry In Islam==
Though most often used in a Christian context, the charge of bibliolatry in this sense is also sometimes leveled against Islamic fundamentalists and other religionists deemed excessively devoted to their holy texts.The Unseen Face of Islam, Bill A. Musk, p.192, 
Kregel Publications, Missions to Muslims, 1989, ISBN 0825460549 
==Bibliolatry In Sikhism==
In the case of Sikhism, Guru Granth Sahib is not simply the holy text; the text itself was proclaimed as the final Guru by the last human Guru, Guru Gobind Singh. The grammar and syntax within the book cannot be altered, and the text has a key, central role within Sikh worship. 
==Notes==
==See also==
*Bibliomancy is the use of books (sometimes the holy books of a religion) for divination.
*The Guru Granth Sahib is the holy book of Sikhism. The last of the Sikh Gurus left it as his successor. It is treated as a revered person.
*Prima scriptura
*Sola scriptura
*Qur'an alone
==resources==
Category:Bible
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