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Scholar John Bartkowski addresses reader prejudice, or reader bias, in the context of biblical interpretation through his research on biblical literalism.
He explores how readers bring their own social, theological, and cultural biases into their reading of the Bible, in turn influencing how they interpret scripture. He argues that these interpretations most often lead to selective readings that support pre-existing beliefs; e.g., that one’s biases largely determine personal biblical conclusions.
Bartkowski furthermore argues that no reading of the Bible is 100% objective since every reader or group of readers will approach readings with their own biases and pre-existing beliefs.
In this manner, a progressive group and a fundamentalist group may interpret the same passage in an entirely progressive or an entirely fundamentalist manner, purely because of their own prejudices and pre-existing beliefs.
That sums it up! Check out my full Religion 101 article list (useful for studying, or just learning!) here.