What's wrong with this logic?

I told my former pastor that I didn't believe his interpretation of particular verses in the Bible. His reply was so you dont believe God?

The logical problem with the pastor's reply lies in the fallacy of **false equivalence**. This fallacy occurs when two things are inaccurately portrayed as being the same or equivalent when in fact they are not.

In this case, the pastor equates believing in his personal interpretation of the Bible with believing in God. However, many different interpretations of religious texts exist, and questioning one person's interpretation does not necessarily mean one is rejecting the divine authority or the scriptures themselves. Therefore, the two concepts—the pastor's interpretation and belief in God—are not logically equivalent.

Additionally, the pastor's response may also contain elements of an **appeal to authority** fallacy, implying that since he is a religious authority, his interpretation should not be questioned. This type of argument overlooks the possibility of reasonable disagreement and does not address the substantive issues raised by the initial questioning.

In summary, the pastor's logic is flawed because it inaccurately equates his personal interpretation with the broader and more complex concept of belief in God, thereby ignoring the possibility of legitimate differences in understanding and interpretation.