Slightly askance over on the book shelf
What's your view of the bible?
by JH 29 Replies latest jw friends
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Narkissos
I don't believe in it but I love it. (Well, at least some of it.)
Subjectively, it happened to be the book of my life. The ongoing thread throughout a broken life. I read it as a Catholic child, as a JW, as a mystical Christian, as a liberal Christian, as an atheist with philosophical inclinations. It still makes sense to me -- not the same sense of course. I still enjoy reading it, it still surprises and moves me sometimes.
Objectively, the Bible is central to the history of literature and thought. Central to the very notion of a "book" in the Western world. Of very high literary value when compared to contemporary production. I've enjoyed a lot of modern literature but Bible texts almost always lie in the background.
So, while I understand the frustration caused by wrong assumptions and expectations about it, I doubt any reader (anyone who enjoys reading) can drop it as worthless and not come back to it someday.
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scout575
The Bible continues ( in part ) to fascinate me. The idea presented by Jaffacake that it is inspired of God, but was distorted by Bible writers is problematic to say the least. He is left with a 'little Jack Horner' approach to the Bible - he 'puts in his thumb and pulls out a plumb' and leaves the unpalatable stuff. Who decides which bits are 'plums' and which bits aren't? Are the 'nice bits' the bits that got through from God in an untainted way, and the 'horrid bits' the bits that got corrupted by the Bible writers?
This posting is 'inspired' by me and I bet the version of it that arrives on the site will be EXACTLY what I intended. What a shame that 'almighty God' can't convey his messages to mankind as effectively as the internet can convey my messages to this website.
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jaffacake
Hi again Scout
I don't really accept your paraphrasing of what I tried to say. I do not suggest it is God's word, distorted by humans. I said God did not dictate it. He certainly did not write it. If it were meant to be literally God's word I suppose God would have asked his son to write at least one or two chapters. Its authors were obviously 100% human and used their own words. I don't expect you to agree with me, but just to recognise that what you seek to cast doubt on, only a minority of 'believers' would recognise anyway. Unfortunately seemingly a growing minority interpret it in the way you seek to expose, so perhaps you should keep up the good work to expose such superstition. These are not my own strange ideas, but what most Christians believe. The JWs modern alternative view of the Bible seems to me a most ignorant and shallow perspective. It is obvious from the Bible, that the bible does not need to be 'followed' for humans to be saved - what about the good thief. Nor that only Christians will be saved, whatever 'saved' means. Yet you seem to suggest I should accept or reject the one silliest minority style of interpretation, I should take it or leave it as if that's all there is. More Hobson's choice than Jack Horner? There are good bible commentaries that make sound arguments about the nature of such writings, most of which have several levels of meaning, including symbolic and spiritual. The JW/fundie belief in scriptures is the easiest thing in the world to tear down, because it contradicts common sense and most science, as well as being unloving and unChristian. Principles of interpretation of ancient manuscripts, including biblical ones, are reasonably well understood. Principles of context, comprehensiveness, consistency, sublation etc. It is obviously not a book, but a diverse library of assorted writings from different times for different purposes. I wonder with which other collection of writings by such diverse authors would anyone choose to make a point by playing hop-scotch with texts written by different people, thousands of years apart with different intentions...Silly eh? By doing that one can invent any combination of doctrines and hey presto - yet another religion. I don't find anything in the Bible unpalatable. Your very comment could have come straight from the mouth of my old adventist pastor. When Jesus said to pluck out an eye if it causes us to sin, is that unpalatable? If Jews were expected to stone to death disobedient children, is that unpalatable? Or is the subjection of slaves and women unpalatable? They reflected ancient customs of their time, or were hyperbole. We are now in the 21st century, and things change, as they did across the periods of scriptural writing. Things change...Jesus said 'it is written...an eye for an eye, but I am telling you....' the old testament fulfilled & negated at the same time. How did Christ sum up the Old Testament (or at least the law & the prophets)? Simple sublation principles. Sadly some actually try to 'follow' biblical teachings that anti-biblical. I believe there is very clear teaching in the Bible as to how to resolve such apparent contradictions..
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Legolas
OMG...Have you ever read these?
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jaffacake
Lego
Yes...read them and many more similar, and quite enjoyed (and used) some of the stuff therin, thanks.
But imo they all sorta miss the point unless directed at JWs and similar. Such arguments aimed at me and 'mainstream' people tend to come across as 'straw man' arguments.
What's the point in writing a million words to prove an object is not an 'apple' to people who believe it to be a 'pear'?
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tetrapod.sapien
What's your view of the bible?
as a moral and spiritual guide, it belongs not on a pedestal, but on the shelf between other "anno domini", mediterranean compilations of old texts.
as lesson in memetic evolution, it belongs under a microscope.
as an insight into the minds of some fundamentalist xians today, it belongs on the psychiatrist's couch.
as an aid to kinkiness in the bedroom, it belongs in the closet next to the satan mask, nun's smock, and cross on a chain. very handy in this roll i have found.
TS
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ICBehindtheCurtain
The bible has certain writings that are pretty beneficial like the Proverbs, but mostly everything else is nonsense. Writings by priests or high ranking government officials who wanted to control every aspect of their people's lives, by making up stupid rules, and laws and then saying they came from God.
These writers
stoleborrowed stories and ideas from other civilizations and made them their own, and also invented important heroes and characters that would give their people a sense of history (since the Hebrews had none) and importance, thereby making them feel superior to other tribes and peoples. It was written by men for men, their laws forced women to be lower class citizens, from the story of Eve on.I have read the list of laws from ancient Sumer and it's interesting to see how they resemble what the Hebrews wrote about 2 thousand years later, quite interesting.
IC
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lonelysheep
I view it no differently than Greek, Roman, or Egyptian mythology:
Not real,
Some morals to stories in there that could be beneficial to life, but
Mostly crazy, absurd situations that absolutely should not be taken literally for sanity's sake.
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acadian
Hello all,
I take the 10% that's good, and throw the other 90% in the garbage.
There is truth in the bible for thoughs who can see it, to other's it's just another book, full of contraditions and fairytales.
Acadian
