by XJW4EVR 210 Replies latest jw friends
the Bible is the inerrant word of God
Burns,
Do you consider yourself a Fundamentalist? I ask, because often, ones describing Scripture as "inerrant" are Fundamentalists. However, your previous comments regarding religion/spirituality have led me to believe that you are not a Fundamentalist in any way.
-LWT
LeavingWT. As you know, I am not Fundamentalist in that sense you are using. I believe the Bible is not a history or science book and that to use it this way is a big mistake. It is however, a vehicle to convey spiritual revelation. I believe that the Bible teaches the spiritual truths that God inspired for the sake of our salvation. This in no way implies that we are bound to a literalistic reading of the book, or that fiction, legend, myth, etc. are not valid vehicles for revelation.
BTS
BTS,
Well said and I, for one, agree with you.
This in no way implies that we are bound to a literalistic reading of the book
Please expound upon that, if you have time. It's interesting.
what would you expect to find?
If we are staying with the theme that God needed humans to write this thing in the first place ( ) then I would expect to see books written by women and children, clarity with less or no repetition, no contradictions, and no alteration/changes over time.
I have a hard time relating to a lot of the Bible. It's like a nice story of ancient times. Whatever. I find Stephen Covey way more relevant and I totally relate to it.
I believe the Bible is not a history or science book and that to use it this way is a big mistake. It is however, a vehicle to convey spiritual revelation. I believe that the Bible teaches the spiritual truths that God inspired for the sake of our salvation. This in no way implies that we are bound to a literalistic reading of the book, or that fiction, legend, myth, etc. are not valid vehicles for revelation.
I'm with you, Burns. Very, very well said. How high is your IQ?
Please expound upon that, if you have time. It's interesting.
This is a decent start, LeavingWT:
http://biologos.org/questions/interpreting-scripture/
And since I am Catholic Christian, I will share this part of the Catholic Catechism (teaching) as well:
108 Still, the Christian faith is not a "religion of the book." Christianity is the religion of the "Word" of God, a word which is "not a written and mute word, but the Word which is incarnate and living". If the Scriptures are not to remain a dead letter, Christ, the eternal Word of the living God, must, through the Holy Spirit, "open [our] minds to understand the Scriptures."
109 In Sacred Scripture, God speaks to man in a human way. To interpret Scripture correctly, the reader must be attentive to what the human authors truly wanted to affirm, and to what God wanted to reveal to us by their words.
110 In order to discover the sacred authors' intention, the reader must take into account the conditions of their time and culture, the literary genres in use at that time, and the modes of feeling, speaking and narrating then current. "For the fact is that truth is differently presented and expressed in the various types of historical writing, in prophetical and poetical texts, and in other forms of literary expression."
111 But since Sacred Scripture is inspired, there is another and no less important principle of correct interpretation, without which Scripture would remain a dead letter. "Sacred Scripture must be read and interpreted in the light of the same Spirit by whom it was written."
That the Bible contains passages that appear to contradict what modern science teaches today does not detract from the spiritual message. People that wrote spoke truthfully of the physical world as it appeared to them. Even now, even the most intelligent scientists say "the sun rises." But we know this is not the case, in reality.
BTS
Once again, well said BTS.
Thank you, Burns.
-LWT
109 In Sacred Scripture, God speaks to man in a human way.
No wonder I can't relate to it! Well, carry on... I have other things to read that make more impact on me anyways.
