Why Don't Christians Follow the Bible?

[LongGe123]

Look, you just said that some things aren't to be taken literally. Are the ten commandements one of these things?

 

[LongGe123]

Sorry, just seen ur edited responce now. Ok cool, thanks for the reply.

 

[angellous_evangellous]

Look, you just said that some things aren't to be taken literally. Are the ten commandements one of these things?

There's more to interpretation than the use of literary devices. There's also redaction history (the text has been edited, so it's quite likely that the injunction to kill was added to the text) as well as interpretation history (some portions of the text were never taken literally, but applied in ways that are in tradition only).

As I said before, knowing something about interpretation would have helped you as better questions. You've ignored entire histories.

 

[LongGe123]

I was just going off the premise that "All the Bible is true and was inspired by God" - i guess i've leant now that some Christians don't believe this.

 

[angellous_evangellous]

Sorry, just seen ur edited responce now. Ok cool, thanks for the reply.

No problem. I do edit things pretty fast... just doing my best to be clear. I'm glad that we've finally caught eachother online.

 

[angellous_evangellous]

I was just going off the premise that "All the Bible is true and was inspired by God" - i guess i've leant now that some Christians don't believe this.

I'm not exactly sure where the majority is on this... I'm actually studying it now. I do think that the majority of Christians (scholars, pastors, and laypeople) would agree that the entire Bible is inspired. Exactly what inspiration means is something that we are hopelessly divided on.

The kind of inspiration that you've espoused - that God wrote it - combined with a rigorously literal interpretation - is something that I've never seen before. If it does exist, it's only with Taliban like fundamentalists in a hole in Kansas. I mean - Fred Phelps doesn't even kill people, and he's as nuts as they come.

 

[LongGe123]

Yeah, i guess it all comes down to what inspiration means - and yeah, a whole other debate entirely.

 

[s2a]

Perhaps because there is NO "definitive" Bible?

I have often asked [of] Christian adherents to name THE only "true" and "infallible" version/translation of what is understood to be the modern Bible.

Most dodge the question, or equivocate into arguments of "personal revelation", and/or other rationalizations of admittedly invalidated, but no less legitimate "understanding" of their god's divine import and/or "revealed truth".

If "Scripture" is left to a believer's own personalized "interpretation" (as "revealed" by the Holy Ghost) as to what definitively constitutes "ultimate truth", then perhaps it follows that no two people will ever "understand" the Will of God the same way, or even with any bit of accuracy, or relevance.

"The Bible" may very well be the most revised, edited, and enhanced/redacted bit of literature in the entirety of any/all human-crafted transcripts/fictions.

How utterly convenient.

How utterly empty, and useless.

 

[angellous_evangellous]

Perhaps because there is NO "definitive" Bible?

Yeah, that's one reason. There are many canons of Scripture, even in the orthodox traditions -- which is fun to point out to Protestant evangelicals. But even people who agree on a canon don't agree on the nature of inspiration.

 

[angellous_evangellous]

"The Bible" may very well be the most revised, edited, and enhanced/redacted bit of literature in the entirety of any/all human-crafted transcripts/fictions.

Ha! No, Homer takes the cake by far - Homeric scholarship - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[s2a]

Ha! No, Homer takes the cake by far - Homeric scholarship - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

My bad.

I should have excluded acknowledged works of purposed fiction/mythology from consideration.

I wonder...how many "accurate" vs. "inaccurate" translations/versions of "Green Eggs and Ham" are available in the world today?

Which version shall I embrace and testify as being THE singular understanding of Dr. Seuss' "vision" or "message"? What undeniable "truths" should I extract from such an "interpretive" tale?

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

The kind of inspiration that you've espoused - that God wrote it - combined with a rigorously literal interpretation - is something that I've never seen before. If it does exist, it's only with Taliban like fundamentalists in a hole in Kansas. I mean - Fred Phelps doesn't even kill people, and he's as nuts as they come.

That view is espoused rather frequently on my local Christian radio station, though as you note, the believers don't go around killing people, so I have a feeling they're not putting their words into action as much as they could.

 

[angellous_evangellous]

That view is espoused rather frequently on my local Christian radio station,

Can you provide a link to this station's website?

though as you note, the believers don't go around killing people, so I have a feeling they're not putting their words into action as much as they could.

This feeling is baseless, and there's no reason why you should haplessly go about wondering why they aren't killing people.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Can you provide a link to this station's website?

WZXV 99.7 The Word - Christian Radio Rochester NY

Their statement of faith can be found on this page.

I should note, though, that I don't know how much of their programming is produced in-house and how much is syndicated. I have a feeling that most of the more inflammatory stuff is produced elsewhere and then purchased by the station.

This feeling is baseless, and there's no reason why you should haplessly go about wondering why they aren't killing people.

So you think they are? There are unsolved murders everywhere, but I wasn't about to pin any of them on a seemingly normal church congregation.

 

[Muffled]

Thats all i want to know - did God write these verses in the bible? Yes or No?

Yes. The texts that you quoted come under the old covenant dispensation. Christians are under the new covenant dispensation and have no need to follow the old covenant to the letter. The Jews were under the old covenant but they were never able to keep it. There are some ultra-orthodox in Israel who would like to see it revived but they don't have a majority. Sometimes they become extreme fundamentalists and practice their beliefs outside the law. For instance there are stories of people having their cars stoned on the sabbath because driving would be considered work.

 

[angellous_evangellous]

For instance there are stories of people having their cars stoned on the sabbath because driving would be considered work.

You may want to rephrase this... it looks like these fanatics just throw stones at their cars because they don't want to drive.

 

[Muffled]

You may want to rephrase this... it looks like these fanatics just throw stones at their cars because they don't want to drive.

Only masochists throw stones at themselves.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Hmm... I wonder why stoning someone (or their car) on the Sabbath wouldn't be considered "work". It's certainly not resting.

 

[angellous_evangellous]

Hmm... I wonder why stoning someone on the Sabbath wouldn't be considered "work". It's certainly not resting.

I've thought about that too. The simple solution is stoning them on the next day.:yes:

 

[Mister_T]

***MOD POST***

This thread is starting to get off topic. Let's get back on track, shall we?​