Interpretation of Texts (General)

by dhw, Saturday, September 25, 2010, 21:31 (5171 days ago) @ Balance_Maintained

BALANCE_MAINTAINED: ...my argument for what you said would be that men are the cause of all the atrocities. Not the Bible or the Koran.-I was afraid you'd say that. It's the old escape route when things get too hot for those who believe the Bible to be the infallible Word of God (though I don't think they include you). However, the point I've been trying to hammer home is one that you've acknowledged: that the various books in the Bible were written by MEN. And they were men with an agenda: to bind the Jewish people to the Jewish God, and to bind the Christian people to the Christian God and Man-God. In other words, the authors (men) are just as much to blame for the atrocities as the interpreters (men).-You are a scholar of the Bible, and I'm a mere dabbler, so I'm going to take a nice easy way out because you'll certainly be able to lay your hands on texts I'd need yonks to find. The Crusades and the Spanish Inquisition and many disastrous missions were based on the principle that souls could only be saved by following the true path laid out by Jesus. Similarly, the Pope claims that his opposition to contraception, the ordination of women, and homosexuality is based on Christ's teachings. I'm not bothered with the piddly examples you've given of Catholics BREAKING the laws. What bothers me is that they and the Muslim fundamentalists base their actions on what they think is OBEDIENCE to God's will as set forth in their scriptures. So help me out here. What are the texts you think they and the Crusaders and Torquemada have misinterpreted, and how else would you interpret them? (This is asking a lot, but I'll be happy with just a couple!)-You wrote: "As for the statement of the Bible proving or not proving God, I am not claiming that it does. In fact, it says that there can be no proof by the definition of the word faith."-An excellent argument, but again not quite in line with the point I was making. Historical evidence of biblical events has also been offered to me by my creationist friend as proof that the stories themselves (e.g. Noah) are true, which in turn proves that God is behind everything. I wonder what you yourself are hoping to prove by showing that these events actually occurred, and that the Bible's authors do not contradict themselves or one another, and that their reported prophecies came true. While I'm in tune with your scepticism towards unproven scientific theories that masquerade as gospel truth, I remain highly suspicious of "gospel truth", and am curious about what lies behind your quest.
 
You do not think that religion in the sense of a man-made organization "was ever the intent of the Koran or Bible". I wonder if Moses the lawgiver told his 600,000 men to do it their own way in the desert. And didn't Jesus himself teach in the synagogue and temple? Well, I'll take your word for it, though it might come as a shock to millions of Muslim, Jewish and Christian worshippers, preachers and teachers that they're going against God's wishes. -Finally, thank you for your patience in putting up with all my questions and for lighting so many interesting fires!