Re: Interpretation perhaps?

Posted by Fedora from 24.116.27.238 on June 20, 2001 at 22:15:39:

In Reply to: Re: Interpretation perhaps? posted by Shawnkara on June 20, 2001 at 20:35:03:

: Strangely, it seems that we're making the same point. In the first post I said that I felt the Bible was a reliable historical account of places and events. It's the explanation of said events that makes me ill. More to the point, the fact that people STILL accept these explanations today. Take Sodom and Gamora. Likely, it was destroyed in a volcanic eruption. This perfevctly fits the details of the account given in the Bible. But to say it was annihilated by the hand of God as punishment for debotchery and various other sins? Sure, this is viable for illerate people who believed the World to be flat. But for people to believe that today? It's ridiculous. Really, you could compare this point to 'Raiders'. It's a story based on some fact and acctual events but carefully woven with enough fiction to make it entertaining. But with the Bible entertainment was not the goal. It was fear and manipulation. Like I said, we're making the same point. The Bilbe was written by man, NOT God, and the facts were twisted and embelished to suit their motives. "Church" is just my generic term for any organized body of religion. As for the lessons of the Bilbe, most go without saying. Do you really need a 2000 year-old text to tell you that murder and adultry are wrong? If anyone really needs a book to tell them this they probably shouldn't be walking the streets. Maybe it says something very dark about mankind to think that we need fear of something intangible to motivate us to basic decency. For all God is worth you may as well take electricity and name it Fred. Then we could write the 10 rules of Fred, the history of Fred and eveytime someone is struck by lightning we can lable them a sinner and call it 'the wrath of Fred'. No, Science can't explain everything. In fact I've seen it explain surprisingly little. The same is true of religion. They're both just far-fetched, assinine attempts at explaining things that we are simply not meant to understand, not on this plain of existence, anyway. You have to admit that modern Chrisianity is little more than a self-indulging means of justifying hypocracy. Here's an image I'll never forget. About three years ago, a priest here in Nebraska performed a same-sex marriage. He was dischraged and picketers on both sides of the issue filled the streets for days. The image is this; on the FRONT PAGE of the paper was a photo of a NINE-YEAR-OLD boy waving a sign that read "God still hates faggots". More often than not man's use of religion breeds little more than hatred and ignorance. I'd like to see that kid's parents argue their point with Mathew Sheppard's parents'. We also have a homeless man who, on any given day, can be found on Dodge Street in front of Planned Parenthood. You can't miss him; he's the guy with long hair, a beard and a FULL-SIZE crucifix strapped to his back, which he drags up and down the sidewalk for hours on end. I kid you not. Maybe God isn't to blame directly, but the people that work for him are either biggoted, racist hate-mongers or just clinically insane.

I suppose that we do agree on many points. Perhaps our main difference is that I do feel that some of the Bible was truly inspired by that thing we in the West call God. I also think that it has become corrupted, and some of the original meaning and intent has been lost. The stories like Sodom and Gormorrah are an example of not taking the event literally. Rather it is like a fable, that is used to teach, and make a point. Same with the story of Adam and Eve. And there are many other stories in the Bible that fall into the same category. Perhaps the ancients understood this, and we don't. But, in the end, I feel that there is a Creator, and that there is a way to experience this fact. I think that the universe as we experience it, was in fact created by this Creator. I also think there have been some people who have experienced this firsthand, and have tried to communicate something that is beyond words. That religion could be used to keep folks in line, through fear, perhaps had a useful place in the history of mankind. But, from the beginning, it may not have been intended to do this. I am reminded of a story about the devil and one of his cohorts who were walking along a road one day. Up ahead, they noticed a man stopping and picking something up from the road, and the man smiled brightly, and jauntily walked on. The cohort looked at the devil, and asked," what did the man find that made him so happy?" The devil replied, "He has just discovered the truth." "But isn't that rather bad business for you?" asked his cohort. "No, not at all," replied the devil. "I will help him organize it!" Regards, Fedora

Follow Ups:

"Gamora" or "Gormorrah"? Fall Guy 22:31:13 6/20/2001 (2)
- I believe Fedora's spelling is the correct one. For every one thing I learn, I forget at least two. I think my brain is full. (nm) Shawnkara 01:36:31 6/21/2001 (1)
  - He was close, very close. (nm) Fall Guy 14:30:24 6/21/2001 (0)

Post a Followup:

Name:    
E-Mail:  
Subject: 
Comments:

: : Strangely, it seems that we're making the same point. In the first post I said that I felt the Bible was a reliable historical account of places and events. It's the explanation of said events that makes me ill. More to the point, the fact that people STILL accept these explanations today. Take Sodom and Gamora. Likely, it was destroyed in a volcanic eruption. This perfevctly fits the details of the account given in the Bible. But to say it was annihilated by the hand of God as punishment for debotchery and various other sins? Sure, this is viable for illerate people who believed the World to be flat. But for people to believe that today? It's ridiculous. Really, you could compare this point to 'Raiders'. It's a story based on some fact and acctual events but carefully woven with enough fiction to make it entertaining. But with the Bible entertainment was not the goal. It was fear and manipulation. Like I said, we're making the same point. The Bilbe was written by man, NOT God, and the facts were twisted and embelished to suit their motives. "Church" is just my generic term for any organized body of religion. As for the lessons of the Bilbe, most go without saying. Do you really need a 2000 year-old text to tell you that murder and adultry are wrong? If anyone really needs a book to tell them this they probably shouldn't be walking the streets. Maybe it says something very dark about mankind to think that we need fear of something intangible to motivate us to basic decency. For all God is worth you may as well take electricity and name it Fred. Then we could write the 10 rules of Fred, the history of Fred and eveytime someone is struck by lightning we can lable them a sinner and call it 'the wrath of Fred'. No, Science can't explain everything. In fact I've seen it explain surprisingly little. The same is true of religion. They're both just far-fetched, assinine attempts at explaining things that we are simply not meant to understand, not on this plain of existence, anyway. You have to admit that modern Chrisianity is little more than a self-indulging means of justifying hypocracy. Here's an image I'll never forget. About three years ago, a priest here in Nebraska performed a same-sex marriage. He was dischraged and picketers on both sides of the issue filled the streets for days. The image is this; on the FRONT PAGE of the paper was a photo of a NINE-YEAR-OLD boy waving a sign that read "God still hates faggots". More often than not man's use of religion breeds little more than hatred and ignorance. I'd like to see that kid's parents argue their point with Mathew Sheppard's parents'. We also have a homeless man who, on any given day, can be found on Dodge Street in front of Planned Parenthood. You can't miss him; he's the guy with long hair, a beard and a FULL-SIZE crucifix strapped to his back, which he drags up and down the sidewalk for hours on end. I kid you not. Maybe God isn't to blame directly, but the people that work for him are either biggoted, racist hate-mongers or just clinically insane.

: 
:     I suppose that we do agree on many points. Perhaps our main difference is that I do feel that some of the Bible was truly inspired by that thing we in the West call God. I also think that it has become corrupted, and some of the original meaning and intent has been lost. The stories like Sodom and Gormorrah are an example of not taking the event literally. Rather it is like a fable, that is used to teach, and make a point. Same with the story of Adam and Eve. And there are many other stories in the Bible that fall into the same category. Perhaps the ancients understood this, and we don't. But, in the end, I feel that there is a Creator, and that there is a way to experience this fact. I think that the universe as we experience it, was in fact created by this Creator. I also think there have been some people who have experienced this firsthand, and have tried to communicate something that is beyond words. That religion could be used to keep folks in line, through fear, perhaps had a useful place in the history of mankind. But, from the beginning, it may not have been intended to do this. I am reminded of a story about the devil and one of his cohorts who were walking along a road one day. Up ahead, they noticed a man stopping and picking something up from the road, and the man smiled brightly, and jauntily walked on. The cohort looked at the devil, and asked," what did the man find that made him so happy?" The devil replied, "He has just discovered the truth." "But isn't that rather bad business for you?" asked his cohort. "No, not at all," replied the devil. "I will help him organize it!"  Regards, Fedora

Optional:

Link URL:   
Link Title: 
Image URL:

[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ The Indyfan Forum ] [ FAQ ]