Theists. Does this do anything to you consciousness?

[Greatest I am]

Theists. Does this do anything to your consciousness?

Theists. Does this do anything to you consciousness?
I direct this question more to literalists and fundamentals who read the Bible literally. Others of course are welcome to comment.

Let me point out that I think of the Bible as a book of wisdom that it is a consolidation of many of the older religions of that day and is a good book to help us seek God by analyzing the old myths. If read literally, the reader will miss out on the rather wonderful thinking stimulated by it and miss the purpose that the book was put together point to. I do not disrespect it but have little respect for literal readers for that reason. They end up idol worshiping a book of myths.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYigmGyN2RQ&feature=youtu.be

This scholar speaks to the archeology that is killing the historicity of the Bible.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2569440864215926514#

This scholar is showing the plagiarizing and or forgeries of scriptures.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mpHpLrJVHY&feature=player_embedded#at=437

It is interesting to note that both of these prominent scholars came from fundamentalist religions before their research, as well as the scholars they quote, changed their overall views.

They, like myself do not want to dissuade the search for God but only want to point out that God may be bigger than the pigeon hole/Bible that theist have put him in. As a religionist, to me, God is big enough to be everyone’s God. Not just a chosen few. Theists should like this notion because then, God, if real, remains now, as in the beginning, master of all and not just master of some.

Regards
DL

 

[BornReady]

Re: Theists. Does this do anything to your consciousness?

Let me point out that I think of the Bible as a book of wisdom that it is a consolidation of many of the older religions of that day and is a good book to help us seek God by analyzing the old myths. If read literally, the reader will miss out on the rather wonderful thinking stimulated by it and miss the purpose that the book was put together point to.

I agree with you the Bible should not be taken literally. A good rule of thumb that works for all literature I've encountered, books with talking animals are not to be taken literally.

But I'm curious about the rest of your statement. Can you give an example of the wonderful thinking stimulated by the Bible? I'm not saying it isn't there. I'm just wondering what I'm missing.

 

[Parasite]

This guy makes a lot of religion threads.

 

[Greatest I am]

Re: Theists. Does this do anything to your consciousness?

I agree with you the Bible should not be taken literally. A good rule of thumb that works for all literature I've encountered, books with talking animals are not to be taken literally.

But I'm curious about the rest of your statement. Can you give an example of the wonderful thinking stimulated by the Bible? I'm not saying it isn't there. I'm just wondering what I'm missing.

Take Eden for instance.
Christians have named it our fall.
If you read it the way the originators of scripture, the Jews, read it, it becomes a rather good story of man's rise to civilization and knowledge. A rite of passage. Not a fall.

Somewhat along the lines of this clip.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGx4IlppSgU

The worst way to read it, it seems to me, is the Christian way where a God would deny his children the knowledge that is required to develop a moral sense.
And when they are successful in emulating him and become as God's, doing exactly what scripture tells us to do, he throws a sissy fit and curses the whole earth. Dumb, dumb, dumb.

Regards
DL

 

[BornReady]

Re: Theists. Does this do anything to your consciousness?

The worst way to read it, it seems to me, is the Christian way where a God would deny his children the knowledge that is required to develop a moral sense.
And when they are successful in emulating him and become as God's, doing exactly what scripture tells us to do, he throws a sissy fit and curses the whole earth.

I agree this story is not to be taken literrally. I also agree knowledge and understanding are good and should be desired. But even if you read the story symbolically, I think it's impossible to honestly interpret the biblical story as God being pleased with Adam and Eve's new knowledge.

Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” So the LORD God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, “Cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life. And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” To the woman he said, “I will make your pains in childbearing very severe; with painful labor you will give birth to children.Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.” To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,' Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.” - Genesis 3:13-19

There may be some wonderful thinking in the Bible but I don't think this story is it.

 

[Greatest I am]

Re: Theists. Does this do anything to your consciousness?

I agree this story is not to be taken literrally. I also agree knowledge and understanding are good and should be desired. But even if you read the story symbolically, I think it's impossible to honestly interpret the biblical story as God being pleased with Adam and Eve's new knowledge.

There may be some wonderful thinking in the Bible but I don't think this story is it.

Not from the Christian fall way of reading it, I agree.

From the Jewish, right of passage view, I see wisdom.

Regards
DL

 

[BornReady]

I don't know. Perhaps I don't get it because it's not my culture.

 

[Greatest I am]

I don't know. Perhaps I don't get it because it's not my culture.

They are not mine either but I think I understand their position.

Christianity is not my culture either but I also understand their position.
I do not agree with them but I do understand them.

Here is the Jewish view.

http://www.mrrena.com/misc/judaism2.php

I gave it elswhere so you may have seen it.

Regards
DL

 

[BornReady]

Here is the Jewish view.

http://www.mrrena.com/misc/judaism2.php

I don't think the view of Orthodox Judaism is an honest reading of the story. But rather an attempt to rescue a confused story from criticism. Here are the statements from the article which I find dishonest.

It is not the knowledge of evil, but the succumbing to it, which is deadly;

Man was mortal from the first, and death did not enter the world through the transgression of Eve.

I agree with both statements. But this is not what the story of Adam and Eve teaches. Whether you believe Adam and Eve were real people or not, the story clearly teaches the knowledge of evil is bad and has brought destruction to man.

In truth, the knowledge of evil is called maturity and the story is confused. I'm not trying to bash the ancient Hebrews but let's not pretend they were more enlightened than they were.

 

[Greatest I am]

I don't think the view of Orthodox Judaism is an honest reading of the story. But rather an attempt to rescue a confused story from criticism. Here are the statements from the article which I find dishonest.

I agree with both statements. But this is not what the story of Adam and Eve teaches. Whether you believe Adam and Eve were real people or not, the story clearly teaches the knowledge of evil is bad and has brought destruction to man.

.

You are right.
That is the Christian view and it sucks.
They ignore that it made them as Gods. Elevation and ready to make up their own minds.
Note that the tree gave wisdom.

Gen 3 and a tree to be desired to make one wise,
She chose to be wise. Who would not?
Only the fools. That would be those who see a fall.

Regards
DL