Religion

goldent

(1,582 posts)

31. It is a complex book and there are no rules as to how you interpret it.

Thu Oct 8, 2015, 08:02 AM

Oct 2015

You are free to do what you want.

Like many ancient (and not-so-ancient) texts, there are scholars who study it in detail to try to understand the parts of it that are history and the parts that are allegory. Give it a try!

Regarding consistency, you have no doubt heard this quote by Emerson:

A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines. With consistency a great soul has simply nothing to do. He may as well concern himself with his shadow on the wall. Speak what you think now in hard words, and to-morrow speak what to-morrow thinks in hard words again, though it contradict every thing you said to-day. — 'Ah, so you shall be sure to be misunderstood.' — Is it so bad, then, to be misunderstood? Pythagoras was misunderstood, and Socrates, and Jesus, and Luther, and Copernicus, and Galileo, and Newton, and every pure and wise spirit that ever took flesh. To be great is to be misunderstood.

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32 replies

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Bible Question [View all] Angry Dragon Sep 2015 OP

incest. Erich Bloodaxe BSN Sep 2015 #1

incest with whom?? Angry Dragon Sep 2015 #3

And in that same exact vein... trotsky Sep 2015 #2

Blasphemer!!!! JoePhilly Sep 2015 #4

I can not find any reference to those things you mention in the Bibles I have Angry Dragon Sep 2015 #5

Maybe he did TlalocW Sep 2015 #6

oh, oh, oh, plus, Voldemort is a pretty smart guy Goblinmonger Sep 2015 #9

. rug Sep 2015 #7

thanks for the clip Angry Dragon Sep 2015 #8

The literalist answer is that Eve bore unnamed "other sons and daughters” (Gen 5:4). rug Sep 2015 #11

........... Angry Dragon Sep 2015 #16

How do you tell which parts of the bible are to be taken literally and which are not? Major Nikon Oct 2015 #28

That is a complex question and one that theologians goldent Oct 2015 #29

Which essentially means the bible says whatever you want it to say Major Nikon Oct 2015 #30

It is a complex book and there are no rules as to how you interpret it. goldent Oct 2015 #31

I was referring to consistency among groups, not consistency within individuals Major Nikon Oct 2015 #32

He doesn't do that. Answering questions would expose the hypocrisy. cleanhippie Sep 2015 #18

he gave me a nice answer ........ see above Angry Dragon Sep 2015 #19

Well damn. Maybe hell has frozen over or something. cleanhippie Sep 2015 #20

Or maybe you have perception problems. rug Sep 2015 #21

Adam & Eve were nothing but lab rats, an experiment Warpy Sep 2015 #10

I was too young to remember it, but Hayduke Bomgarte Sep 2015 #12

Well either they had sex with their mother, or. . . actually, that's it. mr blur Sep 2015 #13

Pesky time stamps. Your attempt at snark results in simple plagiarism. rug Sep 2015 #14

The answer to that question: LostOne4Ever Sep 2015 #15

I have heard that before Angry Dragon Sep 2015 #17

Simple answer Act_of_Reparation Oct 2015 #22

So the Bible is kind of like bronze age fanfic? Fumesucker Oct 2015 #23

More of like a bronze age fanfic compendium. Act_of_Reparation Oct 2015 #24

Pedant.... Fumesucker Oct 2015 #25

Bronze age fanfic compendium. SheilaT Oct 2015 #27

Adam & Eve were his lab rats Warpy Oct 2015 #26