heavily bible-based, with a very strong emphasis on studying the nuances of the original languages the books were written in, as well as the historical/social/cultural context, and yet *rigidly* literal in their interpretation
Bart Ehrman, the author of Misquoting Jesus, says in his introduction to that book that he was a literal interpreter of the Bible until he started studying it, whereupon he became more convinced that, since no one really knows what the original writers of the Bible truly wrote (the earliest written manuscript remaining at this point dates to the 4th century), you can't really interpret it literally.
Update: rumors about potential cease fire for 48 hours!
(Full deny on both sides, but it's getting headlines. Please, please, please, please let it be true and lasting).
Bart Ehrman, the author of Misquoting Jesus, says in his introduction to that book that he was a literal interpreter of the Bible until he started studying it, whereupon he became more convinced that, since no one really knows what the original writers of the Bible truly wrote (the earliest written manuscript remaining at this point dates to the 4th century), you can't really interpret it literally.
That's been my conclusion, as well. The FAC's fatal flaw (regarding my membership) was to educate me too well.
Also? Even if one believes the bible was divinely inspired, God the celestial being did not actually take pen/quill/stylus in his/her/its divine hand and write the bible.
WRITTEN BY HUMANS. Who are, you know, WAY flawed. And most (all?) were male, so they have a certain....bias.
TRANSLATED BY HUMANS. Who are [blah blah see above].
There's some good stuff in it. One of the things the FAC teaches about bible interpretation is that you don't camp out on *one* passage, or *one* concept that's never repeated again; instead you look at the whole shebang, and at what concept/message is repeated over and over and over and over. Which is, basically: God loves all of us.
And *that,* I can get behind as "what the bible says."
Hilarious & Crazy Signage, Part 12
I like the "double dog dare ya" by the power dynamos.
One of the things the FAC teaches about bible interpretation is that you don't camp out on *one* passage, or *one* concept that's never repeated again; instead you look at the whole shebang, and at what concept/message is repeated over and over and over and over
That's surprisingly enlightened for a FAC. Especially the studying in the original language.
I have most of Bart Ehrman's books, but I haven't read his book on the recently discovered Gospel of Judas (a Gnostic scripture which puts an interesting spin on the whole Judas thing).
Ex-aides say Bush never recovered from Katrina
Yeah, I saw that last night. My reaction has not changed since then, which is "BOO FUCKING HOO."
One of the things the FAC teaches about bible interpretation is that you don't camp out on *one* passage, or *one* concept that's never repeated again; instead you look at the whole shebang, and at what concept/message is repeated over and over and over and over
That's surprisingly enlightened for a FAC. Especially the studying in the original language.
It still took them to a creepy culty Army Of The LORD place, though.
What Dana said.
I'm in vacationland for sure now: went to bed after 4:30 and got up 11ish. (Really only 7 hours of sleep. . . that's normal, right?)
