I would like to revisit the discussion in class regarding Literalism in religion.
There are such fine lines between so many terms in religion. The ones I would like to focus on are real events vs. myths and fact vs. fiction. In this course we are strongly encouraged to look at the texts at with a literary perspective, not literal. However, those who actually follow the faith take religious texts, such as the gospels, as actual events. Some things have not been proven and some do not claim to be the actual truths. However, it is under some faiths, like Christianity, to not question them. When logic jumps into the picture, is it right for high religious figures to understand that some of these events are myths rather then actual events?
Personally, I think, although believing that some of the faith is not factual goes against the faith, that it is crucial to understand these things as a high figure. I believe it would bring you to a closer understanding of the faith.
Jeffery Small has an interesting view on the debate. Below is his editorial from the Huffington Post.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jeffrey-small/mythology-and-the-bible_b_898253.html
Small raises some good arguments, though there are a couple I take issue with. In his first point, he claims that Genesis states that the Earth is 6000 years old; no translation of Genesis that I have ever encountered gives the age of the Earth. I haven't any idea whose estimate the 6000 year thing originally was, but it would be an interesting topic of research.
ReplyDeleteIn his final point, he mentioned that when the bible was written, "discrimination based ... sexual orientation was the norm," but the idea of sexual orientation did not exist until the 19th century.
But I guess I'm just nitpicking. It was a good article overall. Thank you for sharing it.
As a consequence of history, we can never actually disprove or prove any event happened. Unfortunately, a lot of people interpret when the Bible uses figurative language as literal language.
ReplyDeleteBut anyways, questioning one's faith is absolutely crucial to advancing one's understanding of the faith. Aquinas and Anselm made huge advancements in the understanding of Christianity by asking questions. Never be afraid to ask, because there are some very interesting answers hidden in the text.
Now on the topic of people feeling the need to "just accept it." Honestly? They don't take their own religion seriously if they don't want to know more. The most pious and devout people I know are the ones who are constantly looking further and further for answers.
Useful comments, all. It is certainly true that some (though far from all) contemporary religious believers subscribe dogmatically to (some of) the tenants of their faith as literally rather than literarily true. This may be a regrettable circumstance, as it turns many, many intelligent people away from their traditions, and often leads to violent fanaticism and a dangerous rejection of important realities such as global warming. One could study this unhealthy phenomenon as a matter of anthropological or psychological interest, but I think it's far too narrow to confuse with the phenomenon of religion as such.
ReplyDeleteYOU MAY TAKE THIS SUGGESTION LITERALLY THOUGH: TURN OFF WORD VERIFICATION! NOW!