Number 95 : February 1999 |
GENERAL COMMENT ON THE BIBLE
I just wish to comment on the swelling Christian bashing going on in PDG. I would just like to add my own experiences with the Bible; I believe it to be a simple map of the word of God, if you need answers to a problem then you can read the book. The Bible is 'only' a medium though and if you wish to gain greater wisdom and understanding you must consult God. When I was thinking about the subject I was 'drawn' to this quotation from the Good News Bible.
"When the Son of Man came, he ate and drank, and everyone said, 'look at this man ! He is a glutton and a drinker, a friend of tax collectors and other outcasts !' God's wisdom, however, is shown to be true by its results." Matthew 11:9.
This says to me that whatever Jesus teaches in the world, if people do not want to hear his wisdom then they will not hear it. To understand Christ you must first accept him.
There are many problems in translation of the Bible (C93/6), the end of the above quotation is literally translated, "...Wisdom is justified by her children". But I do not think that precise translation is required, only a rough guide is needed to extract more of God’s wisdom. (I shall elaborate another time).
Finally, in another section, Jesus is asked to explain the parables. He gives the following in answer:
"so that, 'they may look and look, yet not see; they may listen and listen yet not understand. For if they did, they would turn to God, and he would forgive them.'" Mark 4:12.
That is what I believe. God has shown it to be true by His results.
Paul Cadman
Paul : I look forward to your elaboration of God’s wisdom in due course. I was interested that you view parables as hiding truth, rather than making the teaching plain by simple stories as our Sunday School teachers would have us believe. The Bible’s a complex book, requiring careful handling, as does anything else significant for that matter. I was slightly worried about the rather tenuous connection with philosophy, though. You referred to your "experience" (without describing it) and about your "beliefs" (why should we care ?). Doesn’t a case have to be argued ? When you say "to understand Christ you must first accept him", what do you mean by "understand" ? And what do you say to those who say to you "to understand, Muhammad, the Buddha, Rev. Sun Myung Moon, etc. you have to accept him".
Theo