Cool topic.
I don't believe the Bible is infallible, literal, or the only guide for life. I have immense respect for the Bible as well as other religious texts. I think it's an excellent spiritual guide, lessons through metaphor. It's to be respected, but it can't all be taken literally. This would mean, as some people really believe, the world was created in 7 days ~5000 years ago, dinosaurs never existed, Moses parted the red sea, and so on. I always thought the figurative illustrated the literal (the 10 Commandments, turn the other cheek, etc), but that's just me. Even if you don't consider it a spiritual guide or think it bunk, you gotta repsect it as great literature at minumum; Solomon's Song of Songs is absolutely beautiful.
Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I always understood the Bible to be "abridged". When the Biblical canon was put together (not sure when), weren't books left out? Also it has been translated so many times, so could it be that some of the true meaning is lost in translation? Also, language changes over time, so what meant one thing thousands of years ago could have a totally different meaning today. |