It is like murder
It is like murder trying to talk to my christian friends about all of these new thing that I have decoved, realized and my changing faith. So many of them (basicly everyone) thinks that all of these new ideas of mine are horable and posibly even blafumess and that i am no longer a christan... Well wasent Jesus a radical? Wasent CS Lewis?... wasent it at one time that all of the greatest minds were radical christians. werernt we(christians not nesesarly US sidesens) once leading the world in every areiea there was, the siences, english, math,... so why is it now that as soon as you question things every one says well it is good that you are questioning all these things as long as you relize that everything elts is wrong and end up back with us. Other wise you are giving up your salvation. AAAAHHHH It makes me want to stop talking to people espesaly christians because we are so dang narow minded.
But maby what is going on is what goes around 2 fold. And for all of my life I would not lisen to my parents or my sister about there thouthts and fully dyisigry with them, but my thoughts were never based in fact and so i guess that is wat is going on. It is coming around strong:)!!!!
I might just stop talking to everyone for the next 4 years tell i figure out everything and where I stand on religion... Then I will start talking to eveyone aggen when I have stand on every subject. But I must say at this point where I am I have to redefin what I think a christian is so that I can fit inside my own spectrum (if I even want to be considered a christian?) Ok i am done for now by
2 Comments:
Hi Tammi,
I think that your questions are a good thing, even though I don't agree with or understand all of your conclusions. I hope it doesn't look like I'm attacking you- I just have some more questions.
My concern is that you have so quickly accepted the new ideas as the truth in whatever context you have been taught in. Your professor's interpretations and the writers of OT commentaries which I'm sure you have been assigned seem to be from a certain point of view.
I think that a secular context can be as biased as an evangelical Christian one, or an Orthodox Jewish, Buddhist, Jain, or Flying Spaghetti Monster one. I don't know anything about who is teaching you, but your teacher's understanding is just as biased as mine, hang all claims of objectivity.
Does a Protestant group of translators read Hebrew looking for certain things? Maybe they do, but what if they are reading it correctly? Would anything a mixed-faith council of translators come up with be of any value to anybody at all? I have a hard time believing they'd agree on anything if they were all biased one way or another. Aren't we all working with the same Hebrew text here?
A big group of scholars got together a couple years back, went through the gospels and voted on what they thought that Jesus actually said. They came up with two words out of the entire four gospels, "Our Father."
Who, among textual critics and adherants alike, doesn't have an agenda or opinion about approaching biblical text? Someone who thinks that it is an accurate representation of history and someone who thinks it is entirely fiction will approach it very differently.
I read your friend Cole's comment a couple posts back... I don't agree with him about the role of women presented (Deborah, Junia, Priscilla are some names which come to mind) because both Jesus and Paul treat women in a way which is revolutionary for their time.
I do agree with him that it's ok to have your foundation shaken and your assumptions brought into question. But I don't think that God is grey, and I don't think that we ourselves always know what is best for us. I would stop my alcoholic friend from buying a 6-pack even if he were convinced that it was the best thing for him to have. Others are key- we walk in faith with our brothers and sisters, not alone.
As for mistakes in choosing texts... well, it might have happened, but I think the early councils and Church leaders did the best they could. I'd like to think that translators take their jobs with utmost seriousness, looking to correctly read Hebrew rather than try to prove their agenda. It does them and their scholarship an injustice to say that their work is fatally flawed solely because of their personal beliefs.
I still don't know how you can look at the Hebrew text and say "the ten commandments aren't there." Are they invented? I'm sure there's a good argument, I just don't know what you have told me is missing.
I looked at two Catholic translations of a part of Deuteronomy, and they were different. I'm ok with that. I'm sure they are a little different than mine. I think that we absolutely ought to read our Bibles with a few translations side by side. There might be some hangups. The Catholics historically translated a piece of the gospel as "do penance" while Protestants felt that it actually said "repent" which inspired two very different types of behavior.
But, even after all that, here's my point- We make mistakes, God doesn't. I think that God is wise powerful, and thus able to cover for the mistakes which you, I, and everyone make.
I am so happy that you are wrestling with all these tough questions, even though I question the context in which you have been taught them and the conclusions you have come to- I think that the spirit of your questions is something good, and your faith in seriously questioning these things which we as Christians have taken for granted is inspiring to me- thanks for having the courage to question and post about it. I'd love to hear what you hear and read what you read in class. It'd be great to hear firsthand someone who challenges all this stuff.
If any Evangelical Protestant Christian ever says that you're going to hell because you don't fall in with the party line, then they're hypocritical. There is a reason why they are called PROTESTants. Their church was founded by dissidents. No mortal person can take away your salvation.
"And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will be given what you ask for. Keep on looking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened."
Luke 11:9, NLT
"So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you."
Luke 11:9, NASB
"And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you."
Luke 11:9 KJV
I'd love to include the Pidgin English translation that my friend has, but she's not here. =)
May God guide you in your studies!
-ben p
this is huge, I hope it posts...
I think that this discussion might work better by email, so mine is
bposluch (at) westmont.edu
I know that it can be difficult for you to write, so whatever you have time for. I usually don't have any trouble with it.
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