Re: The Bible's Poetry & Spirituality's Value
- From: "Kermit" <unrestrained_hand@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: 10 Jun 2006 18:22:08 -0700
CreateThis wrote:
Biblical literalists miss the point of the Bible. They miss that it's
more like poetry than history or science, and, like poetry, its value
lies in its ability to evoke meaning beyond the literal meaning of its
words, concepts beyond their usual reach, between the lines.
The Bible's specific poetic value is to evoke a spiritual reality that
transcends the ordinary reality of our senses and our science. In fact,
transcendence is the most important feature of the Bible's spirituality,
from which it draws all its mystical fascination and, most importantly,
all its power to supercede the less desirable parts of scientific
reality, such as death.
Biblical literalists seem to have lost touch with this important fact as
they argue that the Bible should be interpreted as scientific reality.
Such an interpretation robs the Bible's spiritual message of the very
transcendence that gives it power and value.
The practical effect of Biblical literalism is to render the Bible both
illegitimate as science and impotent as religion.
Yes, by claiming that the path they create will give them salvation -
their particular little sect - they try to build a path to Heaven with
psychological bricks and mortar. Ignoring the lesson of the Tower of
Babble myth, they are separated by their own language; confounded by
their own misunderstanding, they can neither find the Kingdom of Heaven
within nor maintain a community with their own neighbors and kin.
Ignoring the mythical command to avoid idols, they build an image of a
god in their minds from their own reflection, a god-idol that expresses
their own emotional wants and (coincidentally!) demands their own
prejudices. This idol they worship, ignoring all wisdom they encounter;
an idol more durable than iron and with a heart colder and deader than
stone.
By demanding that their god is an Other, an actual entity outside
themselves, they evict the Holy Spirit within, and cast him from their
heart.
They seek not the truth, but to be right.
By insisting they understand their god, they limit him to their
understanding.
By hunting for sins in others, they are obssessed with decadence, and
carry their lusts like a weighted chain.
For the sake of maintaining their own illusion of self-importance, they
dismiss the glory of creation and live a life of lies.
CT
Kermit
.
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- The Bible's Poetry & Spirituality's Value
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