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Biblical Literalism

4/27/2012

4 Comments

 
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This post is going to be a very personal one as to where I stand now in my struggle for truth in reaching out toward the divine, I hope many of you readers can relate a bit and maybe we can learn from one another. Biblical literalism is pretty much exactly what it sounds like, can you read the Bible and take what it says as literal truth? This is something that over recent months and years I have really been trying to work through. If you have never questioned if scripture may not have historically happened my aim is not to plant seeds of doubt so please don't take that as my goal. Through reading biblical research, contemporary and historical religious teachers, scientific evidence and above all my personal spiritual and secular experiences my views have changed. I think this is a common personal evolution as we grow and learn we see the world differently, including the world of faith. This is NOT to say I value the biblical teachings any less, if anything I place higher value on them because like the parables of Jesus I am learning to apply many of these tales to my life. I think Desmond Tutu, the Nobel Peace Laureate and South African prophet of forgiveness, sums up this idea nicely: 

"Reading the Bible can be a source of reflection and inspiration, as you listen for God's voice in your life. But you must watch how you read the Bible and apply it to today's world. The Bible is not something that came dropping from heaven, written by the hand of God. It was written by human beings, so it uses human idiom and is influenced by the context in which whatever story was written. People need to be very careful. Many tend to be literalists, people who believe in the verbal inerrancy of the Bible, who speak as if God dictated the Bible, when in fact God used human beings as they were, and they spoke only as they could speak at that time."

Once upon a time I took at face value that the majority of the stories in the Old and New Testament (as well as Book of Mormon for my LDS friends) absolutely historically happened. Now some stories really don't seem to hold literal water. Balaam and his talking donkey (link for family reenactment) comes to mind as one that really seems improbable no matter how much my own cat tries to communicate she just can't seem to find the words. The tower of Babel (link for a light hearted version) makes for an interesting story yet if the same measurement was given today by God, who never changes, wouldn't our huge sky scrapers dedicated to Mammon be in danger of his wrath...and I sure hope people have not explained 9/11 this way. What about Noah's Ark (Disney classic)? Did Noah really fit two of every kind of animal species on a boat? Would that even be possible today with our huge barges? I don't really see that happening. Are Adam and Eve supposed to literally have lived on this Earth listened to a snake and then brought about the fall (and life) of our entire race? More to the point with the creation story how long ago did they live? I know people that can more or less trace their genealogy back to our first parents. Paired with this is the idea of the "Young Earth Creationism" (link is to wiki) that the Earth, or at least humanity, has only been around 5-10,000 years based on Biblical evidence yet this contradicts all of what science tells us. Of course the Bible is rich with narrative that I could go on for days but I'll finish this portion with Jonah. He and his whale remind me of Pinnochio, both good tales but it really does not seem too likely that a prophet or a wooden boy and his cricket could live in any sea creature for an extended period time. 

Check out some classic Bill Cosby on Noah and the Bible (o:

Now of course I'm not saying the authors of scripture should have 20 foot long noses with a nest on the end, I think that they were never intended to be read as historical truth. Rather I have fallen in love with the idea of "more than historical" truth. Which is essentially to ask does it matter if these stories really happened? Does the meaning derived from the Bible come only if it is a historical document? Or can we learn how and why to live regardless if Lot's wife turned to salt or if Jesus pulled a coin from a fish's mouth? I would offer a resounding yes. And this holds true for me for the big theological verses, those that I hope to be true, as well. The miracles of Jesus, Joseph Smith and the angel Moroni, Moses and the red sea, the creation, even the bodily resurrection of Jesus all fall into this category. I don't know if these events literally happened. Yet the principle and lessons they share still provide significant meaning and spiritual growth in my life as a human being, as a child of God, and I will continually turn to them as a source of strength finding heavenly love notes in this divine narrative.

Please, this one is more of a controversial subject so I would love to hear your comments. If you think I'm a way off base heretic, or going through something similar yourself I want to hear. (o:

Next time: Jesus and Buddha
4 Comments
Todd Decker link
4/27/2012 10:07:46 am

The beautiful thing about a metaphorical understanding of any sacred story is that you can benefit from it whether you take it literally or not. An event can be metaphorically important even if it's not historical and if it is historical it can still be metaphorically important. The neat thing is that when we disagree about historicity we can still find common appreciation for the metaphor, which is arguably the most important part.

I also like the understanding of metaphor as "more than literal". A ritual is a good example. Rituals can be understood literally. They are certainly historical and involve observable physical actions. It's a fact that I take the Sacrament every Sunday. But eating bread and drinking water are not so important as the metaphorical significance of the ritual, which transcends historicity and physicality. It's the metaphor that is most transformative.

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Jared
4/27/2012 11:15:22 am

Yes thank you Todd for the comments and insights! I totally agree, the power definitely lies in the metaphor and the significance that lies therein.

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Jordan Linford link
4/27/2012 10:23:27 am

The problem I have with this line of thinking is that the consequences of this assertion are never thought through. If the Bible is just a book of fables where each one had a lesson at the end, then this would destroy a majority of Christian faiths, they would be no more potent than a religion based on the tales of Aesop. Christians and especially Mormons are an all or nothing faith. The reason they are an all or nothing is because they have thought through the consequences and contradictions that would occur if they were to pick and choose, it would not be consistent. Your exegesis would imply a moral relativity where the base of morals is a moving target. Christianity is based in an absolute morality. If the Bible is a book of fables, then where is the base of morality? What is good? To suggest that Christ And his predacessors led followers to believe in fables destroys the base of of Christianity, regardless of how good the morals of the fables are. Thus Christ is a mere teacher, not a God, thus suggesting a moral relativity.

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Jared
4/27/2012 11:29:23 am

Jordan help me understand where you are coming from. So are you saying that you take every story in the Bible to literally have happened at some point in history? As far as moral relativity, if the Bible is such a steady target due to its literalism why are there so many diverse interpretations within this absolute morality even within such a homogeneous faith as Mormonism?
To answer your questions why can't we use the sermon on the mount as a base regardless if Jesus is God? I see no reason why not. If an idea, principle, or behavior brings good, eases suffering and brings joy (not necessarily pleasure), and helps us find our higher humanity I'd say our divinity then this is good. Judge by the fruits just as we were taught in Sunday school. (o:

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    My name is Jared I am an individual that struggles with faith in the 21st century. I find great meaning & joy from religion and spirituality yet also conflict & confusion in this pluralistic world full of suffering. This blog's aim is to examine and discuss current spiritual and political issues informed by an LDS, Christian and Buddhist background.

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