No, I'm not a heretic
I wrote a column last week calling for a little reasoned sanity when it came to reading and interpreting the Bible. (Check it out at http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060922/LIFE/609220337/1054)
And bless my soul, did I get some e-mail, the general tone of which was, "Reason? Sanity? Not us, nosirree!''
These are folks from the "God said it; I believe it; that settles it'' school of Biblical interpretation.
Someone suggested that it was beyond the pale to note that there are ugly parts in Scripture. And my thought is "the Bible has human beings in it. How can it not contain indescribable beauty and godawful ugliness?''
And don't get me started on Psalm 137...
Another person sent me a list of Torquemada-like questions designed, I imagine, to discover just how much of heretic he thinks I am.
Look, you can't leave your brain behind when you open the Bible. We analyze the Bible and the world. The Bible is not a science book: the first 11 chapters of Genesis are true stories about God and about the vagaries of the human will and heart. It doesn't mean that there were dinosaurs in the Garden of Eden.
And whether we admit or not, we all pick and choose which parts of Scripture we deem culture- and time-bound and which are true for all time.
In other words, if you had a ham sandwich today, shut up!
And bless my soul, did I get some e-mail, the general tone of which was, "Reason? Sanity? Not us, nosirree!''
These are folks from the "God said it; I believe it; that settles it'' school of Biblical interpretation.
Someone suggested that it was beyond the pale to note that there are ugly parts in Scripture. And my thought is "the Bible has human beings in it. How can it not contain indescribable beauty and godawful ugliness?''
And don't get me started on Psalm 137...
Another person sent me a list of Torquemada-like questions designed, I imagine, to discover just how much of heretic he thinks I am.
Look, you can't leave your brain behind when you open the Bible. We analyze the Bible and the world. The Bible is not a science book: the first 11 chapters of Genesis are true stories about God and about the vagaries of the human will and heart. It doesn't mean that there were dinosaurs in the Garden of Eden.
And whether we admit or not, we all pick and choose which parts of Scripture we deem culture- and time-bound and which are true for all time.
In other words, if you had a ham sandwich today, shut up!
posted by Michael Riley at 12:13 PM
4 Comments:
I say the whole thing is metaphor. Consider the logical impossibilities if God is indeed a thinking being, and not a metaphor. Just one example: Worship. Why would a supreme being want mortals to worship him? Is he insecure? My dog worships me, but I don't NEED that in order to feel good about myself. If she ever ceases to worship me, I will still feed her and walk her and take her to the vet when she is sick. I won't slam her against a wall or cause the roof to cave in on her.
"Be still, and know that I am God."
God does not need worship: we do. God does not need us: we need Him.
God prescribes rules for humanity's benefit, not for His benefit. Being Supreme, He cannot be greater if we obey or less if we transgress. Being human, we are better when we obey and worse when we transgress -- and we do both, because we cannot perfect outselves.
God loves us. He does not "benefit" when we love Him back. We are the beneficiaries. Like the loving, constant dog owner -- or the Good Shepherd -- He does not abandon us, even when we fail to love Him with our whole heart or fail to love our neighbors as ourselves.
Our benefit, not His. His Will, not ours.
Good-bye, Mr. Spalding! Anonymous has sent that one headed for "the red seat."
Well said, Anonymous.
The Red Seat at Fenway Park
It's all mythology..who REALLY knows what lies beyond? Praying to a higher being just makes us sane on a daily basis or thinking about all the unknowns would drive us nuts!
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