ZakFiend wrote:
Liberal / non-literal intepretation of bible impossible... for a real christian.
Jesus believes that moses and adam were real people, therefore god believes it... and christianity stands or falls by the ressurection of the REAL christ (i.e. he had to actually exist). Therefore anyone who is not a biblical literalist is not really christian by the bibles standards.
From other christians wrote:
It has become fashionable, under various learned sanctions, to question the authenticity of these books, while admitting the possible genuineness of the remaining portions of the Sacred Record. Without attempting to discuss the question, we may remark that it is impossible to reconcile this attitude with allegiance to Christ. You cannot reject Moses while accepting Christ. Christ endorsed the writings of Moses. He said to the Jews by the mouth of Abraham in parable: "They have Moses and the prophets, let them hear them, if they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead" (Luke xvi, 29, 31). It is also recorded that when he appeared incognito to two of his disciples after his resurrection, "beginning at MOSES and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself" (Luke xxiv, 27). Further, he said, "Had ye believed MOSES, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me. But IF YE BELIEVE NOT HIS WRITINGS, HOW SHALL YE BELIEVE MY WORDS?" (John v, 46, 47). If Christ was divine, this sanction of the Pentateuch by him settles the question; if the Pentateuch is a fiction, Christ was a deceiver, whether consciously or otherwise. There is no middle ground. Moses and Christ stand or fall together.
I believe that Christ existed. I believe that Moses existed. But the
Bible is a document written by men. Mortal, fallible, human beings. Perhaps I would even go so far as to admit that they were "Divinely inspired". However, that inspiration would inevitably have to be filtered through that said flawed human consciousness. Even if God came down in some human form that was comprehensible by a mortal man, and Said "........
IT IS SO! that would still be
interpreted by the person to whom the Divine had appeared.
Lets take Paul/Saul for example because he has contributed so much to the New Testament and his considered by many to be the "Founder of Christianity." He was a Pharisee, (possibly) from Tarsus, a tent maker, and (an often over looked fact),
he never knew Jesus personally. He pulled his theologies and philosophies from many different sources (possibly including the Essenes), he was confrontational, abrasive, insecure, and uncomfortable with sex ("Better to marry than burn.") He was probably a very compassionate man who was pre-occupied with The End of All Things to the point of obsession. He thought this End was imminent. He couldn't have known that his works would survive, let alone that they would be taken to found a religion that would last 2000 plus years. He was insecure in his leadership; in part because he had not know Jesus and had to help bolster his position and authority by lending Jesus a Divine status so the Christ could "speak" to him. Also he tailored his letters, "sermons" , and discourses to persuade and cajole multiple audiences with various agendas and interpretations in this new religion. (Hence some of the direct contradictions in the bible.) In short, a flawed (but admittedly brilliant human being.) Was all of that humanity intrinsically bound with The Divine as one of the prophets of it? I'm willing to say probably. But still...in the end...Just A Man.
11 Oct 2007, 1:06 am
