Atheist Bible Study 1: Genesis

[Belacqua]

I'm a big fan of using stories like this. Here's the advice I like, even though it's kind of old:

I have a soft spot for Plato. Nice post.

I find it extremely interesting that you would suggest such an interpretive mode. As I take it, you propose a self-reflective reading of the Bible.

We're not even talking rank and file believers here--it is rare to find even Christians who mine the text so deeply for meaning. (A forum of atheists seems out of the question.) Right out of the gate, we can say that none of those who take the Bible literally go that deep. After all, to them, the Bible is simply a recounting of historical events. No need for serious introspection of any kind when reading Genesis. Why would you reflect so deeply on that? Even those who take an allegorical approach often do not go as deep as you recommend. To them, the allegory refers to a standard religious symbology. Nothing more. C.G. Jung is not a regular contributor here. I don't know many forum users interested in reading the Bible for self-reflection.

If you have anything to contribute along this vein, I'd be interested in hearing it. As for myself, I think I will weigh in on the myth value of certain stories. But you gotta understand: most atheists here don't have a problem with religion because its adherents reflect deeply on the symbolic meaning of religious texts. We have a problem because people take it literally. A great number of people make claims like "we have school shootings because people don't take the Bible literally anymore"... they vote and support politicians based on this literalist interpretation... we have a congressman who said "there is no need to worry about global warming because God promised Noah he wouldn't flood the earth again"

Many of us (including myself) would like to read the text with a literalist interpretation in mind, so that we might criticize it on that account. But, also, I'm interested to hear it if you want to interpret the text as Socrates recommends in Phaedrus. 

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Grandizer, I'll probably have something to add on Genesis 1 tonight or tomorrow.

Agreed, as long as some believers are using Genesis as true facts, analysis of that is warranted for sure. I honestly don't know how many Christians in history have used it that way. Some of the early smart guys were happy enough to read it as a spiritual lesson. So I'd say that a full-spectrum analysis would have to look at different ways to read it. The varieties could make this a fun thread. 

I have lots of opinions about Adam and Eve, so I'll wait for that chapter to come around in the progression of the thread.