RE: Atheist Bible Study 1: Genesis
October 16, 2018 at 5:50 pm
(This post was last modified: October 16, 2018 at 5:50 pm by vulcanlogician.)
There is reason to think that modern evangelicals take the text more literally (in some respects) than did the early Israelites. Sure Deuteronomy was a law they lived under, one that supposedly had divine origins. But the ideas of strict literal interpretations (for example: all scripture is inerrant) came much later. You also have to take into account that many of the early Israelites couldn't read, and got many of these stories via an oral tradition. When received this way, listeners undoubtedly encountered variance in the stories when they heard them away from home. If you travel two towns over and hear the story of Abraham being told with certain details being different, you might know better than to take one particular telling of the story literally.
In further contrast, Christian fundamentalism is an invention of the modern era; the final Christian temper tantrum as the Enlightenment finished taking hold. It's the worst of the worst, but I think all literalists (including rank and file evangelicals) need to reorient their brains concerning their holy book.
In further contrast, Christian fundamentalism is an invention of the modern era; the final Christian temper tantrum as the Enlightenment finished taking hold. It's the worst of the worst, but I think all literalists (including rank and file evangelicals) need to reorient their brains concerning their holy book.
