(March 19, 2019 at 7:34 am)Fake Messiah Wrote: Also, from what I understand, many christian denominations (like Protestants and Baptists) are against any guidance or comments on how to read the Bible and they belive that the only good way to read the Bible is just to read it.
Well, I don't agree with them.
Biblical hermeneutics is a complex field with a long history. It's one of the reasons that non-biblical literature is so wonderfully full of different ways to give meaning and read meaning -- we have developed all this in part because reading the Bible prompted it.
For example, a four-level interpretation of the Bible is standard in both Judaism and Christianity. To accept that you can read it yourself and trust your own interpretation would be a terrible sign of pride, in my opinion.
That's why I say many people read it idiotically. If someone reads something and is sure that his own opinion is the only and best reading, it is clearly overly simple.
I also think that many religious texts are not intended to have a single definite meaning. It is a mistake to read them like journalism or science books, where clarity is a virtue. Religious texts tend to be more like difficult questions or prompts for thought.
