RE: A Literal Bible. Answering questions
May 9, 2022 at 1:18 pm
(This post was last modified: May 9, 2022 at 1:22 pm by The Grand Nudger.)
Christianity is in the midst of an identity crisis. How a dominant religion manages to settle itself in new societal circumstances has...historically, been very consequential. Literalism and psuedo-literalism are utterly bankrupt today. Leaving a person who feels the need for a literal (possibly inerrant) story or historic events accurately-enough-described with a choice. Faith or reason. I don't mean anything over-broad here. Just faith in the narrative contents factual nature. There's intellectual honesty in choosing, and explicitly choosing, faith - even if there's little to no intellectual rigor to that option.
For most of the posters here that's going to be a non-starter. I'd suggest that it's just as difficult for any contemporary christian as well. They went to the same schools, they're a product of the same culture. Psuedo-realism only exists as an internal negotiation between superstition believed to be essential to religious assertions...and reality as we (atheist and believer alike) know it. A person who refers to a black sea deluge hypothesis as support for the contents of the old testament, for example, has implied that they believe in waters rising up and the sky falling down and a giant gopher wood boat...about as much as any of us.
If faith over reason is essentially genuine but lacking in rigor, and reason over faith is essentially rigorous but lacks honesty - I'd put psuedo-realism (and contemporary metaphoric interpretations) at an unfortunate point somewhere in the middle - and note that it just might be the default product of our society. Managing to lack both honesty and rigor - to no easily discernible end or benefit. From the point of view of faith narratives like these are fundamentally miraculous. They aren't even approachable by reason. No amount of rigor could ever give a satisfying answer. No piece of evidence or indeed the entire universe of evidence aligned against it is relevant. From the point of view of reason. The narrative contents factuality is irrelevant to the normative contents truth. There are a set of things that are permissible, and a set of things that are taboo. Some thing is held to be sacred and a description of a good life that follows from those three things stands or falls regardless of the fact that no fairy ever flooded a single inch of the earth. If there was never any voice from the beyond telling us this fable so that we might get the point.
The trick for modern christianity and modern christians, imo, is to do some pretty thorough introspection. To decide which of these two broad paths before them their religion will take. Where the majority of it's effort will be expended going forward. If, otoh, it remains stuck in the forever holding pattern of psuedo-literalism...then it's going to continue looking like it does. A demographic cliff. A generation or two of cultural christians without religion....and then nothing. Yet another footnote in the endless procession of gods.
For most of the posters here that's going to be a non-starter. I'd suggest that it's just as difficult for any contemporary christian as well. They went to the same schools, they're a product of the same culture. Psuedo-realism only exists as an internal negotiation between superstition believed to be essential to religious assertions...and reality as we (atheist and believer alike) know it. A person who refers to a black sea deluge hypothesis as support for the contents of the old testament, for example, has implied that they believe in waters rising up and the sky falling down and a giant gopher wood boat...about as much as any of us.
If faith over reason is essentially genuine but lacking in rigor, and reason over faith is essentially rigorous but lacks honesty - I'd put psuedo-realism (and contemporary metaphoric interpretations) at an unfortunate point somewhere in the middle - and note that it just might be the default product of our society. Managing to lack both honesty and rigor - to no easily discernible end or benefit. From the point of view of faith narratives like these are fundamentally miraculous. They aren't even approachable by reason. No amount of rigor could ever give a satisfying answer. No piece of evidence or indeed the entire universe of evidence aligned against it is relevant. From the point of view of reason. The narrative contents factuality is irrelevant to the normative contents truth. There are a set of things that are permissible, and a set of things that are taboo. Some thing is held to be sacred and a description of a good life that follows from those three things stands or falls regardless of the fact that no fairy ever flooded a single inch of the earth. If there was never any voice from the beyond telling us this fable so that we might get the point.
The trick for modern christianity and modern christians, imo, is to do some pretty thorough introspection. To decide which of these two broad paths before them their religion will take. Where the majority of it's effort will be expended going forward. If, otoh, it remains stuck in the forever holding pattern of psuedo-literalism...then it's going to continue looking like it does. A demographic cliff. A generation or two of cultural christians without religion....and then nothing. Yet another footnote in the endless procession of gods.
I am the Infantry. I am my country’s strength in war, her deterrent in peace. I am the heart of the fight… wherever, whenever. I carry America’s faith and honor against her enemies. I am the Queen of Battle. I am what my country expects me to be, the best trained Soldier in the world. In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous, armed with a fierce will to win. Never will I fail my country’s trust. Always I fight on…through the foe, to the objective, to triumph overall. If necessary, I will fight to my death. By my steadfast courage, I have won more than 200 years of freedom. I yield not to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to superior odds, For I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight. I forsake not, my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred duty. I am relentless. I am always there, now and forever. I AM THE INFANTRY! FOLLOW ME!
