Originally posted by debbiejoAnd when that happens, a big sign will appear that says "Level 2".
Yeah, the Bible god. To say we know the all of everything is confining all sciences that might be explored to a widdle teeny box. I believe that at some point science will uncover something quite outside our little box.
People differ greatly in their view of the Bible:
Generally speaking, Fundamentalists and other Evangelical Christians believe that: The Bible, as originally written, is inerrant (infallible; free of errors) and that God prevented the authors from making even a single mistake.
Every verse is useful in their understanding of God's intentions.
One should initially attempt to interpret each passage according to its literal meaning.
Many modern translations are reliable, particularly the New International Version (NIV) and King James Version (KJV).
Many conservative Christians trust the KJV and NIV. Thus, when they read some of the passages that clearly and unmistakably condemn homosexuality, they are inclined to trust the translators and conclude that God hates homosexuality. Unfortunately, many groups of translators have been heavily biased against certain groups, including Witches, gays and lesbians; many have tended to warp their translations accordingly.
At this web site, we try to avoid criticizing the beliefs of religious groups. However, we feel free to criticize their religiously motivated activities if they exhibit hatred against an identifiable group or when they have a negative impact on the civil rights of others.
We have noticed a practice of a few Fundamentalist and other Evangelical Christian pastors which appear to be unethical and dishonest. We use the word "appear" because we are not certain that the pastors are consciously aware of their practices:
Some pastors cite Genesis 19, a passage that condemns homosexual rape, as proof that God hates all homosexual behavior. Yet they would never quote a verse that condemns heterosexual rape and state that it applies to all heterosexual activity.
We have noticed some pastors switching between Bible translations in order to find the version that is most critical of homosexual behavior. When quoting Deuteronomy 23:17 some deviate from their usual usage of the New International Version (NIV). It accurately translates the original Hebrew condemnation of male and female prostitution in the temple (a common Pagan practice). They prefer the King James Version (KJV) which incorrectly translates the passage as condemning female prostitutes and male "sodomites."
More liberal Christians tend to look upon the Bible as containing many translation errors, whose verses were not inspired by God, but were influenced by ancient pre-scientific culture. Passages often relate to customs of a long-past era that are unethical when compared to today's secular and religious systems of morality. Examples are verses which accept and regulate slavery, require widows to marry their brother-in-law, requiring victims of rape to marry their rapist, or condone child disciplinary practices which most parents have now abandoned. Passages which might be interpreted as condemning homosexuality might also be not applicable today.
Each Bible translation reflects the world view, beliefs and mind sets of its translators. Many, if not most, versions of the Bible are funded by religious organizations and employ translators who all follow a specific theological belief system. Their personal biases distort their work. There is an additional complexity facing translators: today's society is very different from that of Biblical times. It is sometimes difficult to find a current English word that closely matches a Hebrew or Greek term.
Originally posted by RUNMAN
People differ greatly in their view of the Bible:Generally speaking, Fundamentalists and other Evangelical Christians believe that: The Bible, as originally written, is inerrant (infallible; free of errors) and that God prevented the authors from making even a single mistake.
Every verse is useful in their understanding of God's intentions.
One should initially attempt to interpret each passage according to its literal meaning.
Many modern translations are reliable, particularly the New International Version (NIV) and King James Version (KJV).Many conservative Christians trust the KJV and NIV. Thus, when they read some of the passages that clearly and unmistakably condemn homosexuality, they are inclined to trust the translators and conclude that God hates homosexuality. Unfortunately, many groups of translators have been heavily biased against certain groups, including Witches, gays and lesbians; many have tended to warp their translations accordingly.
At this web site, we try to avoid criticizing the beliefs of religious groups. However, we feel free to criticize their religiously motivated activities if they exhibit hatred against an identifiable group or when they have a negative impact on the civil rights of others.
We have noticed a practice of a few Fundamentalist and other Evangelical Christian pastors which appear to be unethical and dishonest. We use the word "appear" because we are not certain that the pastors are consciously aware of their practices:
Some pastors cite Genesis 19, a passage that condemns homosexual rape, as proof that God hates all homosexual behavior. Yet they would never quote a verse that condemns heterosexual rape and state that it applies to all heterosexual activity.
We have noticed some pastors switching between Bible translations in order to find the version that is most critical of homosexual behavior. When quoting Deuteronomy 23:17 some deviate from their usual usage of the New International Version (NIV). It accurately translates the original Hebrew condemnation of male and female prostitution in the temple (a common Pagan practice). They prefer the King James Version (KJV) which incorrectly translates the passage as condemning female prostitutes and male "sodomites."More liberal Christians tend to look upon the Bible as containing many translation errors, whose verses were not inspired by God, but were influenced by ancient pre-scientific culture. Passages often relate to customs of a long-past era that are unethical when compared to today's secular and religious systems of morality. Examples are verses which accept and regulate slavery, require widows to marry their brother-in-law, requiring victims of rape to marry their rapist, or condone child disciplinary practices which most parents have now abandoned. Passages which might be interpreted as condemning homosexuality might also be not applicable today.
Each Bible translation reflects the world view, beliefs and mind sets of its translators. Many, if not most, versions of the Bible are funded by religious organizations and employ translators who all follow a specific theological belief system. Their personal biases distort their work. There is an additional complexity facing translators: today's society is very different from that of Biblical times. It is sometimes difficult to find a current English word that closely matches a Hebrew or Greek term.
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