Originally posted by Zeal Ex Nihilo
I'm sorry, I didn't realize my religion was some kind of entity that was actively trying to deceive me.
Listen Zeal Ex Negro, religion may be a deception, or a silk veil covering your eyes, it may not be. Thing is, do you have evidence that your religion hasn't deceived you?
If you don't, and if you're smart, then you should realize that there may be the possibility or a chance of deception.
Originally posted by FistOfThe North
Listen Zeal Ex Negro, religion may be a deception, or a silk veil covering your eyes, it may not be. Thing is, do you have evidence that your religion hasn't deceived you?If you don't, and if you're smart, then you should realize that there may be the possibility or a chance of deception.
Evidence that it hasn't deceived me? I have absolutely no idea how I could prove such a thing.
The so called Zodiac Hypothesis is hardly compelling when one considers its abuse of biblical context. A text without a context is nothing but a pretext, and those who attempt to superimpose a foreign paradigm on the Bible (or any other work of literature) are violating the basic rules of logic. In my view, the video is nothing more than feebleminded fiction.
Originally posted by Tim Rout
The so called Zodiac Hypothesis is hardly compelling when one considers its abuse of biblical context. A text without a context is nothing but a pretext, and those who attempt to superimpose a foreign paradigm on the Bible (or any other work of literature) are violating the basic rules of logic. In my view, the video is nothing more than feebleminded fiction.
How do you determine biblical context?
Determining the context of a Bible passage is accomplished the same way one determines the context of any writing. Taking in to consideration the type of literature one is dealing with -- narrative, law, poetry, history, prophesy, etc -- one permits the text to speak for itself. More often than not, we can discern the intended meaning of an author from the content of his writing.
A number of years ago, I had the opportunity to attend a debate between a noted atheist and a Christian theologian. The atheist was well versed in Scripture and decided to open his comments with a quote from the Bible.
"There is no God!" he cited from Psalm 14:1.
At face value, such a verse might lead someone to believe the Bible supports atheism. But of course, this is entirely untrue. How can we know for certain what this seemingly brash statement from Psalm 14:1 is really communicating? Simple. We examine the words that surround the quote. Here's how the whole verse reads:
"Only fools say in their hearts, 'There is no God!' They are corrupt and their actions are evil. No one does good!" [Psalm 14:1/NLT]
The sad truth is, people can make the Bible say anything they please if they ignore context. When you and I present our thoughts in this forum, we have the right to expect that others will not misquote us, no matter how strongly they disagree with our opinions. Likewise, the various human authors of the Bible had a specific purpose in mind when they wrote the Scriptures under God's direction [2 Peter 1:20-21]. As readers of the Bible, it is our ethical duty to discover the author's intended meaning. We must never presume to superimpose our own.
Originally posted by Tim Rout
Determining the context of a Bible passage is accomplished the same way one determines the context of any writing. Taking in to consideration the type of literature one is dealing with -- narrative, law, poetry, history, prophesy, etc -- one permits the text to speak for itself. More often than not, we can discern the intended meaning of an author from the content of his writing.A number of years ago, I had the opportunity to attend a debate between a noted atheist and a Christian theologian. The atheist was well versed in Scripture and decided to open his comments with a quote from the Bible.
"There is no God!" he cited from Psalm 14:1.
At face value, such a verse might lead someone to believe the Bible supports atheism. But of course, this is entirely untrue. How can we know for certain what this seemingly brash statement from Psalm 14:1 is really communicating? Simple. We examine the words that surround the quote. Here's how the whole verse reads:
"Only fools say in their hearts, 'There is no God!' They are corrupt and their actions are evil. No one does good!" [Psalm 14:1/NLT]
The sad truth is, people can make the Bible say anything they please if they ignore context. When you and I present our thoughts in this forum, we have the right to expect that others will not misquote us, no matter how strongly they disagree with our opinions. Likewise, the various human authors of the Bible had a specific purpose in mind when they wrote the Scriptures under God's direction [2 Peter 1:20-21]. As readers of the Bible, it is our ethical duty to discover the author's intended meaning. We must never presume to superimpose our own.
Then how does the Zodiac Hypothesis abuse biblical context?
Originally posted by Tim Rout
Determining the context of a Bible passage is accomplished the same way one determines the context of any writing. Taking in to consideration the type of literature one is dealing with -- narrative, law, poetry, history, prophesy, etc -- one permits the text to speak for itself. More often than not, we can discern the intended meaning of an author from the content of his writing.A number of years ago, I had the opportunity to attend a debate between a noted atheist and a Christian theologian. The atheist was well versed in Scripture and decided to open his comments with a quote from the Bible.
"There is no God!" he cited from Psalm 14:1.
At face value, such a verse might lead someone to believe the Bible supports atheism. But of course, this is entirely untrue. How can we know for certain what this seemingly brash statement from Psalm 14:1 is really communicating? Simple. We examine the words that surround the quote. Here's how the whole verse reads:
"Only fools say in their hearts, 'There is no God!' They are corrupt and their actions are evil. No one does good!" [Psalm 14:1/NLT]
The sad truth is, people can make the Bible say anything they please if they ignore context. When you and I present our thoughts in this forum, we have the right to expect that others will not misquote us, no matter how strongly they disagree with our opinions. Likewise, the various human authors of the Bible had a specific purpose in mind when they wrote the Scriptures under God's direction [2 Peter 1:20-21]. As readers of the Bible, it is our ethical duty to discover the author's intended meaning. We must never presume to superimpose our own.
So then you don't take it literally?
Originally posted by Tim Rout😆 😆 thats funny cause the last time i checked, every person superimposed their own interpretation of the bible. many people take many different things out of the same text.humans arent objective, regardless of how we strive to be. dont delude yourself
Determining the context of a Bible passage is accomplished the same way one determines the context of any writing. Taking in to consideration the type of literature one is dealing with -- narrative, law, poetry, history, prophesy, etc -- one permits the text to speak for itself. More often than not, we can discern the intended meaning of an author from the content of his writing.A number of years ago, I had the opportunity to attend a debate between a noted atheist and a Christian theologian. The atheist was well versed in Scripture and decided to open his comments with a quote from the Bible.
"There is no God!" he cited from Psalm 14:1.
At face value, such a verse might lead someone to believe the Bible supports atheism. But of course, this is entirely untrue. How can we know for certain what this seemingly brash statement from Psalm 14:1 is really communicating? Simple. We examine the words that surround the quote. Here's how the whole verse reads:
"Only fools say in their hearts, 'There is no God!' They are corrupt and their actions are evil. No one does good!" [Psalm 14:1/NLT]
The sad truth is, people can make the Bible say anything they please if they ignore context. When you and I present our thoughts in this forum, we have the right to expect that others will not misquote us, no matter how strongly they disagree with our opinions. Likewise, the various human authors of the Bible had a specific purpose in mind when they wrote the Scriptures under God's direction [2 Peter 1:20-21]. As readers of the Bible, it is our ethical duty to discover the author's intended meaning. We must never presume to superimpose our own.
The Zodiac Hypothesis attributes meanings to biblical texts that were not conceived by the original authors. Or to say that differently...one could never logically draw the conclusions proposed by Zodiac theorists, if one's study was limited to the pages of the Bible. In order to support ZH it is necessary to introduce a huge amount of extracanonical data. If the writers of the Bible intended us to think "ZODIAC" when they wrote the Scriptures, they would have said as much. As it is, they claim entirely different reasons for writing.
Take a look at the Gospel of Luke for example:
"Most honorable Theophilus: Many people have written accounts of the events that took place among us. They used as their source material the reports circulating among us from the early disciples and other eyewitnesses of what God has done in fulfillment of His promises. Having carefully investigated all of these accounts from the beginning, I have decided to write a careful summary for you, to reassure you of the truth of all you were taught." [Luke 1:1-4/NLT]
Notice that the Gospel of Luke is a letter written to one person, based on real history, confirmed by eyewitness testimony, and intended to encourage Theophilus in his new faith -- the Christian faith. It is NOT a metaphor for various astrological phenomena.
Or take John's Gospel:
"Jesus' disciples saw Him do many other miraculous signs besides the ones recorded in this book. But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing in Him you will have life." [John 20:30-31/NLT]
The authors of the Bible generally make their purpose in writing VERY clear. To import a foreign hermeneutic like the ZH, is to perpetuate a lie.
And as for the claim that the Bible can mean anything you please because plenty of people treat it that way -- all I can say is, you've gotta be kidding! Whether you believe the Bible is the product of divine inspiration or human imagination, it contains a well framed message that deserves at least the same respect we would show to any other ancient work of literature. To misquote and misrepresent the words of others, even if they lived and died thousands of years ago, is to commit a gross ethical trespass.