Tuesday, May 15, 2007
pope's book
Does anyone else think it's weird that the pope came out with a book? Does he do book tours? Signings? Go on the talk show circuit to promote it? It's obviously going to sell well because, well, he's the pope. The idea behind his book is that many who study the bible via the historical-critical method (deciphering the passages within the context of the time, the author's bias, mistranslations) are limited in their studies. The Catholic way, he asserts, should be to approach the bible and everything in our religion from a loving, faith-filled background. In other words, faith must come before biblical study, because biblical study can not logically lead to faith. If that makes sense. Anyhow, I fell asleep twice while trying to start the pope's book. And I'm sure anyone who reads this is already asleep also.
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O.K., I haven't read the pope's book, nor have I really read any extensive commentary on the various methods of approaching the Bible, but will I let that stop me from commenting? Absolutely not!
Disregarding the historical-critical method, if I understand it correctly, sounds downright ludicrous and archaic! Of course context is important. It's vital to any writing! Granted, people either approach the Bible with or without faith, and reading scripture by itself will probably not give anyone faith. Regardless, historical context and knowledge of the formation of the canon will inevitably lead to greater understanding.
Case in point: Proverbs says "Spare the rod and spoil the child", which causes some parents to beat their children and others to lose faith in the Bible because they do not agree with hitting their children. But, Proverbs was written in a culture of sheepherders. For a shepherd, a rod is used to guide a sheep and keep it out of trouble, not to beat it. Seen from that perspective, the verse reveals profound wisdom.
Anyway, I believe that knowledge and education serve to enhance faith, not to detract from it. Religious dogma that shuns inquiry indicates weak faith to me. We are afraid to ask critical questions because we are afraid of what we might learn. If our faith is strong, then we should welcome questions, believing that their answers will not contradict what we believe is God's truth, but rather enrich it.
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