How to Harmonize Your Holy Book

Discussion in 'Religion Archives' started by ilgwamh, May 21, 2004.

  1. ilgwamh Fallen Angel Registered Senior Member

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    Is 'A' a Contradiction?

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    Fifteen Key Methodological Principles for Successful Exegesis:

    [1] Assume the Biblical Works are not Like other similar Ancient Works Which All contain Errors (e.g. Josephus). Also assume your Holy Book is true while other holy books are false and apply different standards to each.

    [2] Assume the verity of the Bible and Assume it is a Valid Practice to Interpret Scripture in Light of Other Scripture as if it was all Consistent.

    [3] When Moral Atrocities come up (10th plague, God murdering children and so on) tell the skeptic that he is in no position to judge God. Then require that the skeptic supply you with a Proven Objective Moral Standard.

    [4] To defend inerrancy, all you need to do is come up with a logically possible solution. It doesn't matter how improbable it may be. If it can be harmonized in any way imaginable, it is not a demonstrable error. Be creative as we are dealing with a "high context" society.

    [5] Assume the Bible is all one work and not rather a collection of individual books. Canonization has been proven and can be ignored in ALL discussions on the Bible.

    [6] God wrote the Bible and God can't make mistakes. So even if two passages look like a plain example of an error, try real hard for Jesus to harmonize them.

    [7] Take into account ancient written conventions. If it was the norm then to make things up and lie in written works, false statements in the Bible are not really errors since this literary practice was the norm at the time.

    [8] Skeptics have the burden of proof. No errors have been demonstrated in 2,000 years. The Bible shows its divine origins by 'mediating the sacred' effectively and it purports to be a work of nonfiction. It must be granted the benefit of the doubt until shown otherwise. It is innocent until proven guilty.

    [9] An incomplete report is not false. It doesn't matter how many details one author leaves out. Even if it is very unlikely that this author would have left all the details in question out, it is still technically not an error.

    [10] General statements do not necessarily mean universal principles. You are fee to pick and choose, at will, what you want to interpret as binding versus what has been "fulfilled by Christ". You are free to choose what you feel only applied to a certain culture and is simply no longer applicable. You need not supply a methodology for such a procedure.

    [11] Do not trust skeptic, Biblical Scholar or liberal Christian interpretations. Only a person of spirit can understand the word written by the Spirit. Fallen man cannot understand the word of God. Biblical Criticism is God-hating secular communism and nothing more. Liberal Christians are spiraling to this dark side.

    [12] Ignore worldview differences and that the Bible was written thousands of years ago by authors with many different beliefs and different sets of background knowledge. Read the Bible as if you would read a modern book written in our own era. God would have made sure it is adaptable and readable to all cultural situations.

    [13] When science errors are posed, point out evolution is just a theory. Say that half a wing is no good. Point out that dinosaur and human footprints have been found together and that a young earth has now been proven by scientists.

    [14] Ignore textual errors and the fact that God let his word be altered and corrupted through time. Despite not having any autographs or very early (50-100 years) copies of any of the works and no way of knowing what many passages originally looked like, point out that we have thousands of copies of later copies of the Bible.

    [15] Ignore all relevant philological studies into the culture and language in question. Lacking formal expertise, simply use a lexicon casually to reinterpret anything that seems to create an incongruity in scripture. God will certainly guide you.

    http://www.after-hourz.net/ri/harmonize.html

    Vinnie
     
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  3. Neildo Gone Registered Senior Member

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    Heh, good one.

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    - N
     
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  5. Dreamwalker Whatever Valued Senior Member

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    Hehe, I also like it.
    Great text.

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  7. Q25 Registered Senior Member

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    593
    love that one,
    problem is :if you assume,you are surely to make an ass of you and me!

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    or
    the assumption is a mother of all fuckups!

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