And one addendum for the night...

[silveradept]

The tack I think many Christians should take towards their holy scriptures. It just happens to be that this particular example involves homosexuals (it's the position I wish more Christians would adopt.)

Credit? Stolen from starkruzr who swiped it from laundreu

Comments

[torakiyoshi.livejournal.com]

The Real Live Preacher has some valuable things to say. And the second essay is much more valuable than the first on the subject. But I agree, more people need to recognize everyone's right to make their own exegetical research.

-=TK

[silveradept]

That second essay is a good one, as well.

In the world of the Internet today, I would think people will go and do exegesis by themselves. The churches are becoming more places where the like-minded hang out instead of institutions that control interpretations. Definitely an interesting trend to watch. I wonder where the fault lines will be?

Replace research with exegesis

[torakiyoshi.livejournal.com]

The only problem with that is the way people think: why do research for yourself, when the internet can do research for you?

People are dumb. They'll believe and accept the first thing they read, and decide it must be gospel truth. They stop any thinking on the subject, and define everything in their lives on that one truth. In the religious world, hat's how Fundamentalists get started. And it's how people can justify the need to kill and die in the name of Christ. Sad, really. The key principle of the reformation was "read and learn for yourself" (because that's how Martin Luther discovered the flaws in the Vatican's doctrine), and yet we have fewer thinkers in the church today than we did 500 years ago.

-=TK

Re: Replace research with exegesis

[silveradept]

Ah, yes, the problem of judgment. Thank you for reminding me of it. I would like to believe that the person on such a spiritual quest will be armed with the proper tools of discernment, to separate wheat from chaff, as it were. It is probably more likely that unless they are truly on the road, they are looking for others to confirm their preconceived notions, whatever they may be.

I wouldn't say there aren't less thinkers, I would say there are more churches and denominations. Mind you, many of them seem willing to fight bloody battles over splitting hairs, but that's people doing what you've described - interpreting, but failing to be open to the possibility of other interpretations, many of which are useful.

But that's my opinion, for what it's worth. (about $.02 US, I believe, at last check, although inflation continues to threaten it.)