While some atheists think that God is something problematic in itself, for me there is so much elasticity in the concept that there's little sense in opposing it. God can be the militant super-human of the Old Testament or just an idea with little definition. I find if far more possible to oppose without exception one of the foundations of fundamentalism, inerrancy of scripture, and to say that whoever espouses this conviction is contributing to a scourge that continues to make the world a worse place than it needs to be. You don't have to be someone who will commit extreme acts fueled by his belief that every word of the Koran, Bible, or Hindu and Buddhist scriptures is true, in order to be part of the problem. Just by holding what is by definition an extremist view--that some ancient writings can be held as eternally true--you give cover and lend legitimacy to those who would, for example, celebrate making sex slaves of Yazidi women because the Koran instructs them to, or who would gather to protest military funerals because the U.S. military condones homosexuality.
An important support of inerrancy for many is prophecy. This belief in prophecy overwhelms normal thinking. When in our right minds, we know instinctively that the future is unfolding from innumerable inputs and is therefore unpredictable. The fact that some individual may say or write something that is later judged to have come true is neither prophecy nor prediction; it is at most a good, educated guess and may not even be that, since whether it became true involves an often uncertain and controversial interpretation of the present. It should be noted that the guesses that were plainly wrong tend to peel off, out of people's conscious regard, and are not mentioned. Henry Ford was wrong that history is bunk, but there should be no reluctance to say that prophecy is bunk. In this regard we can put the religious scriptures in the same bin as Nostrodamus and Jean Dixon. Not to deny that in their apocalyptic forms they have a certain grandeur that has captured, or enslaved, the imaginations of far too many people.
It is in fact amazing that, while almost everyone would deny inerrancy to the speech of any living person, they so willingly grant it to speech that is enshrined in scripture. I know, the reason is God Said It or God whispered it to someone who wrote it down. Funny how God became silent after that, never amending or adding to his books.
The dodge that the moderate religionists use to avoid repudiating inerrancy is that the extremists are hijacking the scriptures, taking them to mean literally what they do not say. Unfortunately, the scriptures often say exactly what the extremists assert. The only honest way out of this dilemma is for the moderates to be upfront on the matter, to state that being wrong is endemic to anything ever said or set down in writing. And the current idolatry of sacred writings would be over.
-
In total there are 2 users online :: 1 registered, 0 hidden and 1 guest (based on users active over the past 60 minutes)
Most users ever online was 616 on Thu Jan 18, 2024 7:47 pm
It's Inerrancy, Stupid
Forum rules
Do not promote books in this forum. Instead, promote your books in either Authors: Tell us about your FICTION book! or Authors: Tell us about your NON-FICTION book!.
All other Community Rules apply in this and all other forums.
Do not promote books in this forum. Instead, promote your books in either Authors: Tell us about your FICTION book! or Authors: Tell us about your NON-FICTION book!.
All other Community Rules apply in this and all other forums.
- DWill
-
- BookTalk.org Hall of Fame
- Posts: 6966
- Joined: Thu Jan 31, 2008 8:05 am
- 16
- Location: Luray, Virginia
- Has thanked: 2262 times
- Been thanked: 2470 times
- geo
-
- pets endangered by possible book avalanche
- Posts: 4779
- Joined: Sun Aug 03, 2008 4:24 am
- 15
- Location: NC
- Has thanked: 2199 times
- Been thanked: 2200 times
Re: It's Inerrancy, Stupid
Great post, DWill.DWill wrote:. . . I find if far more possible to oppose without exception one of the foundations of fundamentalism, inerrancy of scripture, and to say that whoever espouses this conviction is contributing to a scourge that continues to make the world a worse place than it needs to be.
This is indeed the crux of the biscuit, as they say. To some extent, moderate believers are enabling extremism by pretending the Bible is a holy text when it is clearly not a holy text. The Bible should be considered a treasure trove in terms of its archaeological and cultural relevance, but as a religious text it's the source of much evil in the world.
-Geo
Question everything
Question everything
- LanDroid
-
- Comandante Literario Supreme
- Posts: 2800
- Joined: Sat Jul 27, 2002 9:51 am
- 21
- Location: Cincinnati, OH
- Has thanked: 195 times
- Been thanked: 1166 times
Re: It's Inerrancy, Stupid
One silver lining with biblical inerrancy is it can actually lead people out of fundamentalism. As in my own experience: indoctrinated into the concept of inerrancy at an early age (my father was a PK), but once I actually started reading the Bible, it was like "Whaaaat the heeey is going on here? This is bizarre and riddled with errors! Why must women remain silent in a church?" Inerrancy sets many up for a fall: the Devil is in the details.
Another problem with fundamentalism and inerrancy is they have had total control of religious media in America. Every religious TV channel and every religious radio station including shortwave espouses extremely conservative interpretations 24/7. Does Bishop Spong get any air time? No. Do any other religious leaders that have a more liberal take on the matter get more exposure than perhaps an interview on a late night news show? No. Religious media may be getting slightly better with Joel Osteen and his ilk becoming popular, but that's not much of an improvement.
I don't think there's anything that can be done about that. Any sponsors of a liberal religious message would be viciously attacked and boycotted as spawn of the Devil, etc.
Another problem with fundamentalism and inerrancy is they have had total control of religious media in America. Every religious TV channel and every religious radio station including shortwave espouses extremely conservative interpretations 24/7. Does Bishop Spong get any air time? No. Do any other religious leaders that have a more liberal take on the matter get more exposure than perhaps an interview on a late night news show? No. Religious media may be getting slightly better with Joel Osteen and his ilk becoming popular, but that's not much of an improvement.
I don't think there's anything that can be done about that. Any sponsors of a liberal religious message would be viciously attacked and boycotted as spawn of the Devil, etc.
_______________________________________________________
When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from you; even though you multiply your prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are covered with blood.
Isaiah 1:15
But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.
Exodus 21: 23 - 25
When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from you; even though you multiply your prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are covered with blood.
Isaiah 1:15
But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.
Exodus 21: 23 - 25
- DWill
-
- BookTalk.org Hall of Fame
- Posts: 6966
- Joined: Thu Jan 31, 2008 8:05 am
- 16
- Location: Luray, Virginia
- Has thanked: 2262 times
- Been thanked: 2470 times
Re: It's Inerrancy, Stupid
You got me with "PK," Landroid. all I can come up with is "player kill" or perhaps "place kicker."
From my scant impression of Joel Osteen, I don't think he's a real big improvement, either.
From my scant impression of Joel Osteen, I don't think he's a real big improvement, either.
- Taylor
-
- Awesome
- Posts: 959
- Joined: Sun Dec 06, 2009 7:39 pm
- 14
- Location: Florida
- Has thanked: 422 times
- Been thanked: 589 times
Re: It's Inerrancy, Stupid
DWill: I'm thinking P=Promise K=Keeper.DWill wrote:You got me with "PK," Landroid. all I can come up with is "player kill" or perhaps "place kicker."
ETA: After a google search Promise Keepers, is a Christian men's organization dedicated to introducing other men to Christ.
- LanDroid
-
- Comandante Literario Supreme
- Posts: 2800
- Joined: Sat Jul 27, 2002 9:51 am
- 21
- Location: Cincinnati, OH
- Has thanked: 195 times
- Been thanked: 1166 times
Re: It's Inerrancy, Stupid
Preacher's Kid
Sorry, I thought that was more commonly known. So my father was a PK, which in turn affected me...
Sorry, I thought that was more commonly known. So my father was a PK, which in turn affected me...
- DWill
-
- BookTalk.org Hall of Fame
- Posts: 6966
- Joined: Thu Jan 31, 2008 8:05 am
- 16
- Location: Luray, Virginia
- Has thanked: 2262 times
- Been thanked: 2470 times
Re: It's Inerrancy, Stupid
Ah, great new abbreviation. I like it. I want to read the Marilynne Robinson book Home, which is written from the POV of a PK. Gilead was a good novel, if a little heavy on theology for my taste.
Last edited by DWill on Sun Aug 28, 2016 3:50 pm, edited 2 times in total.
-
-
- One with Books
- Posts: 2752
- Joined: Thu Dec 30, 2010 4:30 am
- 13
- Has thanked: 2280 times
- Been thanked: 727 times
Re: It's Inerrancy, Stupid
In many instances it seems there is a "refusal to grow up" ie. one takes refuge in the certainty of the "authority of scripture" as a comfort against the uncertainty of having to "think it out for ones self" so to speak.
the scriptures become like "mothers apron strings" one doesn't have to grow up and take responsibility for ones own actions, mind and life one simply eschews maturity in favour of deferring to the the innerancy of the God.
the scriptures become a justification for at best a simplistic world view and at worst, well i shudder to think...
it's cute when a 3 year old clings to mothers apron strings but when a 30 year does it well it's just sad, and when a 70 year old does it well it's nearly game over and they still haven't achieved individuation.
the scriptures become like "mothers apron strings" one doesn't have to grow up and take responsibility for ones own actions, mind and life one simply eschews maturity in favour of deferring to the the innerancy of the God.
the scriptures become a justification for at best a simplistic world view and at worst, well i shudder to think...
it's cute when a 3 year old clings to mothers apron strings but when a 30 year does it well it's just sad, and when a 70 year old does it well it's nearly game over and they still haven't achieved individuation.
- LanDroid
-
- Comandante Literario Supreme
- Posts: 2800
- Joined: Sat Jul 27, 2002 9:51 am
- 21
- Location: Cincinnati, OH
- Has thanked: 195 times
- Been thanked: 1166 times
Re: It's Inerrancy, Stupid
Yes and another reason they cling to inerrancy so strongly is fear. If some things are open to interpretation, then which parts are literal and which are not? Doubt creeps in and becomes the camel's nose that upends the whole tent and destroys your faith. Better to allow only literal/fundamentalist inerrancy and forbid any path that leads to doubt.
Those books do look interesting DWill...
Those books do look interesting DWill...
_______________________________________________________
When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from you; even though you multiply your prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are covered with blood.
Isaiah 1:15
But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.
Exodus 21: 23 - 25
When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from you; even though you multiply your prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are covered with blood.
Isaiah 1:15
But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.
Exodus 21: 23 - 25
- DWill
-
- BookTalk.org Hall of Fame
- Posts: 6966
- Joined: Thu Jan 31, 2008 8:05 am
- 16
- Location: Luray, Virginia
- Has thanked: 2262 times
- Been thanked: 2470 times
Re: It's Inerrancy, Stupid
It might sound perverse, but I kinda give the literalists credit for consistency, at least. When a liberal-leaning Christian mocks the creationists but then makes it clear that he's carved out a section of the NT that he takes literally, such as that Jesus was the son of God, I wonder if that person isn't a fundamentalist of a different sort. Maybe I'm being too strict, though, in expecting that everyone be so rational in every aspect of their lives.