Quote:
Originally Posted by Arcane
(Post 5210940)
... just because we do not understand God yet doesn't mean we can't understand "holy books". Unlike mysterious forces they can be studied ...
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Absolutely, and they
should be. "Holy Books" are
human inventions, and they are
not equipped with "digital error-correcting codes." Fact is, they are intensely-political documents that have been written and redacted and re-writ many times. There are numerous versions, "canonical" and otherwise. And, well, this
is "what they
are." This statement really is "undeniable."
"Prima facie." Therefore: Plan Accordingly.™
It's possible for a "holy book" to become a
symbol for the "certainty" that we (naturally) always want, in this great-big world that is full of uncertainty and of seemingly-random acts. We
want: "God said it, I believe it, and That settles it.™" We
want: "Complete. Inspired. Final.™" Yes, we may want
that more than anything else in the world. But, like it or not, that doesn't jive with what we
know to be true about this collection of words. The books are being pressed into being what they cannot possibly be.
And yet ... would it be "dead wrong" for me to get into someone's face and tell them, "you're wrong!" Uh huh. I definitely think so. I've no business doing that. I'm just a blind-man, too. All that I would be doing is "sinning against"
you. Tearing you down where I should be building you up, or at the very least, tolerating you. :) "That's what 'the other side of the street' is for."
People
do study and treasure these various "collections of words," as they have been doing for thousands of years, and I
don't consider those people to be foolish, misguided, nor ignorant. No, they are Wise. Religion is a very, very
personal thing, and it's deeply incised into human nature.
Every human culture that we have ever discovered, past or present, has a strong, strong foundation of religion. All of them are different, and yet, I can't help but observe also how very similar they are. I think of them as different perspectives on the same great, unknown elephant. And the "holy books?" Well, they're a part of that, too. Warts and all. "They are what they are." And they are powerful, and precious.