Subject:
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Re: New Stories from the New Testament
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.off-topic.debate
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Date:
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Wed, 13 Feb 2002 00:57:01 GMT
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Viewed:
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789 times
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In lugnet.off-topic.debate, John Neal writes:
> Herein perhaps lies part of the problem IMO. BPS has taken a subject that is
> for many a serious one, and while folks with a good sense of humor can brush it
> off, some might find it offensive.
> To a Christian, there seems to be a underlying mocking tone (at least to this
> one).
>
> -John
BPS is taking on one of the great "sacred cows" of American society, the
Bible. While his earlier chapters were much subtler, with his latest group
of stories he has eased into full blown mockery mode.
Of course the most recent chapters are offensive to dedicated Christians
like Markus and John. They have spent much of their lives, and formed their
core values around ideas expressed in the Bible and expounded on by pastors
or Sunday-school leaders. And the underpining of that lifestyle is a
literal interpretation of the Bible.
The problem for BPS critics on the Christian right is that he is just
basically telling the stories the way the Bible does. Apart from very minor
textual ommissions that do not effect the basic message of the story, he is,
for by far and away the majority of what he is presenting, staying very
consistent to the translation he is using. And that's the back-breaker.
When I was a little kid, and sitting in church listening to my pastor every
Sunday, I always used to get bored hearing about the same tired platitudes
over and over. I would amuse myself by reading the juicier stories of the
old testament. I always wondered why my pastor never discussed those too
much, like the stories of the Israelites slaughtering women, children and
goats without mercy.
Did God change his mind from the Old Testament to the New? Or was it the
develpment of men's understanding that changed? The "literal truth" view of
the Bible cannot countenence such an analysis, so the only resort is to
blinders when inconsistent things happen. As Clarence Darrow asked William
Jennings Bryan at the Scopes trial, where did Cain and Seth's wives come from?
You can't force a square peg through a round hole, but that is just what
fundamentalist's must do to try and answer some of those questions. In
light of the many passages in the Bible that are plainly illogical, in
serious disharmony with other portions, and utterly savage, all hope is lost.
What BPS does is shine the light down on this contradiction. You could go
to church for 10 years and probably never hear a pastor talk about many of
the stories BPS illustrates. They are conveniently ignored because they
just don't make any sense, especially when viewed in a rigid, literal sense.
I hope he keeps it up because his message is profound, and profoundly funny.
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Message has 2 Replies:
 | | Re: New Stories from the New Testament
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| (...) An interpretation they share with many detractors of the Bible. (...) I've not read it, so I don't know anything about it's stance (pro-Bible or anti-Bible), but you might want to check out a book called _The Harlot by the Side of the Road: (...) (22 years ago, 13-Feb-02, to lugnet.off-topic.debate)
| | | Re: New Stories from the New Testament
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| (...) Dude, you really need to go back and check out the references. I mean, he skips and chooses. Even on the quick "Jesus and the Poor" he leaves out Jesus' explanation of why the woman poured oil on Him. In other words, he eliminated "the basic (...) (22 years ago, 14-Feb-02, to lugnet.off-topic.debate)
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Message is in Reply To:
| | Re: New Stories from the New Testament
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| (...) Herein perhaps lies part of the problem IMO. BPS has taken a subject that is for many a serious one, and while folks with a good sense of humor can brush it off, some might find it offensive. For instance, I personally find those holocaust (...) (22 years ago, 12-Feb-02, to lugnet.off-topic.debate)
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