Worst fiction book ever. I can't even give it any stars. It contradicts itself numerous times. Not to mention a lot of it doesn't really work with the modern age. It just did NOT age well. And then there's the whole fandom around it, blah.
Nope.
the bible also has some translation errors which lead to it having contradictory sentences. And some parts weren't even in the original Bible, they were added later.
This is important to note.
However, even without literary consistency, it's not that which matters in the end anyways. Finnegans Wake is a "story" that pretty much throws literal consistency out the window, but many people find deeper truths within it. I think something like the Bible or pretty much any literary work is less to do with its literal storytelling and consistency (with something of that volume, especially something that was not written down immediately after it was conceived, it's to be expected that it is confusing to understand literally) and more to do with the deeper meaning of the work. The Bible, instead of being taken as a literal historic truth, should be viewed as a piece that begs to be opened deeper. And in that sense, it DOES have historic value - it reflects the type of people, showing their values, ideals and outlook on life, and even their very way of life. This can be said about any religious text though.
One thing that Judeo-monotheistic religions do which was pretty monumental for the time is give power into the hands of the people instead of just a higher power. This may seem contradictory but think about it - a major tenant in the big three of monotheistic religions is that YOU have a choice with your life. That you aren't just a mere pawn of the gods, a pawn that when assisted gets you punished (like in many other mythologies), but rather that YOU are important. Instead of being a side item or something created from dirt or other animals, humans are created by a benevolent God as a prized creation. Instead of just being little toys to entertain a higher being, humans are viewed as something special, something "good". And in that way, this sort of mentality could be the origins of new kinds of thought.
We are in an era in which these ideas have cycled once again. It is humbling that in our universe that we are not the center of attention in reality - we are simply a little speck on a tiny planet that is unfeasibly small in our massive universe. It may make us return to the idea that we are worthless and useless. But, upon observation, it is that we are a part of something so massive and yet are able to perceive our perspective of the universe, the fact that something as amazing as a human being can be part of such a much larger massive scale, something I like to call "the resolution of the universe" - the fact that even though we are small and overall meaningless that we still have something amazing to offer. That despite our minuscule footprint on the entire universe (or multiverse if it so is that way) that we are able to live in such a wide variety of experiences, such a unique level of perspectives that truly is unparalleled. The "resolution of the universe" may put things into perspective, but it also shows how wonderful everything really is.
And thus, we turn in a cycle from being meaningless to being meaningful. In that way. In a way, to many Christians and other religious people, this sort of perspective gives people not a false sense of hope, but a sense of belonging, and a sense of being. It's true that this word was changed and misused for evil and unscrupulous purposes, but that doesn't make the word itself evil. The only true evil would be to not allow others to interpret it.
In that sense, I do agree with that truth, even if I may squabble about the details. I may not be religious in the slightest but I can hold respect for such ideas. In reality though, that seems to be what a lot of people squabble over anyways. Ultimately Christianity is not just that "Jesus is the son of God", it's fundamentally rooted in the idea that people have power over their world and are important and special. And despite the perspective of how amazingly large the universe really is, and despite how small we truly are, we still are special. Despite our small size, we hold so much diversity. And that I think is what is really meant by "God's word". Perhaps I don't understand Jesus myself, and I may never understand Jesus, but I hold respect for those who do. Because perhaps simplifying what they represent is a disservice to their own philosophical understanding of the universe.
The trouble of reading into things literally, both as a support or as a rebuttal to the literature, shows a refusal to understand the deeper meaning of things. There's absolutely no reason why the nonliteral word of the Bible is incompatible with the literal understanding of nature, science and the world around us.
Anyways, just gotta say, for the most part, this is probably the most mature discussion of religion I've seen on PC in my 5 years of being on here. I really appreciate that neither side is trying to act like the other is wrong because "lol reasons".
