Has any read the bible blog?

Question

This is an interesting series on www.slate.com. They have a jewish guy and I think a xian blogging the bible chapter by chapter.

Xians might find it enlightening.

Answer 1

I did read it and it's great stuff. Thanks. I even found a discussion of a Number's chapter (5) I hadn't payed attention to before. It's about how to tell if a woman has committed adultery by taking her to a priest:
"27 And when he has made her drink the water, then, if she has defiled herself and has broken faith with her husband, the water that brings the curse shall enter into her and cause bitter pain, and her womb shall swell, and her thigh shall fall away, and the woman shall become a curse among her people. 28 But if the woman has not defiled herself and is clean, then she shall be free and shall conceive children."

Darn, such an easy test! I wonder if if still holds? And that "thigh shall fall away" thing sounds like it could become a fad lose-weight thing..

Answer 2

I read a small bit of it, but I found his treatment of the subject shallow, trite and disengenuous. He stated at the outset that his purpose wasn't to make fun of the Bible, but that's what he seems to do.

I understand his result, because most Christians have consumed so much of the "Kool-aid" that they can no longer see how ridiculous the Bible is when taken literally.

Unfortunately the author of that blog has enough sense not to take it literally, but not enough literary experience to attempt to understand it in the religious, cultural and symbolic context. Without that capacity, all he really can do is make fun of it by pointing out things that shouldn't be taken literally today - such as the admonition to stone our daughters if they fornicate, etc.

It's too big of a topic to go into now, but if the Bible is viewed in context, it provides a whole different spiritual message then what we think. (Hint: Jesus and Paul both make mention of one understanding for the masses and more advanced teaching for a select few who are willing to make that step. Jesus makes clear that he tells the masses one thing "because they can not understand" and Paul makes clear that his letters to the churches are the "milk" because they are not ready for the "bread"). However, there is a Christian esoteric tradition that puts a whole different spin on what Jesus' message really was.

If anyone is open to taking a look at a different way of viewing Christ and Christianity, I'd recommend a book called "Putting on the Mind of Christ" by Jim Marion.