Yesterday I asked Christians if they engaged in critical thinking when they were reading the Bible. The resounding answer was, “No.”
So, does that mean if I want to have any hope of “understanding” the Bible I need to turn off my brain when I read it?
2006-11-10 06:58:48 · 21 answers · asked by The Chaos Within 3 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Yes it is not meant for "food" for thought it is meant to feed your spirit. I always pray that the Word will skip my brain and go straight to my spirit. Who am I that I can understand the ways of God? Humble ourselves in the sight of the Lord and He will lift us up.
2006-11-10 07:06:03 · answer #1 · answered by Jesus freak 3 · 2⤊ 2⤋
Are you kidding me? Did Christians actually say that? I'm a Christian and I was taught from a very young age that you must think critically. It was explained to me that you must study, think things out, and then of course pray. However, I was told I should never accept any teachings without my own confirmation. I think the best way to read the bible is critically, but not pessimistically or trying to prove that it is wrong, because there is a difference. If someone is closed minded they will never comprehend or believe. Faith is important, but so is individual research etc.
2006-11-10 15:16:17 · answer #2 · answered by straightup 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
There is no need whatsoever for sabotaging one's own critical thinking skills when studying matters of theology. However, do understand that not all Christians are Biblical literalists. In other words, there are millions of Christians who are not Fundamentalists, and therefore don't take the Bible as a literal historical text. One can read it as a literalist, or as a non-literalist. There are many ways to approach the Bible, but none of them come with the requirement of shutting down one's reasoning.
2006-11-10 15:11:39 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Unfortunately, you probably asked a group of Chrstians who are known as "fundamentalists." Fundamentalists believe in a "literal" interpretation of the Bible. That is to say that they believe God really DID create the universe in six 24-hour days and that Dinosoars really don't exist because they're not in the Bible.
However, I do not believe in this school of thought. I believe that in order to understand the TRUE meaning of the Bible, we must understand WHO the writer/writers was/were, WHO they were addressing, at WHAT time they were writing in history, WHAT was going on in history at that time, and WHERE they were in the world at the time. My personal faith comes from core Biblical teachings, logic, reason, and tradition.
The Bible may have been perfect in its original form, but we all must remember:
1) Jesus was not a Christian
2) Jesus was not an American
3) Jesus did not speak English
4) Jesus did not write the Bible
The Bible has been translated countless times and by many people who disagree. It is imperfect, as any method of interpretation is bound to be.
2006-11-10 15:20:12 · answer #4 · answered by TransyMAJ 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No. In fact it helps if you keep an open mind. The bible has some great stuff in it but there have been many attempts to shall we say help God out. Many people have adjusted things here and there in an attempt to make it more clear what God actually meant.
An open mind can help you spot these often obvious assists. For example, God is supposedly unconditionally loving. See the parable of the prodigal son for evidence of this.
Unconditional means no conditions. Apparently the emperor Constantine had a problem with this lack of conditions because he had his gremlins who decided what was going to be in the bible add the Hebrew ten commandments.
The end result was an unconditionally loving God with at least 10 conditions.
Figure that one out?
Love and blessings Don
2006-11-10 15:08:28 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
You are lying. It wasn't resounding, as I said "yes" as a specific answer to your specific question.
You already have checked your brain at the door. Part of the problem is the fact that you are seeing what you want to see and ignoring the rest. Because it suits your own self-seeking purposes to do so.
2006-11-10 15:09:03 · answer #6 · answered by Gestalt 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
What "Christians" did you ask? Fundamentalists, evangelicals?
FYI, Christians created the discipline of Biblical criticism.
The answer to your question depends what door you're going through. The door of your basic ultra-conservative evangelical/fundamentalist church, yes, check that brain because it'll only cause problems. But if you're going through the door of a liberal, mainline Protestant church, or of a liberal, mainline Protestant seminary, you definitely need to hold on to that brain. It's required for attendance.
2006-11-10 15:17:59 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I kept my brain turned on and learned a lot.
If you're really interested, look into sitting in on or taking a course with the religion department at your local university. A good one will help with the cultural context necessary to really understand the books.
2006-11-10 15:06:43 · answer #8 · answered by The angels have the phone box. 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, the real answer would be that you read the Bible with faith, have an open mind and heart and don't analyze things so incredibly hard, they are miracles, you can't explain miracles of God.
2006-11-10 15:02:12 · answer #9 · answered by Chloe 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yup, pretty much. At least if you're going to be a fundamentalist and/or evangelical. Otherwise keep that brain of yours turned on.
2006-11-10 15:00:53 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋