Christian Fundamentalists - how can you be sure your biblical interpretations are correct?

Question

I ask because historically, you've often been wrong. An easy example is the hard fight you fought to preserve the institution of slavery and later, segregation. These movements were both based on your interpretation of biblical scripture, but I suspect few of you would still defend those positions today.

Now there are other issues like gay marriage and stem cell research, to name just two. How can you be sure you've got it right this time? And how will people 100 years from now regard your position?

Answer 1

yes those things were based on biblical interpretations. denying women's rights was too. no one is gonna sit back and say, "jeez, your right, christianity is false"
they keep telling themselves that those things happened because some evil hearted people sinfully chose to look at the bible like that. the problem is that EVERYONE interpreted the bible like that. EVERYONE!!!!!

Answer 2

People believe what they want to believe. The bible has been interpreted in so many ways, & the last question I answered, Christians were contradicting EACH OTHER. Most often, people are "sure" from a purely subjective point of view. It's an--I'M RIGHT & YOU'RE WRONG thing. I truly doubt you'll get objective views on this. Guess I shouldn't even have answered since I'm off the radar screen when it comes to religion. Also predict thumbs down. But I don't mind. Everyone has a right to their "faith," but it's curious how much "in-fighting" there is among the Christian Fundmentalists.

Edit: Lots of Christian Fundamentalists in this category tonight.

Answer 3

We have never been wrong historically. Slavery was fought by people, who, many times, were NOT, Christians, and even if they were, they used and abused/ twisted around OR didn't understand what the Scriptures meant. I know that God thinks gay-marriage is wrong. I know it for fact. Stem-cell research is also wrong. Also, people 100 years from now will regard the positions we are taking now, with respect, that is IF this earth is still here. I FULLY expect it to end within the next 40-50 years. If not even sooner. In fact, Christian scientists haven't been wrong in their many tests and research. They, have the most sound beliefs and can back up all things they prove by the Bible. I don't know how ANYONE can really believe God doesn't exist. I mean, I KNOW I am correct in my beliefs, I have all sorts of proof. But atheists have nothing. What if you are wrong? IF (and I doubt it with my life) God doesn't exist, then we lose nothing. What, for the atheists, are you ging to do when you find out He does? Even IF God doesn't exist, we aren't going to lose anything when we die, but if He does, you lose everything, and you cannot even say you didn't know, because I know we sure did try.

Answer 4

For an interpretation to be true it would stand as a whole. No one has been able to prove the bible false. The southern states fought for their way of life. Yes people often bend the bible to suit their purpose, how ever even the bible says that not everyone that proclaims to be a follower of Christ is a christian,in Matthews.
so If an issue is used in a religion it should be in accord with it all. The bible is a chronological book. The issue isn't what people will think but what God will think.. maybe the bible isn't wrong but people are.

Answer 5

Because they do not study linguistics or foreign langues. If they realized how vastly different the translations of the simplest non-biblical texts vary from two modern languages (let alone between a modern language and a dead language), if they studied linguistics to see how words gain new meanings over even a hundread years (let alone 2000 years) their confidnece would be shaken.

If in England 150 years ago I said "Let's throw a f@ggot on the fire", I would be talking about a bundle of sticks, 60 years ago, it would be a ciggarette, today, it is violent hate speech.

If people had a better understanding of the Sapir-Whorf hypotheis, they would see how all language influences the ways in which one thinks and percieves the world, and that no two people will ever interpert any set of words excatly the same, the supposed word of "God" or otherwise.

Why do some modern Bible translations include the word 'homosexual' , when it is not in King James and the word for 'homosexual' did not exist in the ancient world? It is pretty presumptive of a translator to just add in a word like that. Unless they are purposely trying to infuse their own bigotries into their Biblical translation in order to poison the minds of new generations?

Answer 6

Since you mention the topic of slavery, you probably need to study how the historical definition of slavery has changed in the last few centuries.

Most slavery in the times of the Bible was a form of indentured servanthood, in order to pay a debt. After seven years, the debt was forgiven, and the servant (slave) had the opportunity to be freed from their master, or commit to him of their own will for the rest of their life.

The brutality of slavery here in the USA in the 1800's (and other places more recently) in no way resembles the Biblical definition.
I don't know of any true born-again Christians that would support that type of cruelty to another man or woman.

But we must also remember that there are those wicked people who will take advantage of anyone, given the chance.

As an employee, I am technically a slave to my employer. He keeps me, and provides for my needs. I'm just very happy that he's a benevolent slave owner.

Answer 7

Very good question. I think though that the trick is not in interpretation of the Bible, but in the heart. Some use the Bible to justify their actions, others live by the Bible even when it's hard. I wouldn't put all fundamentalists in the same category.

Answer 8

You are quite ignorant. It was Christians who fought hardest to overturn slavery, both in England and the United States. The first integrated college in the United States, Oberlin, was founded by the great American evangelist, Charles G. Finney.

Answer 9

It's funny how fundamentalists are blamed for slavery. None of us living today had anything to do with that. People who misuse Scripture are in every religion, not just Christianity. Gay marriage and stem-cell research are things that are popular topics for conversation and healthy debate. People will always lump others together. I would hope that as enlightened as you "seem" to be portraying yourself to be that you would realize that you are actually part of the problem, not the solution. A true fundamentalist knows that it is not for us to judge anyone else. There is enough for us to work on in our own lives to be looking at others pointing fingers.

Answer 10

You're talking about single issues and not the totality of a religion. When combined, the total should be in complete keeping with God's Word, but what you see in most religions today is they say look at this or that single item, it shows they are blessed by God.