How do you read and understand your holy books?

Question

While in college I was a religion major. There was a great deal of study in many different religions as well as thoughts that were not religious at all.

My question is ..... When you read the holy book (which ever one you choose) how do you get it's meaning for your person in this day and time?

Most holy books were written hundreds, if not thousands of years ago, to people who did not think as we do today. How do you translate the meaning they must have gleaned into today's meanings? ...... Or .... is that even possible?

Kev

Answer 1

I'm a Christian and read the Bible. For me, some things are straight-forward, some I don't understand, and some I have to ask others or ask in prayer. I agree with you that in many ways people DO think differently now than when the Bible was written, but some concepts are universally human. (ie, faith and lack thereof, love and hate, tell the truth vs. lie, be honest vs. steal and cheat, be faithful vs. cheat on a spouse, etc.) Parts of the culture I just settle that I don't understand, and it may not even therefore be relevant.

I have found a HUGE value in praying about certain scriptural concepts and asking God questions. I've gained a huge amount of understanding through this, because when I do that, many times I just "get" the answer, or am pushed in a direction to study. I believe that when you pray and worship, God can *give* you insight and understanding into the scriptures.

Answer 2

It is possible if one takes the time to research. For example, the biblical texts have been largly influenced by ancient Egyptian religion/mythology, yet few people today know that, or bother to look into it further. Studying ancient symbolism, the meanings of numbers and so forth, can all go a long way to a deeper understanding. Once again, most people find it too bothersome or never even think about it. There is information out there that will help those who are willing to seek, to come to a deeper understanding of these sacred texts. Its just a matter of what a person is willing to put into it. For many people, showing up for Church is all they care to put into it, so they wont get much out of it in the way of esoteric teachings

Answer 3

Being that I'm not yet fluent in Arabic, I have to rely on learned Muslims or tasfir of the Qur'an. Mind you, I can easily look up the Arabic words, but these scholars give insight . I don't worry about being lied to because 1) a Muslim knows better than to mislead another Muslim and 2) Allah (SWT) will guide me. Each time I read the Qur'an, I get better insight (we read it completely at least once a year-during Ramadhan). As far as utilizing wisdom gleaned from the days of yesterday, we have the sunnah and fatwas.

Answer 4

i read the qur'an and it doesn't matter how long ago it was written it is the word of god and it will never change no matter what time or era it is, the principles will always stay the same. the qur'an is written in arabic, although i understand some arabic and not all i have a quran with english translations along the side.
also the quran reveals things that scientists have only discovered today yet were in the quran along time ago.

Answer 5

http://www.skepticsannotatedbible.com/