2007-07-21 23:29:01 · 6 answers · asked by CHEESUS GROYST 5 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Bible quotes, quotes from the Quran or indeed any other literature.
2007-07-21 23:30:09 · update #1
Lula Belle: out of context, how would just anyone know it was from the Scottish play!
2007-07-21 23:35:36 · update #2
Yes, you're right. There's often no time or room to write a thesis referring to all the writings for and against your quote.
You usually have to do this work.
2007-07-21 23:37:03 · answer #1 · answered by cheir 7 · 2⤊ 2⤋
It sounds like language is not your specialty. Any linguistics or English professor can help you with this one. Individual statements that occur within a larger one are said to have a context which shapes their meaning. "I shot the man" can mean different things depending upon the specific context in which it is found:
"In order to take the picture, I shot the man with my new camera."
"In order to defend myself, I quickly took out my revolver and I shot the man who was robbing me."
Certainly you see how the context determines the meaning. To give another example, "There is the door" can have either a literal or figurative meaning depending on the context:
"After completing the construction of the new house, the contractor took the new owners to the front and said 'There is the door.'"
"Bringing the student into the library, the teacher pointed at the books and said 'There is the door to learning.'"
Again, context determines meaning. Religious texts are just like any other in that they contain smaller statements within the overall setting of larger ones. The larger context is essential to understanding the author's original intent. Some religious texts such as Paul's letter to the Romans in the New Testament are very structured and one who quotes from such a work must be very careful to consider the overall context in claiming what a specific text means.
I can't remember what show it is, but one of the late night shows occasionally has a segment in which it strings together video highlights of some notable person, taking each statement out of context. The result has the person saying the most outrageous things such as confessing to murder etc. This is the effect that people have as they quote specific statements out of context, misrepresenting their meaning, and stringing them together with other out-of-context quotes. To use a quotation in context is to consider the larger context in determining the meaning as one discusses the content of the smaller segment. This will more likely result in an accurate understanding of the given text. Unfortunately, since religious works are considered authoritative, those who want to use their authority and those who want to unfairly discredit an entire work will misrepresent a given text by quoting texts apart from their context in such a way as to make it sound like the author was saying something he or she did not in fact intend.
2007-07-22 06:52:02 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 0⤋
It only depends on your interpertation of Quotes.!
2007-07-22 06:32:29 · answer #3 · answered by Dragon'sFire 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
what goes around comes around unless you have God on your side.And you love Jesus and everyone then you will get a break.
2007-07-22 06:36:15 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 2⤋
Hmmm, to be or not to be? That is the question!
2007-07-22 06:33:57 · answer #5 · answered by Lula Belle 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Not always.
Nice try though.
Please play again.
2007-07-22 06:32:46 · answer #6 · answered by Tim 47 7 · 3⤊ 1⤋