tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12171673.post4360164286254483141..comments2024-02-13T01:25:33.947-05:00Comments on The Gods Are Bored: Defending the BibleAnne Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15478513906953607043noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12171673.post-89488571814756985042010-04-04T16:24:05.918-04:002010-04-04T16:24:05.918-04:00lol Somehow I missed this post, and have only read...lol Somehow I missed this post, and have only read it now.<br /><br />Good story. You must have a LOT of fun with your kids. :)Dancing With Feyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03493553137383118631noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12171673.post-27843151417573116942010-03-26T22:18:01.622-04:002010-03-26T22:18:01.622-04:00"When you combine "turn the other cheek&...<i>"When you combine "turn the other cheek" with "thou shalt not suffer a witch to live"...well...where do you go from there?"</i><br /><br />What that tells us is that it was written by several different people who got really different points out of the religion. Movements turns into their opposite, and sometimes really fast. I think all religions die with their founders, only the bark lives on....kimchttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14020798623317549440noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12171673.post-25657329800566666162010-03-26T16:31:04.748-04:002010-03-26T16:31:04.748-04:00Well handled in the classroom :-)Well handled in the classroom :-)Changing Girlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18268846793629969115noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12171673.post-87986914000747176292010-03-26T10:53:02.308-04:002010-03-26T10:53:02.308-04:00Personally I like Karen Armstrong's take on th...Personally I like Karen Armstrong's take on the Bible; she critques it as someone who has gone from simple believer (contemplative nun) to more objective academic. And she makes an important point in her books: The reason why the Bible, like so many sacred texts, seems "crazy" to modern people, is because we operate purely from a rationalist, materialist view of the world, what she calls "logos." The Bible is a poetic text, and cannot be read as if it were a science book (the Universe being made in literally 6 days; Eve being made from Adam's rib; the voice from the burning bush, etc.) The Bible must be read as "mythos," where the truths in the stories are allegorical. It's not the text that's crazy, necessarily--it's how one approaches it that may be crazy. And I'm not one for bashing other religions; organized religion creates LOTS of problems, but mystics of any tradition tend to derive the same appreciation of the divine. The Koran may seem violent, but the Sufis, who are Islamic, are anything but.Rick Loftus, M.D.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12171673.post-78126453127930934002010-03-26T08:16:40.130-04:002010-03-26T08:16:40.130-04:00Anne, Love your blog. Is the bible mental? Well...Anne, Love your blog. Is the bible mental? Well, that depends on your point of view. If you take every word as factual. <br />I have always wondered how the bible would have read if women had translated it.Lori F - MNnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12171673.post-46405016679938385922010-03-25T17:38:47.012-04:002010-03-25T17:38:47.012-04:00I know i could not be so diplomatic. i would proba...I know i could not be so diplomatic. i would probably answer: "Ah, ...Yeah!". <br />Thank Goddess i do not teach.lolgreekwitchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09666291801038882275noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12171673.post-78647561504176655542010-03-25T15:11:04.835-04:002010-03-25T15:11:04.835-04:00I think you did an excellent job!
I don't thin...I think you did an excellent job!<br />I don't think I could be so diplomatic.Souris Optiquehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04560601043872845480noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12171673.post-21261822575950505872010-03-25T12:02:52.248-04:002010-03-25T12:02:52.248-04:00pie!?! love it!!pie!?! love it!!Marshallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04488994662076066197noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12171673.post-88251296214802673102010-03-25T10:36:38.902-04:002010-03-25T10:36:38.902-04:00It's unfortunately popular conversation in sch...It's unfortunately popular conversation in schools right now. Oddly your Christian student wasn't the one dominating the conversation as they do here. Typically my daughter is asked several times per month whether she believes or not - and then condemned to hell. She promises to take marshmallows. <br /><br />The only other way I could imagine this being handled would have been the cop-out answer of "religion is a very personal thing and it's up to each person to decide for themself how they feel about it. Insanity is also relative." lolPomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12294207351440999597noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12171673.post-72491535807496964612010-03-24T23:58:50.240-04:002010-03-24T23:58:50.240-04:00@THEMichael,
Without defending the Bible more tha...@THEMichael,<br /><br />Without defending the Bible more than I should, the Old Testament (Before Jesus was born) is much more severe and has a few good "horrible" stories like killing witches. The New Testiament has it's share of scary stories, but is slightly more "Turn the other Cheek" in it's tone. They really are two completely different books if you think about it. The first half is Judaism, while the second half is Christianity (HUGE oversimplification there).<br /><br />/Gets off pulpit and puts ex-Minister-collar away, as he returns to Mystical Druidic robes :)Maebiushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15818255129828936381noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12171673.post-84641271674438963592010-03-24T22:34:49.184-04:002010-03-24T22:34:49.184-04:00In the spirit of tolerance and understanding, I on...In the spirit of tolerance and understanding, I once picked up a copy of the Koran at my local Books-a-Million. I really, really tried to make sense of it, but the more I read, the more insane the author of this religios publication seemed to me. Then I really thought hard about many of the stories I was taught in catechism and realized how scary THEY were when taken in the context of sanity. No, I do not believe any of the Bible was written by sane people, nor the Koran, and sadly, I might discover the same should I delve into just about any other tract. When you combine "turn the other cheek" with "thou shalt not suffer a witch to live"...well...where do you go from there?Alex Pendragonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15877845166621794334noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12171673.post-64899272033033045152010-03-24T22:17:25.438-04:002010-03-24T22:17:25.438-04:00I would hope they would not fire you for simply an...I would hope they would not fire you for simply answering the student's question, even if it were about religion. I'm not sure how I'd handle that situation. I think I'd probably have a different take on whether or not it was written by crazy people....Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12171673.post-57373672920416760532010-03-24T22:12:05.226-04:002010-03-24T22:12:05.226-04:00Belief or no, there's some really really inter...Belief or no, there's some really really interesting stories in the Bible. In fact, I jsut blogged one particualr question about what some think is the Biggest story, and how each of the 4 Big Gospels (Matthew, MArk, Luke, & John) each have a different slant/bias on the Death of Jesus. <br />http://everthorn.net/musings/2010/03/how-did-he-die/?p=804<br /><br />Taking the religion aspect aside, it's still an interesting read, and as you said, tells some good moral lessons, amidst the Crazy. <br /><br />Scholarly note. was written by many, MANY men, so the question is not "was it written by a crazy man?" but rather "How many of the books were written by Crazy men, and which simply had alterior agendas?" :)Maebiushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15818255129828936381noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12171673.post-27917687606015317702010-03-24T21:04:09.089-04:002010-03-24T21:04:09.089-04:00Yeah, it was written by crazy people. See, e.g., ...Yeah, it was written by crazy people. See, e.g., Revelations. :)Hecatehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09291488568404382739noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12171673.post-82309323878943446732010-03-24T20:58:23.124-04:002010-03-24T20:58:23.124-04:00I think as a teacher you did a very noble thing by...I think as a teacher you did a very noble thing by not addressing your own religion, I wish half my teachers way back when in high school had done something similar. I always say, the Bible is the best fairy-tale ever written with some great morals.Katrinahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10869118816189529159noreply@blogger.com