Freethought & Rationalism ArchiveThe archives are read only. |
05-13-2003, 10:10 AM | #1 |
Veteran Member
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Alexandria, VA, Faith-Based States of Jesusland
Posts: 1,794
|
Religious liberalism and scripture
One definition of religious liberalism that I've read is "the belief that religious knowledge should be compatible with the rationality of the modern world." In the context of religions with millennia-old holy books, religious liberalism generally involves extensive reinterpretation of those holy books to conform to the modern world's outlook.
Religious conservatives complain that religious liberals often "reinterpret" all meaning out of the scriptures and evince a pick-and-choose attitude toward something that should be all-or-nothing. Under religious conservatism, once you question any part of the holy book, you inevitably end up questioning the whole thing, and if the scriptures cannot be reconciled with modern understanding, it is the latter that must change. I once asked a religiously liberal Methodist which parts of the Bible he considered to be inspired. He answered, "The essence," but he didn't elaborate on what that is. What's your take on this? Does the liberal approach to scriptural interpretation make sense, or is it based on wishful thinking? Are religious conservatives right when they say that belief in their holy book is an all-or-nothing matter? Bonus question for apostates: Did you accept the all-or-nothing approach and then reject all of scripture because you could not accept all of it? |
05-13-2003, 11:14 AM | #2 |
Veteran Member
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan
Posts: 3,095
|
Just wanted to mention a thread is discussing essentially this same issue in the thread entitled 'Cherry Pickers' in this forum.
|
05-13-2003, 03:48 PM | #3 |
Veteran Member
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Alexandria, VA, Faith-Based States of Jesusland
Posts: 1,794
|
Mea culpa.
|
05-13-2003, 04:15 PM | #4 | |
Veteran Member
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: United States
Posts: 7,351
|
Quote:
|
|
05-13-2003, 04:45 PM | #5 | |
Banned
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Tallahassee, FL Reality Adventurer
Posts: 5,276
|
Re: Religious liberalism and scripture
Quote:
Starboy |
|
Thread Tools | Search this Thread |
|