(no subject)
I have decided to read the Bible, all of it. I am reading the NRSV -
hopefully will get the Septuagint for a comparative reading. I am doing
a close reading and thus it's going very slow...has been very
interesting so far - brings back discussions from Dr. T's class to my
mind. It is weird and funny how similar things begin to pop-up all
around me when I decide to look at something....happened when I first
started tabla, then ditto with Aztec art and now with the Christian
scripture. The two movies that I have watched lately, The Seventh Seal and Inherit the Wind
have been closely linked to the Bible. Plus, I started to converse with
an ex-friend earlier tonight, who is now a zealous Christian. When I
mentioned to him that I have started reading the Bible for academic reasons,
he replied, "I hope it concludes with devotional reasons."
hmm...doesn't everybody have a piece of advice...I'll let the Bible
decide.
The conversation sadly ended in a very unpleasant manner, mainly for me. According to him his salvation is more important than his own and other's integrity.
I have never respected revenge. I hope I never resort to it, even in a passive way. On that note, the most thought-provoking verse I have come so far is this:
Whoever sheds the blood of a
human,
by a human shall that peron's
blood be shed:
for his own image
God made humankind
- (Genesis 9:6)
- it claims justice is inherent to the constitution of mankind and God
- this justice system is based on a "mirror-value" - which is more quantitative in nature, then qualitative
- humans are left to their own devices to achieve it: a human becomes not only an instrument to execute justice but also a judge of it...and consequently a victim to it.
- even though the sense of justice is inherited from God, all in all it's a human affair - God is separated from partaking any responsibility and involvement in it.
- this makes me think of religious duty as a very structured, legal notion rather than a more feeling-ful or abstract one. It's such a contrast to some of the Buddist and Hindu teachings I've read! - this method of justice emphasizes two things - the gravity and heinous nature of the "sinful" act...thus, seriously warning against it...and indicates that the ultimate form of justice will lead to annihilation
The conversation sadly ended in a very unpleasant manner, mainly for me. According to him his salvation is more important than his own and other's integrity.
I have never respected revenge. I hope I never resort to it, even in a passive way. On that note, the most thought-provoking verse I have come so far is this:
Whoever sheds the blood of a
human,
by a human shall that peron's
blood be shed:
for his own image
God made humankind
- (Genesis 9:6)
- it claims justice is inherent to the constitution of mankind and God
- this justice system is based on a "mirror-value" - which is more quantitative in nature, then qualitative
- humans are left to their own devices to achieve it: a human becomes not only an instrument to execute justice but also a judge of it...and consequently a victim to it.
- even though the sense of justice is inherited from God, all in all it's a human affair - God is separated from partaking any responsibility and involvement in it.
- this makes me think of religious duty as a very structured, legal notion rather than a more feeling-ful or abstract one. It's such a contrast to some of the Buddist and Hindu teachings I've read! - this method of justice emphasizes two things - the gravity and heinous nature of the "sinful" act...thus, seriously warning against it...and indicates that the ultimate form of justice will lead to annihilation