Bible revisions necessary, column on organized religion off the mark
Issue date: 10/1/09 Section: Letters
After reading Rob's rant against the "bible-thumping, fundamental" Christian perspective, I felt compelled to clear up a couple of his ill-considered points of view. First, the concept of revising the Bible…
The purpose of revising the Bible is to keep up with language. While the truths that are written in the Bible (regardless if one believes them or not) remain the same, our definition and use of language has changed.
I'm pretty sure Rob doesn't go through his daily life speaking in thees and thous. If there weren't any revisions to the Bible, we would need to speak Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek in order to read it. Second, Rob claims "organized religion relies too heavily on dogma." The whole concept of Christianity is revealed to believers by what is written in the Bible. How can we not rely heavily on our dogma? Would it be smart for those that call themselves mathematicians to pick and choose whether they believe in multiplication or not? Of course not. To deny that fundamental component (or truth) of mathematics would negate their being credible mathematicians.
I gather that Rob has had negative experiences with Christianity and has likely witnessed Christians displaying the "holier-than-thou" mentality, which is unfortunate. Christians are commanded to love others as they love themselves, to hate the sin and love the sinner, to forgive trespasses, but to stand up for the Bible and for their God. To be a true Christian is to admit to the world, "I am a sinner like everyone else and I need a savior."
Brad Patton
2005 alumnus
The purpose of revising the Bible is to keep up with language. While the truths that are written in the Bible (regardless if one believes them or not) remain the same, our definition and use of language has changed.
I'm pretty sure Rob doesn't go through his daily life speaking in thees and thous. If there weren't any revisions to the Bible, we would need to speak Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek in order to read it. Second, Rob claims "organized religion relies too heavily on dogma." The whole concept of Christianity is revealed to believers by what is written in the Bible. How can we not rely heavily on our dogma? Would it be smart for those that call themselves mathematicians to pick and choose whether they believe in multiplication or not? Of course not. To deny that fundamental component (or truth) of mathematics would negate their being credible mathematicians.
I gather that Rob has had negative experiences with Christianity and has likely witnessed Christians displaying the "holier-than-thou" mentality, which is unfortunate. Christians are commanded to love others as they love themselves, to hate the sin and love the sinner, to forgive trespasses, but to stand up for the Bible and for their God. To be a true Christian is to admit to the world, "I am a sinner like everyone else and I need a savior."
Brad Patton
2005 alumnus
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