Revision Scripture

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Transcript of Revision Scripture

  • 1. Scriptures

2. Think:

  • Think of something very special how do you treat it?
  • Think of something holy how do you treat it?

3.

  • Which of these books are special/ holy?
  • The Bible
  • The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins
  • Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
  • The Story of Philosophy by Bryan Magee
  • The Quran
  • Noddy and Treasure Trail by Enid Blyton
  • The Third Twin by Ken Follet
  • The Universe in a Nutshell by Stephen Hawking
  • Consider:
  • Is The Third Twin special too you? Why is it special?
  • Is the Bible holy to everyone?
  • What is the difference between holy and special?
  • What does it mean to be holy? Who decides?
  • How does something become holy?

4. An important Skill time!

  • Think of something you did over the Christmas holidays (that you can share with the rest of the class!)
  • What
  • When
  • Where
  • Who
  • How
  • Why
  • These are the 6 essential points you mustalwaysmention in an exam.
  • Try apply these pointers to Scripture e.g. What is the Scripture, What is the religion?

5. What, When, Where, Who, How, Why

  • e.g.
  • How was it revealed?
  • Who was it revealed to?
  • How does it describe God/Gods?
  • Why was it created?
  • How important is scripture?
  • Why do people read it?
  • What are the key teachings?
  • When was it revealed?
  • How long did it take to write down?
  • When was it written down?
  • Where did this all take place?
  • How many scriptures are there?
  • What is the hierarchical structure of Scriptures(if there is one?)

6.

  • Revelation:( Latin revelare- to unveil)is when God is revealed to the world.
  • Propositional revelation
  • Goddirectlyrevealing truths about his nature to his people.E.g Ten commandments
  • They are statements of facts.
  • Without error or need of interpretation.
  • Thomas Aquinas (Summa Theolgica) Propositional revelations are truths revealed by God but they are not verified using human reason.
  • Non propositional revelation
  • God does not reveal truths to people
  • God is recognised by believers through exploring our history and human experience. E.g artwork, nature, William Paley's eye

7.

  • Note:
  • Believers in propositional revelation i.e. Thomas Aquinas do not reject the use of reason. (brainwashed zombies)
  • Instead God's revelations arenot provableby human reason but God can be revealed through using reason in the world.
  • A good example of this are the arguments for the existence of God cosmological, teleological.

8.

  • VisionB) Miraculous healingC) Recovering from having cancer
  • D)Having a babyE)Feeling God is with youF) Admiring beauty of nature
  • G)Having a near death experienceH) Winning the lotteryI)Passing your examinations
  • understanding mathematicsK)Becoming fluent in a foreign language
  • L)Reading the BibleM)Having an out of this world experienceN)Going to church
  • O)Praying
  • Task:
  • write these into propositional (divine closure God is revealing himself) and non propositional (Gods nature is revealed) groups.
  • Consider:
  • What happens if you fail your exams, is this also a sign from God?
  • What about natural disasters, is God also revealing himself?

9. Literalist Interpretations

  • Unless a passage specifically states it is symbolic, scriptural passages are read asfactual ,historical accounts
  • E.g. The Creation stories in Genesis
  • Literalists cannot disregard any passage of the Bible
  • Everyone from within a denomination which takes this approach is expected to take literal interpretation and follow it in their lives
  • Scripture is the direct word of God
  • Clearly, this is a propositional view

10. Conservative Interpretations

  • Most Protestant Christiansarenot so fundamental in approach
  • Believe God inspired Bible
  • Has the authority as the message is directly from God
  • There may be errors in scripture because writers were human & influenced by society in which they lived
  • This allows for changes in society
  • It allows for individual rather than community interpretation of passages
  • A non-propositional approach as it is the messages, not the actual words that are focused on

11. Liberal Interpretations

  • The scripture records the experiences of people seriouslyseekingto find God
  • Words are those ofwritersand influenced by their lives and society in which they lived
  • Notdirectly inspired by God
  • Bible therefore doesnt have same position of authority
  • Free to reject passages that no longer seem relevant for today
  • Duty of individual Christians to decide which sections are appropriate to their lives
  • Inconsistencies not a problem
  • Steers away from the propositional/ non-propositional debate altogether
  • Because not how scripture came that matters, buthowit is used in peoples lives.

12. Problems: Verbal Divine Inspiration every word from God

  • Bibles teachings may appear harsh to modern readers
  • Teachings go against modern laws.
  • Can the Bible be disobeyed? Disobeying any instruction in the Bible would be a rejection of Gods revealed commands.
  • The meaning of the Genesis story is much disputed amongst Christians.
  • Contradictions within the text? If it is divinely inspired by God then this leaves no room for error.
  • What is the exact nature of the revelations/ instructions isn't this open to interpretation?
  • Some of the passages found within the Bible conflict with many Christians views today. E.g. St. Pauls statements about women.

13.

  • Look at Brick testament
  • Write three examples and explain the ethical issues that would arise in modern society.
  • What would the world be like if all these lawswere obeyed?
  • How do you think a Christian would deal with the dilemma of accepting/ not accepting these biblical passages.
  • Where is the line drawn between laws to accept and laws not to accept? What are these decisions based on (society laws?)

14. Criticisms of Propositional Revelation.

  • Are there any problems in believing that God
  • directly reveals himself through propositional
  • Revelation?
  • Are there any strengths?

Criticisms of NonPropositional Revelation. What are the strengths and weaknesses of non propositional revelation?