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- - Bible accounts: points of view (http://www.cougarguard.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1094)

Bible accounts: points of view

A little fun for a Friday evening. Here are some plausible, but very simplified points of view:

1: You accept the biblical account as factual and truthful. The event happened literally and as described.
2: The important facts are right, but a few details are likely wrong or skewed.
3: Unsure.
4: There may be some facts in there, but the account is mostly valuable for the truth and symbolism that can be found. Like poetry, it need not be factual to be truthful, inspiring, and valuable.
5: The account is probably not factual or truthful, but is valuable because of the tradition of thought attached to it.
6: The account is not factual, truthful, or valuable.

Please apply this 1-6 rubric to the following points of view (and feel free to elaborate if you like):

Adam and Eve

Cain and Abel

Noah and the ark

Lot’s wife turning to salt

The plagues of Egypt

Parting of the Red Sea

The walls of Jericho

Jonah and the whale

Job

Daniel and the lions den

Do you teach Sunday School? If so, are you gathering future duscussion material? :)

I teach the 10 year olds in primary...

but the gathering future discussion material is a good one!

I'm involved in YM - been typecast as a YM kind of guy actually - and I enjoy throwing things out in order to gather ideas in order to pass along to the YM.

Of course, my best plan would be to give all the lessons 1 week late, in order to put some sort of recording device in the other ward's YM class and then just play the tape in my class.

As for 10 year olds, the day XBox comes out with the Primary Lesson Manual, you'll have it made.

I know what you mean with the "type cast" thing. Some wards (too many IMO) have a kind of personality profile going for certain callings. YM, YW, EQ pres., seminary teacher, it goes on and on (don't even get me started on the cult of personality that's CES).

The 10 year olds are OK though. One or two of mine have attention defecit-type issues, but we're working through it.

Re: Bible accounts: points of view

Quote:

Originally Posted by Robin

Adam and Eve I Give Adam and Eve a solid 6, due in small part to the fact they left poor Steve out of the story (and Lilith too).

Cain and Abel: These guys get a 5. While Adam and Eve have basically given us several millenia of mysogyny, at least the Cain and Abel story has inpired some serious thought about Good and Eeevel.

Noah and the ark: A 6. Really, if this isn't 100% fact, what use is it? You can stretch, and draw some nice conclusions about the nature of God from this story, but it is probably more natural to draw some pretty grim conclusions about the nature of God.

Lot’s wife turning to salt: Another 6. More claptrap from the inventors of Eve.

The plagues of Egypt: I will give this one a 5, simply because of the role it traditionally plays in Jewish life and culture.

Parting of the Red Sea: Same as above, 5.

The walls of Jericho: 6. Nationalism is a bitch.

Jonah and the whale: 6. The original missionary guilt tale, ie. a story used to guilt people into going on missions.

Job: 5.

Daniel and the lions den: 5.

and the one you left off,

Abraham's Near Miss with Isaac: Almost a 6, because of the damage it has done to millions of Christians, jews and Muslims alike, but it gets a 5 for the very same reason.

As I'm not familiar with you at all, can I ask if religion - not just Christianity, but anything - plays a part in your life? From your answers, it would seem that it's not very important to you. Of course, that's not a problem at all, as I think different points of view should be welcomed and are a good thing.

Well then, I wish you the best in your search. As for myself, I've come to the conclusoin that it works for me - and this came after several years of inactivity.