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Originally Posted by August
Whether you agree with it or not you're still assigning a literal meaning to a bible story. I think the lesson taught by Issac is about obedience and sacrifice. You'll note that God didn't actually make Abraham kill his son.
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But he made damn well sure Abraham was willing didn't he?
Got to be honest when I was read that story by a teacher my blood ran cold.
[edit] also I have to add, obedience to a murderous command? the sacrifice of your child? for what reason? because god is so insecure he needs to play a power trip on a little man to obey his command to murder his child for no other reason than god said so?
Or was it the absolute subjugation of the innate human knowledge that murdering your child is terribly wrong, and yet if you have faith that god knows best you still would? To me this is a poisonous lesson whichever way you look at it.
You see the trouble with subjective interpretation? we can experience the same story and yet take practically opposite meanings away from it. [/edit]
Quote:
Originally Posted by August
I made no such claim. You seem to demand either perfection or total rejection of the entire text. I would not be so dismissive.
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I make no such demands.
If it is to be held up as stories with morals, then call it how it is, fantastical stories with some good and some bad morals, often in the exact same story. The good morals can all be more directly taught without involving metaphysics anyway. Aesops fables or the I-Ching springs to mind, and both are self admittedly absolute allegory.
I would be satisfied with a conscientious edit, actually. That is if believers expect me to simply concede that their judgement of good or bad morals is correct. I have one huge problem with the arguments against literal meanings or subjective interpretation. If the story involving Abraham or indeed any biblical story is allegory, then why are some parts of the bible considered literal truth, like the existence of the christian 'God' at all? It is one thing to accuse me of assigning literal meanings to a fantasy story, but everyone who believes in the christian god assigns a literal meaning to all parts of the bible that suggest the existence of god.
Where is the differentiation between what is considered literal truth and allegory? who decides? each to their own? Who is right?