Well, the interpretations themselves are always subject to
misconceptions and misinterpretations over time as people begin to
have thier own set of ideas and meaning. No doubt about that, what
is more important is the originality of the text itself and the
teachings of the original text re-interpreted to the times now.The
interpretations evolve over time. Thats why its a living bible. Sun
Tzu's art of war is a military , its chapters all dedicated to
aspects of war. But it can hardly be compared to the bible in terms
of the area's it covers. Applying Sun Tzu to business, i does not
talk anything about compassion love fear. It is easier to apply Sun
Tzu's method because the wars now fought, are economic wars.
When u talk about laws to govern people, u must ask urself where
did these laws come from? The jurisprudence behind it ? Should we
have laws that list down exactly what we should do and what we
should not do ? Will it be too arbitrary ? Will it restrict our
autonomy ? How will it fair against the state and the people ?
Should we be told what the law IS.. or what the law Ought to be ?
Do we even know what the law is? How do u know it ? Sure, there are
always ambiquous terms subject to interpretation when the person
drafted it. But like all laws they can be reformed, they can be
amended. It has always been and will continue to do so. But for the
bible, it cant be amended, its text cant be changed, hence its
natural that the ambiguity of its meaning can be subject to
questioning over time. So this wont be the end of the debate. It
will continue on for a long long time.
And trust me... God has given a simple 10 commandents on
what IS the law. And it takes someone of great faith and principle
to follow the simple 10 rules. Now imagine u got 1001 of them. We
will all be hanged. Every one of us.
My understanding of your reply is that both of us agree that the
bible can be interpreted in different ways (for both good and bad
purposes).
I do not agree that "The interpretations evolve over time. Thats
why its a living bible." Science/Law books are more alive than the
bible, coz they're constantly updated to suit the times in both
text and interpretations, but Science/Law books also do not pretend
to be always timeless and always correct.
I mentioned Sun Tzu's Art of War to show that your statement
"The design of the Bible itself is a miracle. Written over more
than 1,500 years by vastly different writers, yet every book in the
Bible is consistent in its message." is no big deal. Good marketing
slogan, but it's actually "meaningless marketing material" to put
it nicely :)
As for law to govern the people, my understanding is that God is
the author of the bible, but it was written by the hands of men.If
God is prescient, then He would have worded it in simple terms
which everyone can understand and not be mis-interpreted/abused.
For example, Singapore's Law is simple enough to be understandable,
comprehensive enough to cover a lot of areas, but far more
resistant to mis-interpretation/abuse. Does Singapore Law restrict
your autonomy (except where it impinges on another person's rights
or safety)?
As for the Ten Commandments, Joshua lived in the time of Moses.
After Moses died, he sent the Israelites on a blood bath,
exterminating entire tribes. So was Joshua following the Ten
Commandments (esp "You shall not murder")?
