Many religious leaders in our time repeat the same mistake made by medieval scholastics. They approach scripture assuming the ancient words translated into modern English mean precisely the same thing today. This practice actually means they are projecting their own cultural assumptions upon the text.
For example, some modern readers see a word in scripture like “family.” They understand the word, not in its original sense of an extended community, but for how that word is heard in their own culture, namely as an American nuclear family.
“Marriage” is no longer understood, as it was in biblical times, as a covenant defined by the parties involved. Instead the word is heard for what it would mean in the reader’s culture, which is a ritual validated by the church and state.
After assuming their own culture’s definitions were original to the text, the literalist reader then adopts a closed system of logic which is impervious to new information. It is the ultimate circular argument.
This method of biblical interpretation can be as effective in silencing modern insights as it was with Galileo. And, when it ascends to political power, even truth itself must yield to this impervious ignorance.
Jim,
Thanks. This begins to describe “literalism,” which seems to be a key concept in many of your recent posts. Unfortunately, I think we each may interpret the term fairly loosely for our own purposes so that nearly no one I know would consider your comments to him(her)self. It seems like such a relative, fluid term that renders much of what you say about it toothless–only applying to someone else with whom I may not agree because (s)he thinks a story has more basis in “reality” than I might think it does. 3/31/14–08:13 CDT
Bob, I am referring primarily to someone one who takes the Biblical text and believes they understand precisely what the author had in mind. In other words someone who has no sense of their own subjectivity in the interpretation process.
Jim,
Sorry. I seem to have left out a word in my post above that makes a sentence hard to understand. It should have been:
“…so that nearly no one I know would consider your comments to APPLY to him(her)self.”
3/31/14–08:17 CDT
Jim,
Thanks for the clarification. 4/4/143, 1400 CDT