Why do you think the Bible is so misundertood?

[lovemyhair]

Ladies,

This was a question asked by my professor in class and I wanted to get your thoughts about it. My answer was because everyone has their own interpretation and it has been translated so many times that some of its sense may have been lost in translation. What do yo think?

 

[Sweet C]

I think that translation has very little to do with it. KJV, NIV, RSV, all say the same thing, b/c God's Word has not changed and we have the Holy Spirit to give us fresh revelation. We also have the capabilities of studying the Greek and Hebrew, so certain things that we don't necessarily understand off the bat, we can go back and study it. I think it is our approach often times to the Word that leads to a lot of misunderstanding. For example, I was never able to fathom how Lot was about to throw his virgin daughters to an enraged mob of men in Sodom. I know through cultural studies that in that time it was considered the highest duty to protect guests in your home, and thus explains why he did not even think of sending the angels to the door. So he wasn't doing some barbaric act, b/c at his time, that is what everyone else would have done, but in our time, we would think that Lot probably had lost his mind to even consider that one.

It is when we solely come from our background and analyze there w/o even considering the cultural, historical relevance, as well as the context in which something is being said, is when we typically have the most problems.

 

[Eiano]

That's an interesting way of asking the question (saying it's misunderstood as if there is one way to understand it) I don't think the Bible is misunderstood by anyone. The only one who really would understand the Bible, or who would know what was really supposed to be written is God himself.

 

[stunningmane]

I think that the Bible is misunderstood because people aren't willing to take the time to study it and that unwillingness is largely motivated by an unjustified fear; ie. fear that their humanist worldview may be challenged, that they may actually have a true encounter with God and concern as to what that may mean for them on a day to day basis.

So rather than face the prospect of having their lives shaken up so to speak, they chose not to open up the Word but to hide behind the excuse that the Bible is complicated or ambigious or contradictory etc etc - but how do they actually know that it is any of these things if they haven't actually studied it? Truth is that they don't - rather than check things up for themselves, they find it convenient to rely on hearsay as to what it actually is all about (and if you've ever played the broken telephone game, you'll know what dangers are attendant upon relying on hearsay and what grave distortions of the truth arise from it) and to expouse the distortions that they have heard as the reason why they don't place any credence on Biblical teachings.

So that what John said (in chapter 3 verses 19-21) is proved to be true "And this is the judgement:the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may clearly seen that his deeds has been carried out in God".

So then to those who truly seek to come to an understanding of what the Word is about, will find that understanding because God said that he would be found by those who seek him with all of their hearts.

Blessings,

 

[Bublnbrnsuga]

Some people choose to not believe what they read,too. There are some things in the Bible that are SOOOO easy to understand,but because it may not fit in to their walk or the popular opinion, they choose to make it more difficult.

 

[lovemyhair]

Thanks ladies! I really needed to get your opinion on this.