Why can't the Bible Change?
I have
heard the argument that the Bible or our understanding of it should be
"allowed" to change. After all, science does! Cultures do! We gain
more understanding, and we shift with that new knowledge.
This
perspective is all well and good for mere mortals whose understanding of the
earth and their place in it is circumscribed. The problem is, Christians want
to claim that their god is all-knowing and all-loving. Some claim that this god
is outside of space and time and presumably knows how events will play out. How
can this god change? Why would this god change?
There is a
reason science changes. New scientific discoveries resolve some questions, but
usually they also open new doors with new problems to solve. Sometimes,
scientists look at new math or develop new hypotheses but the tools to test the
equations or ideas still need to be developed. I have heard some Christians marvel
that "science" has changed its mind on the age of the earth, chuckling
as if science was acting in a fit of whimsy, as it woke up one morning and
said, "Hey, I think I'll say the earth is millions of years old from now
on!" The reality is we began to be able to see further and further. We
developed new telescopes that could see beyond our solar system, then beyond
our galaxy. We developed tools to peer into the universe, and as our tools
developed, the age of the universe had to be updated.
The tl;dr
of science is we change because we get new information. We are not all-knowing,
omnipresent beings occupying a timeless space.
Religion,
on the other hand, claims to be based off of some supernatural being.
Christianity claims its god is omniscient and omnipresent, not bound by our
mortal limitations on space and time. One would presume that this being would
have access to permanent truth, that an immoral action is always such, and that
explanations about the formation of the universe would be consistent across
time.
Really, the
knowledge and morality contained in the Bible appears to reflect the understanding
that people of that time period had. Reading that we shouldn't kill each other
or steal from each other is not so breathtakingly ahead of its time. It is a
staple of all times and cultures. If a transcendent, supernatural being were
really behind these revelations, I think the Bible would have more astounding
verses than it does. But more than that, if it really was the revelation of the
the tri-omni god, it would not have to shift, bend and warp to remain relevant.
A few random pleasures for this afternoon:
-going into an air-conditioned place on a hot day
-checking off items from the "to do" list
-feeling the buzz and excitement that is Friday
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