# Anybody interested in a SDMB weekly Bible study? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [July 24, 2013, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-interested-in-a-sdmb-weekly-bible-study/664376 "2013-07-24T12:59:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2013, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-interested-in-a-sdmb-weekly-bible-study/664376/61 "2013-07-26T22:13:32Z")
I like the idea of a bible study thread. I’d probably read it even if I may not actively participate. So long as you don’t end up hip deep in threadshit I think it will be successful and interesting. ---
**Author:** ![Stratocaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stratocaster/32/16393_2.png) [@Stratocaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stratocaster)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2013, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-interested-in-a-sdmb-weekly-bible-study/664376/62 "2013-07-26T22:33:32Z")
I’d be very interested, if we could actually enforce the ground rules and not have an endless series of Kable’s oh-so-clever “Do you actually believe this is true?” questions. Man, does that get tiresome quick. ---
**Author:** ![Kable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed655f/32.png) [@Kable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kable)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2013, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-interested-in-a-sdmb-weekly-bible-study/664376/63 "2013-07-27T03:11:49Z")
> [@Stratocaster](#): > > I’d be very interested, if we could actually enforce the ground rules and not have an endless series of Kable’s oh-so-clever “Do you actually believe this is true?” questions. Man, does that get tiresome quick. I’m sorry that liberal Christians here feel so embarrassed, either way, when asked to say if they think a given Bible story is true or not. Seems like it’s a good question in order to get at the meaning the author is trying to convey. If it’s true, the author was meaning to inform others, if a story is false it seems the author is attempting to deceive in some way. ---
**Author:** ![Stratocaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stratocaster/32/16393_2.png) [@Stratocaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stratocaster)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2013, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-interested-in-a-sdmb-weekly-bible-study/664376/64 "2013-07-27T13:16:03Z")
> [@Kable](#): > > I’m sorry that liberal Christians here feel so embarrassed, either way, when asked to say if they think a given Bible story is true or not. > > Seems like it’s a good question in order to get at the meaning the author is trying to convey. If it’s true, the author was meaning to inform others, if a story is false it seems the author is attempting to deceive in some way. Oh, I never thought of it that way! Wow, that’s insightful. Please continue to ask this a thousand times in every thread. You have my full support. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2013, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-interested-in-a-sdmb-weekly-bible-study/664376/65 "2013-07-27T13:19:28Z")
> [@Kable](#): > > I’m sorry that liberal Christians here feel so embarrassed, either way, when asked to say if they think a given Bible story is true or not. > > Seems like it’s a good question in order to get at the meaning the author is trying to convey. If it’s true, the author was meaning to inform others, if a story is false it seems the author is attempting to deceive in some way. I like the rules set forth in post #57 even more now than I did before. ---
**Author:** ![Kable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed655f/32.png) [@Kable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kable)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2013, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-interested-in-a-sdmb-weekly-bible-study/664376/66 "2013-07-27T13:20:50Z")
> [@Stratocaster](#): > > Oh, I never thought of it that way! Wow, that’s insightful. Please continue to ask this a thousand times in every thread. You have my full support. You got it! FYI, I have a great idea for next weeks Bible study. Stay tuned! ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2013, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-interested-in-a-sdmb-weekly-bible-study/664376/67 "2013-07-27T13:30:34Z")
> [@Kable](#): > > I’m sorry that liberal Christians here feel so embarrassed, either way, when asked to say if they think a given Bible story is true or not. > > Seems like it’s a good question in order to get at the meaning the author is trying to convey. If it’s true, the author was meaning to inform others, if a story is false it seems the author is attempting to deceive in some way. Who’s embarrassed? There are numerous biblical passages in which the intention was very clearly to deceive the audience. The entire book of Deuteronomy, for example, is a fraudulent text written up with the specific purpose of giving legitimacy to a particular king and to a particular cult. (Well, this is putting it a little too starkly–I am not sure, given their attitudes toward historical texts (see my previous post about historical fiction) that they cared whether people really believed it. They may have cared more simply about whether people would affirm it. But of course that’s hardly better. It’s still a kind of fraud.) I am pretty sure the gospel of John contains a pretty big lie. It goes to great lengths to affirm “no seriously, there’s a guy here who really saw all this stuff and we’re writing down exactly what he tells us he saw” but… no, there’s no way it happened the way he said. At the very least, that passage is itself a lie, even if the rest of the book began as legitimate historical fiction. There is no need for embarrassment about any of this. We _should_ be thinking about who wrote the texts, what their motives were, and what lies they would have been tempted to tell. This is important for understanding the significance of the text. ---
**Author:** ![Kable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed655f/32.png) [@Kable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kable)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2013, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-interested-in-a-sdmb-weekly-bible-study/664376/68 "2013-07-27T13:36:54Z")
> [@Frylock](#): > > Who’s embarrassed? > > There are numerous biblical passages in which the intention was very clearly to deceive the audience. The entire book of Deuteronomy, for example, is a fraudulent text written up with the specific purpose of giving legitimacy to a particular king and to a particular cult. (Well, this is putting it a little too starkly–I am not sure, given their attitudes toward historical texts (see my previous post about historical fiction) that they cared whether people really believed it. They may have cared more simply about whether people would affirm it. But of course that’s hardly better. It’s still a kind of fraud.) > > I am pretty sure the gospel of John contains a pretty big lie. It goes to great lengths to affirm “no seriously, there’s a guy here who really saw all this stuff and we’re writing down exactly what he tells us he saw” but… no, there’s no way it happened the way he said. At the very least, that passage is itself a lie, even if the rest of the book began as legitimate historical fiction. > > There is no need for embarrassment about any of this. We _should_ be thinking about who wrote the texts, what their motives were, and what lies they would have been tempted to tell. This is important for understanding the significance of the text. Frylock you’re an atheist. It’s only embarrassing if you are a Christian. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2013, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-interested-in-a-sdmb-weekly-bible-study/664376/69 "2013-07-27T13:46:56Z")
Oh you thought I wasn’t a Christian? But I am. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2013, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-interested-in-a-sdmb-weekly-bible-study/664376/70 "2013-07-27T13:55:07Z")
Btw, what about Jews? Should they be embarrassed too? ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2013, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-interested-in-a-sdmb-weekly-bible-study/664376/71 "2013-07-27T14:16:25Z")
You know, Kable, you’ve answered me in another thread that your method of aggressive and hostile questioning has never convinced anyone online of any of your arguments. Tell me, I forget, what’s the term for someone who applies the same method repeatedly, but is still surprised when the results don’t change? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2013, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-interested-in-a-sdmb-weekly-bible-study/664376/72 "2013-07-27T20:36:55Z")
> [@Kable](#): > > OK, but why not start with Elisha and the she bears? Aren’t you at all curious as to what would cause the spirit of the Lord to tear up children with bears? Or does that already make sense to you? > [@Kable](#): > > “God as a character” is cool, like Darth Vader maybe, well I guess more like the Emperor. > I’m sorry if I think killing children with bears is contemptible, both literally and even if it’s just an allegory for a more central truth. You should really take this to the other thread. **Kable** , you’re behaving like a jerk. Cut the crap. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2013, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-interested-in-a-sdmb-weekly-bible-study/664376/73 "2013-07-27T20:37:55Z")
> [@stpauler](#): > > How does this type of intro for the Cafe Society thread sound? > > Welcome to the SDMB weekly Bible Study (SDMBWBS). This week we will be discussing \*Genesis 1-2. \* Since the discussion can turn into a very broad and hijackable thread, we would like the following rules to be adhered to: > > 1. These SDMBWBS threads are to deal with the books and stories in the Bible as literature. > 2. While it is up to the individual to choose to believe or disbelieve any portion, that is not to be the discussion of the thread. If you must, please choose to witness/anti-witness in Great Debates. > 3. The intention is to go through the Bible from front to back in order. While different books are needed to be referred to in order to understand context, please try and keep the focus on the thread’s selected chapter(s)/verse(s). > 4)[Since different religions have chosen which books to include or omit](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Books_of_the_Bible), the threads will use the Catholic version of 46 Old Testament Books and 27 New Testament Books. It’s encouraged to discuss why a book was included/omitted during the applicable threads only. > 4. Hopefully we can get through these threads with little to no moderation. A gentle reminder that if a poster comes in and ignores these rules, please use the “report post” function instead of responding. This sounds very reasonable. Here’s hoping for constipation for the thread-shitters. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![as\_u\_wish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6f9a4e/32.png) [@as\_u\_wish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/as_u_wish)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2013, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-interested-in-a-sdmb-weekly-bible-study/664376/74 "2013-07-28T12:12:20Z")
I would enjoy participating provided the conversation can be kept civil. 🙂 If desired, I can try to answer the question “How can you crazy Christians take this seriously,” provided the questioner wants to know rather than just to mock. I’m ok with mocking–but under those conditions it’s not worth trying to explain. When we study the Bible we ask a series of questions that help the discussion move along. Examples: What does the text tell us about the author and the author’s purpose? What does the text tell us about the audience and what they would understand? What does the text tell us about God? What does the text tell us about people? How can we understand this text today in our culture? How should we respond to the text? Here at SDMB these might need to be modified…so rather than “What does this tell us about God” we might ask “What does this tell us about God as portrayed in the Judeo-Christian scriptures” or “How would someone who considers the Bible ‘true’ respond to this text.” ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2013, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-interested-in-a-sdmb-weekly-bible-study/664376/75 "2013-07-28T16:39:25Z")
> [@as\_u\_wish](#): > > If desired, I can try to answer the question “How can you crazy Christians take this seriously,” provided the questioner wants to know rather than just to mock. I don’t think that opening the door to those type of questions would be productive. As was outlined in the OP, questions and answers of that nature should be in GD. > [@](#): > > When we study the Bible we ask a series of questions that help the discussion move along. Examples: > > What does the text tell us about the author and the author’s purpose? > What does the text tell us about the audience and what they would understand? > What does the text tell us about God? > What does the text tell us about people? > How can we understand this text today in our culture? > How should we respond to the text? > > Here at SDMB these might need to be modified…so rather than “What does this tell us about God” we might ask “What does this tell us about God as portrayed in the Judeo-Christian scriptures” or “How would someone who considers the Bible ‘true’ respond to this text.” I would much rather concentrate on the questions of that did the people at the time believe this to mean over a debate of current theology. ---
**Author:** ![Svejk\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@Svejk\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Svejk_1)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2013, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-interested-in-a-sdmb-weekly-bible-study/664376/76 "2013-07-29T01:41:46Z")
> [@as\_u\_wish](#): > > I would enjoy participating provided the conversation can be kept civil. 🙂 If desired, I can try to answer the question “How can you crazy Christians take this seriously,” provided the questioner wants to know rather than just to mock. I’m ok with mocking–but under those conditions it’s not worth trying to explain. This is a generous offer, but this is not where these threads are supposed to be going. We’re not interesting in your beliefs, to put it bluntly - or in anybody else’s, for that matter. We’re interested in what message is being conveyed in the Bible, and not how any particular interpretation affects anyone emotionally, spiritually, or morally. The current thread on [2 Kings 2:23-24](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=697554) \*is \*headed in that direction (although in that thread there are also attempts in that thread to simply the discuss text, context, and subtext of that passage), so perhaps you can shine your light there. I’m afraid your efforts will be in vain, though. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2013, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-interested-in-a-sdmb-weekly-bible-study/664376/77 "2013-07-29T02:05:19Z")
If you’ll pardon the self reference, I’d love to read what any of those interested in discussing the Bible [write in this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=697878). It has no “Bible is true” or “Bible is false” agenda but is seeking views on a specific tale. ---
**Author:** ![stpauler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@stpauler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stpauler)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2013, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-interested-in-a-sdmb-weekly-bible-study/664376/78 "2013-07-31T15:55:22Z")
I’ve posted the first thread [here.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=16528518#post16528518) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-interested-in-a-sdmb-weekly-bible-study/664376.md?page=3)