Seriously. The thread has a plot thicker than a soap opera.

  • Zagorath
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    3 months ago

    I know a lot of Catholic people that don’t believe in the bible shit. Which defeats the purpose of the religion if you ask me.

    Actually, this is the normal state of things. The old testament especially was originally written in a sort of literary mode. It’s meant to be interpreted in a sort of metaphorical sense, not taken as a literal account of events. To quote from this video by someone with a background in religious studies:

    The Bible is a collection of documents, written in many different literary genres, edited over a long period of time, whose main purpose is to make theological points, not to serve as a record of literal history.

    This other video from the same creator, particularly the final section on “genre”, is also good. It explains how the bible was written in a literary mode and not in the way that a historical document attempting to describe events literally would have been written.

    The idea of interpreting the bible as telling literal events is a comparatively recent event. In ancient times, people probably would have been confused at the idea that some people today take it literally.

    • agent_flounder@lemmy.world
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      3 months ago

      My understanding is a good portion was intended originally to unify North and South Judah politically against the threats from neighboring nations. And so much of the historical bits about the Exodus, various kings and all that, are basically fabricated history, according to more recent archeological research.