I have noticed that in several discussions I have with Christians, the point of contention seems to be in attempting to separate the Bible into two parts - the part that must be accepted as accurate (The New Testament), and the part that doesn't (The Old Testament).
So, I have a question. The creation Truth Foundation, in their
statement of faith, claims, “The unique divine inspiration of all the canonical books of the Old and New Testaments as originally given, so that they are infallibly and uniquely authoritative and free from error of any sort, in all matters with which they deal,
scientific and historical as well as moral and theological.”
I would ask the Christians on this forum if they agree with that statement, bearing in mind:
First, they make
no distinction between the Old, and the New Testament, and
Second, paying particular attention to the highlighted portion.
Dear
Czernobog
I don't find that either OT or NT can be taken 100% literally.
Anything that is supposed to represent God's universal truth
is going to require symbolism to capture the otherwise "infinite".
The most we can capture is the MEANING and SPIRIT but not all the exact details of anything that vast and beyond human scope of understanding and limited "finite" perception.
The best explanation of the Bible I ever read was from
a Buddhist monk living on an island. He said the
OT was about living by the LETTER of the law
and the NT was about living by the SPIRIT of the law.
What true Christians and believers will tell you is the point is to
live by the SPIRIT first, in order for the Letter to follow as a consequence.
Not the other way around.
Jesus in the Bible even refers to creating New Wineskins
first, to pour in the new wine, lest the old wineskins burst.
So our old way of interpreting and understanding the laws
can't even contain the spirit of fulfilling these laws in the future.
The meaning and message I get that is contained in the Bible
is the story of humanity reaching and achieving Peace and Justice,
which is Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Through establishing agreement
and understanding of Truth and Wisdom which is the Kingdom of God.
This is very generalized. And everyone's path to receiving
and establishing Truth Justice and Peace is unique to them.
So it can't be taken too literally or you lose the universal message
that applies to all people, of all walks all nations, beliefs cultures and traditions.
The Buddhists call the core principles Wisdom and Compassion.
The secular humanists call it Truth Justice and Peace for all humanity.
The Christians call it loving God and loving our Neighbors (as Jesus Christ loves us).
The message and meaning is universal
but the languages we use, whether secular or Biblical,
vary per person and tribe, and we do better interpreting
these openly by the concepts and principles
and not haggling over the letter of the law
as in the OT that brought death and destruction.
The history there is both a mix of literal and figurative/symbolic,
so the point is NOT to repeat the tragic history of political
wars for greed, but to live by the spirit of the laws of
charity, good will, and restorative justice that brings
peace and harmony to all humanity reunited as one.
The process of overcoming injustice and war from the past
and to establish Justice with Mercy is what it means to
have faith in Christ Jesus and the Holy Spirit to come
and restore all humanity with peace on earth or the Kingdom of God.
The process collectively is universal and includes all humanity,
but each person's path is different. So that's why we have both
secular gentiles under natural laws of science and civil laws of the state
while the believers under Biblical scriptural laws and authority take that path.
And both are supposed to live in harmony under universal
laws of Truth and Justice to bring lasting Peace.