YOLB- Month 6

Answer each of the following points on the blog or in a hardcopy version.

1) On page 191, why does Jacobs refer to the red heifer as not just "zany" but also "potentially dangerous"? What is his hang up with this particular idea of the bible?

There is a section of the Bible that talks about a red heifer, and a ceremony involving the sacrificing and burning of the cow. This represents cleansing oneself of all sins. Jews believe that once this ritual is performed, they will be cleansed and then they can build the Third Temple. Once the Third Temple is built, the Messiah will come. However, the problem is that if this Third Temple were to be built, it would be centered on the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa Mosque, holy places of the Muslim religion. This would cause major controversy and probably wars. Jacobs remarks, "Then it really might be the end of the world (191)."
The reason this all hasn't happened is that breedng a red heifer is extremely difficult, especially since it can't have one white hair. It must be purely red.

2) How does the following verse describe the author's dilemma as he is half way through his "spiritual journey"?

Because this people draw near with their mouth
and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me,
and their fear of me is a commandment of men by rote.

This quote is about people distancing themselves from religion and losing faith. This is how Jacobs feels right now in his spiritual journey. He is still performing all the right actions, but with no gumption or belief. He states, "I'm still praying several times a day, but when I do, I'm saying the words with as much feeling as I give to a Taco Bell drive-through order (193)."
Jacobs has been thinking a lot about the cons of religion such as the extremists, the pointless rituals, Newspaper articles etc. He is wondering if he wanted to try living the Bible literally because he gets bored with his state of life very quickly, so maybe he just wanted to try something new.

3) How does the author compare the Bible to wikipedia? Do you agree? Explain.

"The passages have been chopped and pieced together by various editors...Like a Wikipedia entry (200)." Jacobs states here that the Bible is like Wikipedia because it is a compilation of many sources, not just one. However, many religious people disagree and believe it is simply a compilation of the work of a few key writers. I agree with Jacobs that it was written by many different authors because throughout history it has constantly been edited, translated, things taken out and added etc. So, even if a few main people wrote parts, those parts have been translated and changed a multitude of times throughout history.