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.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Psalms 8,19,23 and 137
Follow the directions below for each of the Psalms:
Psalm 8:
•Write a summary:
This Psalm worships God and says how God brings justice and love to the earth. It is basically a reflection on Genesis. It thanks God for making humans, and how humans are a little less holy than angels. The Psalm states how God allowed people to rule over the dominion of their earth.
•Choose TWO of the following questions to answer: 1, 2, 3, 4
3. In what ways does this Psalm draw upon the first chapter of Genesis?
I kind of answered this above without knowing... but to reflect more.... In Genesis it states how God created humans as the last living creature on earth. God created humans to subdue the earth and control the other living creatures. It was also their responsibilty to take care of plants and animals. God is all good, and he made humans in his image, but Humans are both good and evil. This Psalm reflects on Genesis by thanking God for what he did in Genesis, and thanking him for how He created the earth. It praises God with glory.
4. This and many other psalms praise God for his mercy and goodness. Why is poetry an especially effective means of expressing praise?
Poetry is an especially effective way of prasing God because poetry in itself is almost holy in that the complicated rhymes and words make it difficult to understand at times, just as God is. It mimics the characteristics of God in that poetry can be confusing, but still beautiful in the way the words flow together. Poetry also uses metaphors, just as the Bible does to get points across. When people use poetry to praise God, it is like they are dedicating the beauty of the poems to God because God is beautiful. Overall, poetry is a mystery, just like God.
Psalm 19:
•Write a brief summary
Psalm 19 is about how God reigns everywhere, there is no where that his rule can not reach. There is good and bad throughout everything. God is always right and his law is just. It also states that if you follow God's laws, you will be rewarded. It also says that if you mess up and commit a sin, God will forgive you.
•Answer the following questions: 1 and 4
1. Poem 1-6 states that God's reign covers everything on earth. There is nothing it can't reach. No one or no thing is exempt from God's praise or God's wrath. Line 6 says, "His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heath thereof."
Poem 7-14 states that God has a reign of reward and punishment, and all he decides to reward or punish is for good reason. All he does is righteous and good. In line 10 the Psalm states that God's judgments are "More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold..." It also states in passage 11 that there are rewards for those who follow God's rules. In whole, this Psalm is about God's judgments and how He carries them out.
4. a) Passage 13 is a prayer at the end of the Psalm, and then Psalm 14 is a prayer about this prayer.
Passage 13: Keep back thy servant also from presumtuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.
The prayer about this prayer:
Passage 14: Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.
b) In Prayer 13, the author refers to humans as the servants of God. The author asks God to keep sin from entering the actions of humans and to not let sin rule over them. If God protects His servants from sin, they will be saved from becoming evil. In the Jewish religion, people have a clean slate when they start out life, and are neither good nor bad. All their future actions from that point on determine what kind of person they will become, be it bad or good. Therefore, this prayer asks God to help humans choose the right path, and become good through their actions.
The author of Passage 14 asks God to graciously accept and act on the previous prayer of keeping humans from evil. The purpose of Passage 14 is to make sure that the humans are not offending God in any way possible.
Psalm 23:
•Write a brief summary:
Pslam 23 is about all the things God gives humans, and everything He does for humans. It goes from not wanting, since that would be selfish, since God gives one everything he/she needs, and all these things are listed in the next phrases. After this list, the author writes that God will protect humans in times of danger. The Psalm talks about the graciousness of God. In the last passage, the author states: "...and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." This means that the author will always be faithful to God, and he feels it is his duty because of everything God has done and given to him.
•Choose TWO of the following questions to answer: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6
1. (extended metaphor) In this Psalm, the extended metaphor is the first verse, "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want."
b) The metaphor of God being a shepherd is used to show that God "herds" humans and leads them in the right direction, to green pastures, still waters, etc. The metaphor uses sheep to represent humans since humans are much more simple than God, and they need God/shepherd to show them the right way to "green pastures" or heaven, or goodness etc. This metaphor suggests that without God, humans would be lost, and that humans need God. Also in the passage that states, " Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me." the relationship between God and humans is also shown as one of protection. God/shepherd's staff/power are used to protect humans from evil. Sheep are seen as innocent and vulnerable to other creatures. Therefore they need someone to protect them. This represents humans because humans are easily persuaded to evil, or can easily become evil. Evil would therefore be a wolf or another predator that would eat sheep.
4. The first verse summarizes the Psalm the best because it states that, "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want." meaning the Lord is my God and he has given so much to me, therefore I will be faithful to him, as it is my duty, or mitzvah. "I shall not want." means it would be selfish of me to ask for more on top of everything the Lord has already done and given. The rest of the Psalm takes this verse and goes into detail about some of the things God has provided for humans, and what God will do for humans if they come across evil. This Psalm goes a bit into the Jewish idea of being faithful to only one God, and how it is a sin to worship other false idols. This passage justifies that commandment by asking the reader, why would you want another God when this God has given you so much already? It would be extremely ungrateful and unfair to not return the favor to God.
Psalm 137:
•Write a brief summary:
This Psalm was written to describe the event when the Jewish people were exiled from Jerusalem, their homeland, and had to remember their culture and religion while away from home, so they did not forget it. They did this by singing songs and reciting poems, and other means of worship. It would be a devestation for them and all their future and past generations if they forgot their religion, and in the Psalm the author states that "If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy."
In verse 1-3 the author tells about how the people who captured the Jews told them to sing a song from Zion, and the Jews felt insulted because they were away from their homeland, and asked to sing a song about their God.
Near the end of the Psalm, the author asks God to remember and punish those who razed Jerusalem to its foundations.
•Choose TWO of the following questions to answer: 1, 2 or 3
1. The situation of this psalmist is different from that of others because he is in a time of turmoil and anger and saddness. He feels he wants revenge and punishment to those who exiled the Jews from their homeland. He doesn't feel a sense of wonder and praise like the other authors did when they were in good times.
b) This situation presents new problems such as a feeling of revenge, anger and grudges. The saying, "an eye for an eye" comes to mind here... These feelings of anger and revenge, are not ones God discourages, and would not honor through punishment. God might even punish those who wish these punishments upon others, no matter how badly they have been treated. The captives must look at their situation of one with a possibility of moral cleansing, or helping make their capturers better people instead of wishing evil upon them. So in summary, the problem this Psalm could bring up is God becoming angry towards those, or the Jewish people who wish evil upon others. God will be the one to determine pushishment, and he doesn't need the help or input of humans, who are controlled by their emotions and egos.
3. Many psalms appeal to God's mercy and goodness, but this specific one appeals to God's sense of punishment or judgment. God witnessed the event of the Jewish people being taken from Jerusalem, their homeland. It is now God's turn to decide what he will do to these capturers. He may chose to do nothing, or he may chose to punish them, but whatever he choses is law. One cannot change or try to decide God's punishment, because they would be acting as God, and breaking one of the commandments, which is to not worship false idols, therefore acting in the place of God. The reason this psalm appeals to God's sense of punishment is that there are two sides of people who are now angry at each other. God can determine if there will be a war, punishment on one side, or whatever he decides the outcome to be.
Psalm 8:
•Write a summary:
This Psalm worships God and says how God brings justice and love to the earth. It is basically a reflection on Genesis. It thanks God for making humans, and how humans are a little less holy than angels. The Psalm states how God allowed people to rule over the dominion of their earth.
•Choose TWO of the following questions to answer: 1, 2, 3, 4
3. In what ways does this Psalm draw upon the first chapter of Genesis?
I kind of answered this above without knowing... but to reflect more.... In Genesis it states how God created humans as the last living creature on earth. God created humans to subdue the earth and control the other living creatures. It was also their responsibilty to take care of plants and animals. God is all good, and he made humans in his image, but Humans are both good and evil. This Psalm reflects on Genesis by thanking God for what he did in Genesis, and thanking him for how He created the earth. It praises God with glory.
4. This and many other psalms praise God for his mercy and goodness. Why is poetry an especially effective means of expressing praise?
Poetry is an especially effective way of prasing God because poetry in itself is almost holy in that the complicated rhymes and words make it difficult to understand at times, just as God is. It mimics the characteristics of God in that poetry can be confusing, but still beautiful in the way the words flow together. Poetry also uses metaphors, just as the Bible does to get points across. When people use poetry to praise God, it is like they are dedicating the beauty of the poems to God because God is beautiful. Overall, poetry is a mystery, just like God.
Psalm 19:
•Write a brief summary
Psalm 19 is about how God reigns everywhere, there is no where that his rule can not reach. There is good and bad throughout everything. God is always right and his law is just. It also states that if you follow God's laws, you will be rewarded. It also says that if you mess up and commit a sin, God will forgive you.
•Answer the following questions: 1 and 4
1. Poem 1-6 states that God's reign covers everything on earth. There is nothing it can't reach. No one or no thing is exempt from God's praise or God's wrath. Line 6 says, "His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heath thereof."
Poem 7-14 states that God has a reign of reward and punishment, and all he decides to reward or punish is for good reason. All he does is righteous and good. In line 10 the Psalm states that God's judgments are "More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold..." It also states in passage 11 that there are rewards for those who follow God's rules. In whole, this Psalm is about God's judgments and how He carries them out.
4. a) Passage 13 is a prayer at the end of the Psalm, and then Psalm 14 is a prayer about this prayer.
Passage 13: Keep back thy servant also from presumtuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.
The prayer about this prayer:
Passage 14: Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.
b) In Prayer 13, the author refers to humans as the servants of God. The author asks God to keep sin from entering the actions of humans and to not let sin rule over them. If God protects His servants from sin, they will be saved from becoming evil. In the Jewish religion, people have a clean slate when they start out life, and are neither good nor bad. All their future actions from that point on determine what kind of person they will become, be it bad or good. Therefore, this prayer asks God to help humans choose the right path, and become good through their actions.
The author of Passage 14 asks God to graciously accept and act on the previous prayer of keeping humans from evil. The purpose of Passage 14 is to make sure that the humans are not offending God in any way possible.
Psalm 23:
•Write a brief summary:
Pslam 23 is about all the things God gives humans, and everything He does for humans. It goes from not wanting, since that would be selfish, since God gives one everything he/she needs, and all these things are listed in the next phrases. After this list, the author writes that God will protect humans in times of danger. The Psalm talks about the graciousness of God. In the last passage, the author states: "...and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." This means that the author will always be faithful to God, and he feels it is his duty because of everything God has done and given to him.
•Choose TWO of the following questions to answer: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6
1. (extended metaphor) In this Psalm, the extended metaphor is the first verse, "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want."
b) The metaphor of God being a shepherd is used to show that God "herds" humans and leads them in the right direction, to green pastures, still waters, etc. The metaphor uses sheep to represent humans since humans are much more simple than God, and they need God/shepherd to show them the right way to "green pastures" or heaven, or goodness etc. This metaphor suggests that without God, humans would be lost, and that humans need God. Also in the passage that states, " Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me." the relationship between God and humans is also shown as one of protection. God/shepherd's staff/power are used to protect humans from evil. Sheep are seen as innocent and vulnerable to other creatures. Therefore they need someone to protect them. This represents humans because humans are easily persuaded to evil, or can easily become evil. Evil would therefore be a wolf or another predator that would eat sheep.
4. The first verse summarizes the Psalm the best because it states that, "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want." meaning the Lord is my God and he has given so much to me, therefore I will be faithful to him, as it is my duty, or mitzvah. "I shall not want." means it would be selfish of me to ask for more on top of everything the Lord has already done and given. The rest of the Psalm takes this verse and goes into detail about some of the things God has provided for humans, and what God will do for humans if they come across evil. This Psalm goes a bit into the Jewish idea of being faithful to only one God, and how it is a sin to worship other false idols. This passage justifies that commandment by asking the reader, why would you want another God when this God has given you so much already? It would be extremely ungrateful and unfair to not return the favor to God.
Psalm 137:
•Write a brief summary:
This Psalm was written to describe the event when the Jewish people were exiled from Jerusalem, their homeland, and had to remember their culture and religion while away from home, so they did not forget it. They did this by singing songs and reciting poems, and other means of worship. It would be a devestation for them and all their future and past generations if they forgot their religion, and in the Psalm the author states that "If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy."
In verse 1-3 the author tells about how the people who captured the Jews told them to sing a song from Zion, and the Jews felt insulted because they were away from their homeland, and asked to sing a song about their God.
Near the end of the Psalm, the author asks God to remember and punish those who razed Jerusalem to its foundations.
•Choose TWO of the following questions to answer: 1, 2 or 3
1. The situation of this psalmist is different from that of others because he is in a time of turmoil and anger and saddness. He feels he wants revenge and punishment to those who exiled the Jews from their homeland. He doesn't feel a sense of wonder and praise like the other authors did when they were in good times.
b) This situation presents new problems such as a feeling of revenge, anger and grudges. The saying, "an eye for an eye" comes to mind here... These feelings of anger and revenge, are not ones God discourages, and would not honor through punishment. God might even punish those who wish these punishments upon others, no matter how badly they have been treated. The captives must look at their situation of one with a possibility of moral cleansing, or helping make their capturers better people instead of wishing evil upon them. So in summary, the problem this Psalm could bring up is God becoming angry towards those, or the Jewish people who wish evil upon others. God will be the one to determine pushishment, and he doesn't need the help or input of humans, who are controlled by their emotions and egos.
3. Many psalms appeal to God's mercy and goodness, but this specific one appeals to God's sense of punishment or judgment. God witnessed the event of the Jewish people being taken from Jerusalem, their homeland. It is now God's turn to decide what he will do to these capturers. He may chose to do nothing, or he may chose to punish them, but whatever he choses is law. One cannot change or try to decide God's punishment, because they would be acting as God, and breaking one of the commandments, which is to not worship false idols, therefore acting in the place of God. The reason this psalm appeals to God's sense of punishment is that there are two sides of people who are now angry at each other. God can determine if there will be a war, punishment on one side, or whatever he decides the outcome to be.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
YOLB Month 5
Due Date: Friday November 20
For this week your task is to take two of the Bible verses Jacobs uses at the beginning of each day he writes about and analyze both the meaning behind the quote and how this applies to life / how it is interpreted by Jacobs. So for both:
Write the quote, describe what it means and apply it to either Jacobs journey in literalism and/or what it means, metaphorically, in the modern world.
You shall rise up before the grayheaded and honor the aged...
-Leviticus 19:32 (NASB)
Jacobs uses this quote to show the Bible's longstanding tradition of respecting the elderly. Throughout history the elderly have been thought of as being the wisest members of society because they have lived the longest and learned many lessons most of us have yet to learn. They have come up with solutions to their problems, and have learned how to get through difficult situations. Jacobs also remembers one Bible verse that states one should stand for the elderly, so Jacobs practices this when he goes out for dinner. Jacobs includes one experience in particular in which he, his wife and his son go to a restaurant and see an elderly man with his family. The man gets up to use the restroom, and when he returns he sits at the wrong table. Jacobs wife looks like she is about to cry, and commends Jacob's respect for the elderly. This longstanding tradition of respecting the elderly throughout many cultures around the world is promoted in the Bible, and is thankfully one that is not difficult to interpret.
But to this day the Lord has not given you a mind to understand, or eyes to see, or ears to hear.
-Deuteronomy 29:4
After Jacobs mentions this quote, he talks about how he will never be able to fully understand the Bible or meaning of God. There are so many interpretations and so many pieces that don't make sense that he must just trust that God knows what he is doing, even if we don't. It is an ultimate test of faith to blindly believe something in a holy text, or a religion without reason or understanding. Jacobs mentions the term 'bedrock' to mean the deep underlying meaning of the Bible and religion. Jacobs quotes Yossi, one of his spiritual leaders, saying "The ancient rabbis themselves don't even claim to have struck the bedrock (182)." This goes back to the puzzle quote in that a puzzle is meant to be difficult to figure out, and that is the point of it. Just like religion, if it were easy, it would not be considered holy and many people would not spend a lot of time interpreting the Bible. The reason there is such a large culture around religion is that the Bible is difficult to understand, and each sect of religion tries to come up with their own unique meaning. Jacobs is discovering this very point as he explores one year of living biblically.
For this week your task is to take two of the Bible verses Jacobs uses at the beginning of each day he writes about and analyze both the meaning behind the quote and how this applies to life / how it is interpreted by Jacobs. So for both:
Write the quote, describe what it means and apply it to either Jacobs journey in literalism and/or what it means, metaphorically, in the modern world.
You shall rise up before the grayheaded and honor the aged...
-Leviticus 19:32 (NASB)
Jacobs uses this quote to show the Bible's longstanding tradition of respecting the elderly. Throughout history the elderly have been thought of as being the wisest members of society because they have lived the longest and learned many lessons most of us have yet to learn. They have come up with solutions to their problems, and have learned how to get through difficult situations. Jacobs also remembers one Bible verse that states one should stand for the elderly, so Jacobs practices this when he goes out for dinner. Jacobs includes one experience in particular in which he, his wife and his son go to a restaurant and see an elderly man with his family. The man gets up to use the restroom, and when he returns he sits at the wrong table. Jacobs wife looks like she is about to cry, and commends Jacob's respect for the elderly. This longstanding tradition of respecting the elderly throughout many cultures around the world is promoted in the Bible, and is thankfully one that is not difficult to interpret.
But to this day the Lord has not given you a mind to understand, or eyes to see, or ears to hear.
-Deuteronomy 29:4
After Jacobs mentions this quote, he talks about how he will never be able to fully understand the Bible or meaning of God. There are so many interpretations and so many pieces that don't make sense that he must just trust that God knows what he is doing, even if we don't. It is an ultimate test of faith to blindly believe something in a holy text, or a religion without reason or understanding. Jacobs mentions the term 'bedrock' to mean the deep underlying meaning of the Bible and religion. Jacobs quotes Yossi, one of his spiritual leaders, saying "The ancient rabbis themselves don't even claim to have struck the bedrock (182)." This goes back to the puzzle quote in that a puzzle is meant to be difficult to figure out, and that is the point of it. Just like religion, if it were easy, it would not be considered holy and many people would not spend a lot of time interpreting the Bible. The reason there is such a large culture around religion is that the Bible is difficult to understand, and each sect of religion tries to come up with their own unique meaning. Jacobs is discovering this very point as he explores one year of living biblically.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Bible Responses
Of the three sections of the Bible, choose two to read.
Your choices are:
The Flood
The Book of Ruth
David vs. Goliath
For the two sections you choose to read you are assigned to answer three questions from the end of the reading. You can choose any of the questions to answer as long as each has clear connection to what we are studying. (In other words, try to avoid answering literary analysis questions.) In total you will answer 6 questions of your choice from two of the three readings.
Reading 1: The Flood
1) What is the meaning of the statement, "Noah walked with God"?
When the reading says Noah "walked with God" it means he understood God and was on the same level of communication. This quote was taken from the context of when God is deciding to destroy all his creation because it is evil. However, Noah is not evil, he is good and understands the grace of God. Therefore, God spares Noah's life and likes Noah in general.
b) What does God's willingness to spare the earth because of Noah suggest?
This suggests that God has great faith in Noah, and because of him, God has faith in human kind and living creatures. He trusts that Noah will restore the earth to its state of goodness, and save all living creatures from evil.
2) How does the flood reduce the earth to its appearance in the early stages of creation?
In the early stages of creation there were no creatures, just land formations. The flood wiped out all every living thing except for the creatures Noah saved. The early stages were before God decided to add humans and living things.
b) How might this fact make humans especially eager to have a covenant?
Humans might be very scared God could do this again if the humans are evil. Humans believe if they enter a covenant with God, and follow it that God won't create another flood. They believe if they can make a deal with God and communicate with him, he is less likely to destroy the human race. This is a deal based on fear.
3) What does God require of Noah and his sons before he makes the covenant?
When the text states that God requires the lives and blood of Noah and his sons, it means that he requires their complete devotion, and the devotion of all living things on earth.
God also tells Noah and his sons to be fruitful and multiply and take dominion over all other living creatures. God tells Noah and his sons to take control of all species, for it is their kingdom to rule over. God also wants them to be just to each other and to all other species on earth. God promises to protect them as long as they keep to the covenant.
Cool fact- The reason Johova's Witness can't perform blood transfusion is that transfering God's blood between his own creations would be wrong. This law comes from this quote.
b) What is the reason for these demands?
God entrusts Noah and his sons with these demands because he wishes them to take care of the earth. He encourages them to plant produce and plants to enrich the beautiful earth they were given. God demands that they give him complete devotion so that God knows he can trust Noah and his sons if ever he needs them. The strong devotion also ensures God that they will pass this religion and faith on to others, therefore beginning the spread of Judaism and Christianity etc.
Reading 2: David and Goliath
1) David describes to Saul his role as a shepherd. What does this description suggest about God's role in relation to the Hebrew people?
This suggests that God appeals more to the people of lower classes, because generally the worse off of a situation someone is, the more they will believe in God, and that God will help them get out of their situation. Also, it shows that God has faith in the people who work harder because they are more humble and willing to work for God. Therefore when something good happens in the lives of the people in the lower classes, they thank God and their faith in God grows ever stronger.
b) How does the story of David and Goliath illustrate this role?
This story shows that a humble man like David, who has no real strengths or fighting abilities can win against a giant Philistine purely based on faith in God. David is humble and does not think of himself as a hero, but instead of a man who believes God will help him win a battle and save the Jewish people. David believes his faith in God is all he needs to win.
2) David refuses to use conventional weapons. How is this refusal a statement about the relationship between the Hebrew people and God?
Because David chose not to use conventional weapons, it showed that he had great faith in God, and that God would be the strongest weapon of all. He decided to use the most basic and humble weapons- stones. This shows that a simple item can be much stronger than something put together by humans. The small stone was one of God's unaltered creations, and using it shows David's strong faith in God. Because the stone is unaltered or tainted by humans, it greatly helped David win the fight against Goliath.
3) How does David's speech to Saul reveal a new dimension of the boy's character?
When David speaks with Saul, he recounts one of his heroic adventures in which he resuces a sheep from a lion. This speech sounds almost boastful, and unexpected from a humble farm boy. It reveals a new dimension of boastfullness and pride. These could be looked at as sins, but since God supports David in the fight against Goliath, I don't think God looked at them as sins. The purpose of David recounting the story was to make Saul believe David could beat Goliath, and to give Saul more faith in David.
Your choices are:
The Flood
The Book of Ruth
David vs. Goliath
For the two sections you choose to read you are assigned to answer three questions from the end of the reading. You can choose any of the questions to answer as long as each has clear connection to what we are studying. (In other words, try to avoid answering literary analysis questions.) In total you will answer 6 questions of your choice from two of the three readings.
Reading 1: The Flood
1) What is the meaning of the statement, "Noah walked with God"?
When the reading says Noah "walked with God" it means he understood God and was on the same level of communication. This quote was taken from the context of when God is deciding to destroy all his creation because it is evil. However, Noah is not evil, he is good and understands the grace of God. Therefore, God spares Noah's life and likes Noah in general.
b) What does God's willingness to spare the earth because of Noah suggest?
This suggests that God has great faith in Noah, and because of him, God has faith in human kind and living creatures. He trusts that Noah will restore the earth to its state of goodness, and save all living creatures from evil.
2) How does the flood reduce the earth to its appearance in the early stages of creation?
In the early stages of creation there were no creatures, just land formations. The flood wiped out all every living thing except for the creatures Noah saved. The early stages were before God decided to add humans and living things.
b) How might this fact make humans especially eager to have a covenant?
Humans might be very scared God could do this again if the humans are evil. Humans believe if they enter a covenant with God, and follow it that God won't create another flood. They believe if they can make a deal with God and communicate with him, he is less likely to destroy the human race. This is a deal based on fear.
3) What does God require of Noah and his sons before he makes the covenant?
When the text states that God requires the lives and blood of Noah and his sons, it means that he requires their complete devotion, and the devotion of all living things on earth.
God also tells Noah and his sons to be fruitful and multiply and take dominion over all other living creatures. God tells Noah and his sons to take control of all species, for it is their kingdom to rule over. God also wants them to be just to each other and to all other species on earth. God promises to protect them as long as they keep to the covenant.
Cool fact- The reason Johova's Witness can't perform blood transfusion is that transfering God's blood between his own creations would be wrong. This law comes from this quote.
b) What is the reason for these demands?
God entrusts Noah and his sons with these demands because he wishes them to take care of the earth. He encourages them to plant produce and plants to enrich the beautiful earth they were given. God demands that they give him complete devotion so that God knows he can trust Noah and his sons if ever he needs them. The strong devotion also ensures God that they will pass this religion and faith on to others, therefore beginning the spread of Judaism and Christianity etc.
Reading 2: David and Goliath
1) David describes to Saul his role as a shepherd. What does this description suggest about God's role in relation to the Hebrew people?
This suggests that God appeals more to the people of lower classes, because generally the worse off of a situation someone is, the more they will believe in God, and that God will help them get out of their situation. Also, it shows that God has faith in the people who work harder because they are more humble and willing to work for God. Therefore when something good happens in the lives of the people in the lower classes, they thank God and their faith in God grows ever stronger.
b) How does the story of David and Goliath illustrate this role?
This story shows that a humble man like David, who has no real strengths or fighting abilities can win against a giant Philistine purely based on faith in God. David is humble and does not think of himself as a hero, but instead of a man who believes God will help him win a battle and save the Jewish people. David believes his faith in God is all he needs to win.
2) David refuses to use conventional weapons. How is this refusal a statement about the relationship between the Hebrew people and God?
Because David chose not to use conventional weapons, it showed that he had great faith in God, and that God would be the strongest weapon of all. He decided to use the most basic and humble weapons- stones. This shows that a simple item can be much stronger than something put together by humans. The small stone was one of God's unaltered creations, and using it shows David's strong faith in God. Because the stone is unaltered or tainted by humans, it greatly helped David win the fight against Goliath.
3) How does David's speech to Saul reveal a new dimension of the boy's character?
When David speaks with Saul, he recounts one of his heroic adventures in which he resuces a sheep from a lion. This speech sounds almost boastful, and unexpected from a humble farm boy. It reveals a new dimension of boastfullness and pride. These could be looked at as sins, but since God supports David in the fight against Goliath, I don't think God looked at them as sins. The purpose of David recounting the story was to make Saul believe David could beat Goliath, and to give Saul more faith in David.
Monday, November 9, 2009
What is the Bible?
What is the Bible ? (summarize the first page)
The Bible is a collection of many works, and 3 main books:
-Torah (means ‘law’): Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy. It includes a story of the world’s creation
-Book of Samuel: writings of prophets
-Poetry and Short stories
Bible written by many people who were inspired by God, including Moses.
Themes:
-power, goodness and mercy of God
-the covenant between God and the Hebrew people
-the sins of the people and their forgiveness from God
Bible is:
-a summation of Jewish beliefs and culture-
-has had huge influence in determining Western culture and language
Answer 3 of the 5 questions
1. What meanings are associated with light and darkness in the first chapter of Genesis?
When God created light and dark, he also created good and evil. He made a balance of the two so life would be harmonious for all who lived on Earth. Without one, you cannot have the other.
2. What attitude toward nature does Genesis convey?
Genesis conveys that God told the Earth to grow grass and trees, and it did. God created all animals and told them to multiply to make up all the animals on the Earth today. Genesis creates the attitude that God is the one who began nature, and God then put humans in control of it.
God also gave significance to the periods of light and dark and called these seasons.
a. Explain how significant passages contribute to this attitude.
When God created the world and made it bear fruit and plants, he said, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth”: and it was so.” This shows the strength God has, and the control that he can make the earth do whatever he wants.
When God creates humans he says, “Let us make man in our image, after out likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air…” This creates the attitude that Western people believe they have control over nature. In modern day, this has led to over population, habitat loss and deforestation, Climate Change and diminishing animal populations.
3. (question 4) What are the implications of the relationship established between humans and the rest of creation?
As stated in the previous answer, this makes humans believe they can control nature, and it is their responsibility, or toy to play with. This can lead to modern day problems involving the environment. Genesis also degrades the relationships between humans and animals. Genesis does not give animals as much meaning as humans, therefore making humans believe they dominate other animals and can do whatever they want to other species.
The Bible is a collection of many works, and 3 main books:
-Torah (means ‘law’): Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy. It includes a story of the world’s creation
-Book of Samuel: writings of prophets
-Poetry and Short stories
Bible written by many people who were inspired by God, including Moses.
Themes:
-power, goodness and mercy of God
-the covenant between God and the Hebrew people
-the sins of the people and their forgiveness from God
Bible is:
-a summation of Jewish beliefs and culture-
-has had huge influence in determining Western culture and language
Answer 3 of the 5 questions
1. What meanings are associated with light and darkness in the first chapter of Genesis?
When God created light and dark, he also created good and evil. He made a balance of the two so life would be harmonious for all who lived on Earth. Without one, you cannot have the other.
2. What attitude toward nature does Genesis convey?
Genesis conveys that God told the Earth to grow grass and trees, and it did. God created all animals and told them to multiply to make up all the animals on the Earth today. Genesis creates the attitude that God is the one who began nature, and God then put humans in control of it.
God also gave significance to the periods of light and dark and called these seasons.
a. Explain how significant passages contribute to this attitude.
When God created the world and made it bear fruit and plants, he said, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth”: and it was so.” This shows the strength God has, and the control that he can make the earth do whatever he wants.
When God creates humans he says, “Let us make man in our image, after out likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air…” This creates the attitude that Western people believe they have control over nature. In modern day, this has led to over population, habitat loss and deforestation, Climate Change and diminishing animal populations.
3. (question 4) What are the implications of the relationship established between humans and the rest of creation?
As stated in the previous answer, this makes humans believe they can control nature, and it is their responsibility, or toy to play with. This can lead to modern day problems involving the environment. Genesis also degrades the relationships between humans and animals. Genesis does not give animals as much meaning as humans, therefore making humans believe they dominate other animals and can do whatever they want to other species.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
YOLB- Month 3 and 4
Due Date: Thursday, November 12
Here are your questions. Choose three of the seven to answer. You choose which you want to address. Answer them via the blog or have a hard copy when you get to class.
5) When Jacobs is troubled by the "mysterious code" of perplexing Biblical rules in the Bible, why do you think he is ok with the explanation "If a jigsaw puzzle came numbered, you'd return it to the store."
If the Bible could be interpreted easily, there would be no mystery or Godliness to it. People would not revere it as much, and it would not be considered a holy text. The metaphorical writing adds a wise element to it, and the examples seem more profound than dry text that lists rules and morals. They would not have a meaning if listed this way.
Also, as humans, we are always trying to figure things out, and we like challenges. Religion is just another challenge and mystery for us that we can continuously work to figure out, even if we may never understand God.
6) When Jacobs reads Ecclesiastes and comes to the conclusion, "be good for goodness sake", how does that allow him to answer the question: Why do bad things happen to good people?
Ecclesiastes is a collection of works from King Solomon, that talks about how bad and good things happen to everyone, no matter if you are rich or successful. It states that we should be good and follow the covenants, even if this doesn't incfluence the events that happen to us in our life. We should "be good for goodness sake." Also, there is no guarantee that if we do good deeds in our life that good things will happen to us. Vice versa, if we do bad things in life, there is no guarantee bad things will happen to us. We must do good deeds just for the sake of doing the right thing, regardless of the outcome.
"We should follow the commandments, but we should do so with no guarantee that they will pay off in this life (114)."
7) What is meant by the term Chasid Shote or Righteous Idiot? What does this address about religious belief?
These terms refer to people who are so focussed on following their religion and certain rules and traditions that they contradict them by forgetting to apply these rules to the real world. Perhaps, they would follow the rule of always helping others, but they would not wake up and help the woman who has a flat tire. This says that for religious belief to have a meaning, we must apply it to our everyday lives, and unite our actions with our words. This term infers that some religious people are so busy trying to be riteous and follow the rules of their church that they forget about their everyday lives, and how to apply these rules outside of church and praying. They forget that there is more to religion than praying and going to church on Sundays. One of the reasons religion is so powerful is that it takes into account, the needs of others, and how each person can help fufill those needs. We must be kind to all our neighbors as well as be faithful to our religion to be truly righteous.
Month 4
1) How did Jacob's "forced Sabbath" make him understand how a true Sabbath should be?
When Jacobs was stuck in his bathroom for 3 hours because the doorknob fell off the door, he truly learned the meaning of Sabbath. He had nothing to do in the bathroom, and thought about how the rest of the world was moving on and working without him. He thought of all the things he could be doing at the moment, but couldn't. This made him realize what a real Sabbath should be like. It doesn't mean just "turning down the volume", but completely shutting the music off.
He states that, "...the Sabbath is a sanctuary in time (125)."
I think in a way, the Christian religion made Sundays based off of the Sabbath for when God created the world, and left the 7th day to rest. However, today, Church is held on Sundays, which doesn't exactly constitute resting. I think the Church took the Sabbath to mean a holy day in general, and opened it up to different interpretations. Since it was a holy day, the church decided to hold mass on that day. Personally, I believe that a day of rest is needed for all cultures and religions. It allows us to take time to reflect on our week, and our lives in general. We have unconciously worked small breaks into our culture, such as "time outs" for children to reflect on what they did wrong, vacations off of the school year, Saturdays and Sundays, afternoon siestas, and so on and so forth. Other cultures have also included these breaks, such as the Muslim religion and praying 5 times a day. These prayer times aren't just for praying, but also refocussing on what is important in life. They give people a break from their work, so when they return they will have more energy and gumption. These breaks are essential to any culture that wishes to remain mentally, physically and emotionally healthy. That is the true value and purpose of a Sabbath.
Here are your questions. Choose three of the seven to answer. You choose which you want to address. Answer them via the blog or have a hard copy when you get to class.
5) When Jacobs is troubled by the "mysterious code" of perplexing Biblical rules in the Bible, why do you think he is ok with the explanation "If a jigsaw puzzle came numbered, you'd return it to the store."
If the Bible could be interpreted easily, there would be no mystery or Godliness to it. People would not revere it as much, and it would not be considered a holy text. The metaphorical writing adds a wise element to it, and the examples seem more profound than dry text that lists rules and morals. They would not have a meaning if listed this way.
Also, as humans, we are always trying to figure things out, and we like challenges. Religion is just another challenge and mystery for us that we can continuously work to figure out, even if we may never understand God.
6) When Jacobs reads Ecclesiastes and comes to the conclusion, "be good for goodness sake", how does that allow him to answer the question: Why do bad things happen to good people?
Ecclesiastes is a collection of works from King Solomon, that talks about how bad and good things happen to everyone, no matter if you are rich or successful. It states that we should be good and follow the covenants, even if this doesn't incfluence the events that happen to us in our life. We should "be good for goodness sake." Also, there is no guarantee that if we do good deeds in our life that good things will happen to us. Vice versa, if we do bad things in life, there is no guarantee bad things will happen to us. We must do good deeds just for the sake of doing the right thing, regardless of the outcome.
"We should follow the commandments, but we should do so with no guarantee that they will pay off in this life (114)."
7) What is meant by the term Chasid Shote or Righteous Idiot? What does this address about religious belief?
These terms refer to people who are so focussed on following their religion and certain rules and traditions that they contradict them by forgetting to apply these rules to the real world. Perhaps, they would follow the rule of always helping others, but they would not wake up and help the woman who has a flat tire. This says that for religious belief to have a meaning, we must apply it to our everyday lives, and unite our actions with our words. This term infers that some religious people are so busy trying to be riteous and follow the rules of their church that they forget about their everyday lives, and how to apply these rules outside of church and praying. They forget that there is more to religion than praying and going to church on Sundays. One of the reasons religion is so powerful is that it takes into account, the needs of others, and how each person can help fufill those needs. We must be kind to all our neighbors as well as be faithful to our religion to be truly righteous.
Month 4
1) How did Jacob's "forced Sabbath" make him understand how a true Sabbath should be?
When Jacobs was stuck in his bathroom for 3 hours because the doorknob fell off the door, he truly learned the meaning of Sabbath. He had nothing to do in the bathroom, and thought about how the rest of the world was moving on and working without him. He thought of all the things he could be doing at the moment, but couldn't. This made him realize what a real Sabbath should be like. It doesn't mean just "turning down the volume", but completely shutting the music off.
He states that, "...the Sabbath is a sanctuary in time (125)."
I think in a way, the Christian religion made Sundays based off of the Sabbath for when God created the world, and left the 7th day to rest. However, today, Church is held on Sundays, which doesn't exactly constitute resting. I think the Church took the Sabbath to mean a holy day in general, and opened it up to different interpretations. Since it was a holy day, the church decided to hold mass on that day. Personally, I believe that a day of rest is needed for all cultures and religions. It allows us to take time to reflect on our week, and our lives in general. We have unconciously worked small breaks into our culture, such as "time outs" for children to reflect on what they did wrong, vacations off of the school year, Saturdays and Sundays, afternoon siestas, and so on and so forth. Other cultures have also included these breaks, such as the Muslim religion and praying 5 times a day. These prayer times aren't just for praying, but also refocussing on what is important in life. They give people a break from their work, so when they return they will have more energy and gumption. These breaks are essential to any culture that wishes to remain mentally, physically and emotionally healthy. That is the true value and purpose of a Sabbath.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Year Living Biblically: Month Two
1) Describe / Summarize why Jacobs goes to the creationist museum and the main points or ideas Jacobs learns or struggles with in his visit to the museum.
Jacobs visits because he says that creationism is biblical literalism at its best.
He comments on how it is interesting to see the creation of a creationist museum.
He thinks it is a bit ridiculous that 45% of the US believes in Creationism over Evolution. He believes the museum will be a big deal when it is is finished because it is so controversial. He was taken aback when the founder of Answers in Genesis (the religious group that built the museum)trumped him on a science question. Ken answers many of his literal questions about what is a day and about Adam and Eve's kids. He happily answers them by saying that the language must be translated correctly. The stereotype that extreme religious members are racist isn't actually true, and Jacobs discovered that the Creationists believe Darwinism actually leads to racism because it points out how some races developed before others.
At the end of the museum tour, he buys a book on the Feasability of Noah's Ark. He reads it and doesn't believe one word. He realizes his mind isn't as open as he thought.
2) Comment / describe what Jacobs spiritually struggles with or discovers on one of the following:
- Moral vs. ritual laws: Jacob commments on how the Christians believe they don't need to follow the ritual laws as much anymore because Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice and the ritual laws are outdated from ancient times in Jerusalem. As for the moral laws, they are of utmost importance because they are still relevant, such as the ten commandments.
- "Original intent" of the bible
- Sola Scriptura
- "dancing like king David"
3) Describe what Jacobs specifically admires about the prophets (especially by the end of the second month?
Jacobs admires that the Prophets don't get outright angry with people, they show their resentment in clever ways called "prophetic acts". He loves their message of social justice.
For example, Hosea married a prostitute and named his kids "not pitied" and "not my people."
Jacobs admires that, "They were fearless. They literalized metaphors. They turned their lives to protest pieces (89)."
I think he likes the Prophets because they almost made fun of the fact that in the Bible one can be literal, and perform these acts that make fun of metaphors and symbols.
Also, God says that anger is not good, because it isn't worth it to get mad over the little things like Jonah did.
Remember to add annotations / points of interest as you read and be prepared to discuss. (Hint: I gave you four things to choose from in question 2 - key in on the three you did not choose - they could be your notes / annotations)
Jacobs visits because he says that creationism is biblical literalism at its best.
He comments on how it is interesting to see the creation of a creationist museum.
He thinks it is a bit ridiculous that 45% of the US believes in Creationism over Evolution. He believes the museum will be a big deal when it is is finished because it is so controversial. He was taken aback when the founder of Answers in Genesis (the religious group that built the museum)trumped him on a science question. Ken answers many of his literal questions about what is a day and about Adam and Eve's kids. He happily answers them by saying that the language must be translated correctly. The stereotype that extreme religious members are racist isn't actually true, and Jacobs discovered that the Creationists believe Darwinism actually leads to racism because it points out how some races developed before others.
At the end of the museum tour, he buys a book on the Feasability of Noah's Ark. He reads it and doesn't believe one word. He realizes his mind isn't as open as he thought.
2) Comment / describe what Jacobs spiritually struggles with or discovers on one of the following:
- Moral vs. ritual laws: Jacob commments on how the Christians believe they don't need to follow the ritual laws as much anymore because Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice and the ritual laws are outdated from ancient times in Jerusalem. As for the moral laws, they are of utmost importance because they are still relevant, such as the ten commandments.
- "Original intent" of the bible
- Sola Scriptura
- "dancing like king David"
3) Describe what Jacobs specifically admires about the prophets (especially by the end of the second month?
Jacobs admires that the Prophets don't get outright angry with people, they show their resentment in clever ways called "prophetic acts". He loves their message of social justice.
For example, Hosea married a prostitute and named his kids "not pitied" and "not my people."
Jacobs admires that, "They were fearless. They literalized metaphors. They turned their lives to protest pieces (89)."
I think he likes the Prophets because they almost made fun of the fact that in the Bible one can be literal, and perform these acts that make fun of metaphors and symbols.
Also, God says that anger is not good, because it isn't worth it to get mad over the little things like Jonah did.
Remember to add annotations / points of interest as you read and be prepared to discuss. (Hint: I gave you four things to choose from in question 2 - key in on the three you did not choose - they could be your notes / annotations)
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