|
Is it important
to interpret the
Bible correctly? |
Paulo
Artur
Gonçalves |
Introduction
The question
that lends its
title to this
text is an issue
that has
appeared in
spiritualistic
channels and
this article
aims to show
that there’s no
reason why we
should waste
time with it.
Before
introducing the
reasons, let’s
conceptualize
how the word God
will be used in
this article.
God, with a
capital “G”,
meaning the
Supreme
Intelligence of
the Universe,
the primary
cause of all
things.
God, with a
small “g”,
meaning mentor,
guide or saint,
etc. in other
words, a Spirit.
In the first
commandment of
the Decalogue
received by
Moses it is
written:
“I am Yahweh
your God, who
brought you out
of the land of
Egypt, out of
the house of
bondage. You
shall have no
other gods
before me. You
shall not make
for yourselves
an idol, nor any
image of
anything that is
in the heavens
above, or that
is in the earth
beneath, or that
is in the water
under the
earth.You shall
not bow yourself
down to them,
not serve them,
for I, Yahweh
your God, am a
zealous God,
visiting the
iniquity of the
fathers on the
children, on the
third and on the
fourth
generation of
those who hate
me, and showing
loving kindness
to thousands of
those who love
me and keep my
commandments.”
Moses himself
explicitly tells
about other
gods.
How the Old
Testament
blended with
Christianity
There’s no
Record of Jesus
quoting the laws
contained in the
five books of
Moses: the
Genesis, the
Exodus,
Leviticus,
Numbers and
Deuteronomy.
These books are
the foundation
of the Old
Testament.
There are many
passages in the
Gospel in which
the doctors of
the law (high
priests)
attempt, without
success, to make
Jesus contradict
those laws.
We also know
that Jesus was
arrested,
scorned and
crucified by the
action of the
same doctors of
the law. They
feared losing
their privileges
of being
representatives
of the god of
Israel.
The questions is
how those five
books came and
permeated
Christianity and
are considered
even more
important than
the teachings of
Jesus by some
Christian
religions?
The answer:
Such books were
incorporated by
Christianity,
gave rise to
Catholicism, by
the influence of
St. Augustine,
encouraged by
St. Ambrose,
bishop of Milan
in the 5th
century. The
argument used
was: “To preach
the new Gospel,
it is
indispensable to
deeply know the
Scriptures,
which can only
be interpreted
through faith,
because only
faith can
identify the
revelation of
divine truths”.
It was then the
birth of a
non-rationalized
faith.
Interpreting a
few excerpts
from the Old
Testament
The afore
mentioned books
teach the cult
to a private god
who wants to be
worshipped in
exchange for not
punishing and
still be
“faithful” to
the so-called
believer,
helping him with
miracles sorting
out love
affairs, cure
disease and even
nullify
financial
problems.
In some sections
of the five
books there’s no
interpretation
that saves them.
Let’s see:
Deuteronomy,
chap. 20, v. 10
to 16:
- When thou
comest unto a
city to fight
against it, then
proclaim peace
unto it.
- And it shall
be, if it make
thee answer of
peace, and upon
unto thee, then
it shall be,
that all the
people that is
found therein
shall be
tributaries unto
thee, and they
shall serve
thee.
- And if it will
make no peace
with thee, but
will make war
against thee,
then thou shalt
besiege it. And
the LORD thy God
hath delivered
it into thine
hands, thou
shalt smite
every male
thereof with the
edge of the
sword. But the
women and the
little ones, and
the cattle, and
all that is in
the city, even
all the spoil
thereof, shalt
thou take unto
thyself; and
thou shalt eat
the spoil of
thine enemies,
which the LORD
thy God hath
given thee.
- Thus shalt
thou do unto all
the cities which
are very far off
from thee, which
are not of the
cities of these
nations.
But of the
cities of these
people, which
the LORD thy God
doth give thee
for an
inheritance,
thou shalt save
alive nothing
that breatheth.
Comment:
The only
possible
interpretation
for this is as a
crime, moreover,
a hideous one.
Exodus:
- Charged taxes
in cash as a
precondition for
the believers
not to suffer
punishment
(Exodus,
chap.30, v. 11
to 16).
- Determined
that all gold,
silver, bronze
and iron objects
looted when
repossessing
Jericho were
incorporated
into its “sacred
treasure”
(Joshua, the
taking of
Jericho, chap.6,
v.19).
- Made an
alliance,
demanding an ark
of gold (Exodus,
chap.24, v.10 to
23); it is
faithful,
punishes,
rewards and
demands loyalty
by forbidding
alliances with
other gods
(Exodus, several
passages).
Comment:
Wouldn’t that be
the basis for
the
representatives
of gods make
their business
profitable?
The Superior
Spirits, when
decoding the
spiritualistic
doctrine put
together by
Kardec, did not
try to interpret
these books
either. In, The
Gospel According
to Spiritualism,
Kardec
introduces
Socrates as a
precursor of
Jesus and not
the prophets.
It is certain
that the Old
Testament
mentions
communications
between men and
Spirits. But the
other so-called
sacred books by
other religions
do that as well.
Spiritualists,
being aware that
such
communication
exists, should
stick to
studying and
making the best
use of it. It is
a whole lot more
useful. With all
due respect, it
is a waste of
time to study
parts of the
Bible that are
not part of the
spiritualistic
books.
Spiritualism
proposes to be a
purely Christian
religion based
on, as far as
moral teachings
are concerned,
the lessons of
Jesus.
Is the Bible the
only “holy”
book?
No, it is not!
The Bible only
reaches
Abrahamic
religions, such
as Judaism and
modified
Christianity.
Among the
modified
Christians there
are Catholics,
traditional
Protestants, the
orthodox, the
evangelic, etc.
Spiritualism is
not included
there.
They are
modified because
the Bible that
they adopted
added texts from
the Old
Testament to the
Gospel of Jesus.
These texts,
until then
called the law
of the prophets,
contain many
things that have
nothing to do
with
Christianity and
gave rise to
countless dogmas
to the point
where, in some
cases, it was
given them more
value than the
teachings of
Jesus himself.
Other peoples
have their own
sacred books.
One example of
that is Hinduism
with the book of
Vedas.
Like the Bible,
it is said in
the book of
Vedas that it
was also
inspired by god.
Being one single
God, it would be
natural that
both – the Bible
and the book of
Vedas – featured
converging
teachings.
When comparing
each other, in
what concerns
the genesis of
the Universe and
man, we have:
Genesis of the
Universe:
According to the
Bible:
Day 1
- Morning:
Created the
earth and a
hollow and dark
sky.
- Afternoon:
Created light.
Separated light
from darkness.
Day 2
- Morning:
Created a
firmament amidst
waters, with
water from the
sky and waters
from below.
- Afternoon:
Amidst waters
from below
created the dry
element: the
Earth.
Day3
- Created trees
and plants that
began to
produce.
Comment:
How could trees
produce without
doing
photosynthesis,
given that the
Sun was only
created in the
next stage?
Day 4
- Created
lightning in the
sky. Created the
Sun for the day,
the Moon for the
night and the
Stars for the
night skyline.
Day5
- Created fish
in the water and
birds in the
sky.
Day 6
- Created pets,
reptiles and
wild animals.
- Created man
and woman, to
his image.
Day 7
- Rested.
According to the
Vedas:
(1)
- The Universe
is a dream of
God (Brahma or
Brahma).
- After a
century of
Brahma (314
trillion years)
the universe
dissolves in a
dream without
dreams. Then it
starts over. It
recovers itself
in a new dream.
- It is God’s
cosmic dream
which is an
endless cycle of
births and
deaths.
- There are many
Hindu gods that
cooperate
(intermediary
ones who work
under Brahma’s
supervision).
- Shiva and
Vishnu are the
main Brahma’s
helpers. Shiva
helped in the
creation of the
Universe and
Vishnu in the
creation of man.
- Our Universe
is the cosmic
dream of Shiva.
- Meanwhile,
somewhere else,
there are
countless
universes, each
with its own god
(other Shivas?)
dreaming the
cosmic dream.
(This article
will be resumed
next issue.)
(1)
Reference:
Abhilash
Rajendran’s
blog.
|