Comments on: A bit of religion to spice things up. http://feuerdorn88.wordpress.com/2007/04/17/a-bit-of-religion-to-spice-things-up/ My thoughts, and a place to discuss them. Thu, 19 Apr 2007 03:44:07 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: Behold, my comments « Emo kids rejoice - The importance of “problem novels” in Young Adult Literature. http://feuerdorn88.wordpress.com/2007/04/17/a-bit-of-religion-to-spice-things-up/#comment-30 Behold, my comments « Emo kids rejoice - The importance of “problem novels” in Young Adult Literature. Thu, 19 Apr 2007 03:44:07 +0000 http://feuerdorn88.wordpress.com/2007/04/17/a-bit-of-religion-to-spice-things-up/#comment-30 [...] five            six [...] [...] five            six [...]

]]> By: vis4lovers http://feuerdorn88.wordpress.com/2007/04/17/a-bit-of-religion-to-spice-things-up/#comment-29 vis4lovers Thu, 19 Apr 2007 00:48:43 +0000 http://feuerdorn88.wordpress.com/2007/04/17/a-bit-of-religion-to-spice-things-up/#comment-29 I took a class in my former life called "The Old Testament as Literature," at Kalamazoo Valley Community College. Now, there were students taking this class because they were Christians and I think they thought they were going to challenge the teacher. The prof started the beginning of the semester by stating that we would be studying the Bible as Literature, not as a dogma. She also said that for the purposes of it being literature, we would not be taking it "literally." Yeah, this caused a bit of a stir with a few students who did in fact take it literally. (Look, I'm a Christian and I don't take it literally ok) She gave a brief example of "The Lord is my shepherd.” Ya know it ya love it. Anyway, she then said, "So God is literally a shepherd? Then that makes us sheep. Literally." Response was, "Of course not, it's a metaphor." Her explanation was it’s all literal or it's not, we can't pick and choose. My favorite was when she said, "When they say 10,000 men stormed the city do you think someone was sitting there counting? Can we just assume it was a whole bunch of guys?" One guy in class had a hard time with this concept because he wanted to treat the Bible as the doctrine of his faith, not as literature. The problem was that he failed to realize that either way it still projects the same message. And for a Christian isn't that the whole point? I learned a lot in that class. I learned a lot about the stories, the history of the time and it even boosted my own faith. I think a lot of people would either fear the idea because they think it's propaganda, or love the idea for the wrong reasons. But, whatever the faith can't we just agree that there is a good moral message? Add onto the fact that there are so many different styles of writing in it that it adds to the literary merit. I say go for it. Except for the book of numbers. That totally sucks. I took a class in my former life called “The Old Testament as Literature,” at Kalamazoo Valley Community College. Now, there were students taking this class because they were Christians and I think they thought they were going to challenge the teacher. The prof started the beginning of the semester by stating that we would be studying the Bible as Literature, not as a dogma. She also said that for the purposes of it being literature, we would not be taking it “literally.” Yeah, this caused a bit of a stir with a few students who did in fact take it literally. (Look, I’m a Christian and I don’t take it literally ok) She gave a brief example of “The Lord is my shepherd.” Ya know it ya love it. Anyway, she then said, “So God is literally a shepherd? Then that makes us sheep. Literally.” Response was, “Of course not, it’s a metaphor.” Her explanation was it’s all literal or it’s not, we can’t pick and choose. My favorite was when she said, “When they say 10,000 men stormed the city do you think someone was sitting there counting? Can we just assume it was a whole bunch of guys?” One guy in class had a hard time with this concept because he wanted to treat the Bible as the doctrine of his faith, not as literature. The problem was that he failed to realize that either way it still projects the same message. And for a Christian isn’t that the whole point? I learned a lot in that class. I learned a lot about the stories, the history of the time and it even boosted my own faith. I think a lot of people would either fear the idea because they think it’s propaganda, or love the idea for the wrong reasons. But, whatever the faith can’t we just agree that there is a good moral message? Add onto the fact that there are so many different styles of writing in it that it adds to the literary merit. I say go for it. Except for the book of numbers. That totally sucks.

]]> By: Jenny http://feuerdorn88.wordpress.com/2007/04/17/a-bit-of-religion-to-spice-things-up/#comment-26 Jenny Wed, 18 Apr 2007 05:36:15 +0000 http://feuerdorn88.wordpress.com/2007/04/17/a-bit-of-religion-to-spice-things-up/#comment-26 Ahh, but you've forgotten the Bible as a hostorical piece. This may be questionable, but there is that aspect of it. More importantly, I think, is what my Brit Lit prof told us: no matter what you think about the Bible, you should read it if only to understand the frequent Biblical allusions and allegories found elsewhere in literature. There are Christ figures all over the place, for example, and writers like John Steinbeck use Biblical references in their work. I haven't heard of any schools around here reading the Bible as literature, but that doesn't mean that they don't. It means I haven't heard of it. I would be interested in taking a course like that. I think what you have to say about morals in literature is interesting. Who gets to decide what the value of the story is? The author, the reader, the teacher...? Teaching morals should not be a focus I don't think, but that doesn't mean that debates don't have a place in the classroom, like about the tough decision George had to make about Lennie. Ahh, but you’ve forgotten the Bible as a hostorical piece. This may be questionable, but there is that aspect of it.

More importantly, I think, is what my Brit Lit prof told us: no matter what you think about the Bible, you should read it if only to understand the frequent Biblical allusions and allegories found elsewhere in literature. There are Christ figures all over the place, for example, and writers like John Steinbeck use Biblical references in their work.

I haven’t heard of any schools around here reading the Bible as literature, but that doesn’t mean that they don’t. It means I haven’t heard of it. I would be interested in taking a course like that.

I think what you have to say about morals in literature is interesting. Who gets to decide what the value of the story is? The author, the reader, the teacher…? Teaching morals should not be a focus I don’t think, but that doesn’t mean that debates don’t have a place in the classroom, like about the tough decision George had to make about Lennie.

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