While I’ve only been a member on this site for a short period of time I’ve very much enjoyed myself here. I feel that I’ve learned a lot, talking to people of various backgrounds (religious and non-religious), and different sub-backgrounds (young earth and old earth etc.,)
However, it didn’t take me long to realize that the attitudes toward the Bible, with the people I converse with on BioLogos, and the people I converse with in real life, are galaxies apart.
(before pressing on I want to make clear that I’m not trying to demean or degrade anyone’s particular viewpoint, just simply noting an observation)
The people I have discussions with in real life, during weekly Bible studies and such, give very bold proclamations. “The Bible can be 100% understood, by comparing different verses with each other. If one were to know the Bible, word for word, then that person could completely understand it, on that alone.” Anyone that doesn’t read the Bible in this fashion is reading it in a somewhat “shallow manner”. Others have made different points… “Why would God give us a Bible that we would have no hope of understanding? That doesn’t make sense.”
Compare that with the general attitude I get by people on this site (again, not implying any offense here), “We can gain a much better understanding of the Bible by comparing passages with other passages. But even if we were to know the Bible verbatim, we would still be anywhere from 2,000 - 3,500 years removed from the Bible’s original audience. We would still gain an even FULLER understanding by studying ANE culture, authorial intent, etc.,”
What brought this to the fore-front of my attention was part of a discussion I “eavesdropped” into on a different thread.
Someone said (I forget his name), “I’ve always wondered what the Sons of God are in Genesis 6.”
@Christy replied, “Nobody really knows.”
While the particular passage in question is quite controversial in Bible circles (most conservative people say something like Sethites or people of royalty, while more liberal people say they were angelic beings based on other OT passages.) it reflected the attitude difference, concerning that of BioLogos (in general) with the people I have dialogues with in real life (in general).
I said, “@Christy” but my point refers to anyone on this site really. I’m having a dilemma here because it feels like I’m living a weird double-life. The Bible studies and discussion I have with the BioLogos community is vastly different than the ones I have with my friends and family.
How I do I reconcile this discontinuity? My cyber friends in whom I strangely relate my more honest opinions and viewpoints, and my real friends, whom I more-or-less (very sad to say) have more shallow discussions on the matter?
How do I express my more honest viewpoint, without getting the accusation (whether external or internal) of being a heretic, a rebel, a liberal, a person who is “doubting the faith”…?
I would love to hear anyone’s suggestions on this topic…
Thank you.
-Tim