Revelation and the new Atheism

2021 ◽  
pp. 321-337
Author(s):  
James E. Taylor
Keyword(s):  
Critical Discussion ◽  
Divine Revelation ◽  
Richard Dawkins ◽  
Book Of Mormon ◽  
The Bible ◽  
New Atheism

This chapter contains a critical discussion of what three New Atheists—Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, and Christopher Hitchens—presuppose about divine revelation. Though none of these authors discusses this concept directly, their explicit remarks about alleged divinely authored texts are based on presuppositions about what a genuine divine revelation would be like if God existed. These explicit remarks are contained in their content- and origin-based arguments for the conclusion that no book (Bible, Qur’ān, or Book of Mormon) was authored by God. The former arguments emphasize allegedly problematic textual inclusions and omissions and the latter arguments stress the allegedly problematic role of humans in the production of these texts. Criticism of their presuppositions focuses on problems with their hermeneutical assumptions and exegetical practices and also on their failure to consider the possibility of progressive revelation, dual (divine–human) authorship of the Bible, and alternative divine purposes and strategies for communicating with humans.

The Bible and the Military

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward Waggoner
Keyword(s):  
Public Institutions ◽  
Material Objects ◽  
Divine Revelation ◽  
American Military ◽  
The Bible ◽  
Us Military ◽  
The World ◽  
Role Of Religion ◽  
The Military

This chapter explores three ways that “the Bible” and the military interrelate in America. Editions of the Bible targeted for distribution among American military personnel have taken a number of different material forms. Military-edition Bibles are material objects that tell stories in which God, divine revelation, the military, and the nation acquire meanings together. Military Bibles also function as “place-holders” for “religion,” in broader disagreements about the role of religion in American public institutions. Finally, narratives about American distribution of Bibles to nations abroad—with, through, or after US military action—convey views about America’s power and purpose in the world, and what religion has to do with it.

Joseph Smith and the Bible

2009 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  
pp. 24-40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kent P. Jackson
Keyword(s):  
Joseph Smith ◽  
The Past ◽  
Book Of Mormon ◽  
The Bible ◽  
Religious System ◽  
Prophetic Authority ◽  
Newspaper Editorials

AbstractWith regard to sacred books, Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism (1805 – 1844), is best known for his publication of the Book of Mormon, as a history comparable to the Bible, and for other texts he put forth as divine revelations. These volumes established the unique beliefs of Mormonism and set it apart from other religions. What is less well known and often overlooked by historians is the fact that virtually every aspect of Joseph Smith's career involved the Bible, which was central to his theology and to the religious system that he established – but always in ways unique to him. Priesthoods of Aaron and Melchizedek, the building of temples and the establishment of communities in promised lands are all themes for which he invoked biblical precedents. He also produced, but never published in his lifetime, a revision of the Bible itself, the result of three years of adding to and editing the text. In addition, as he taught doctrine in his correspondence, newspaper editorials and sermons, he drew his texts and illustrations from the Bible and virtually never from the Book of Mormon or his own revelations. This article explores the role of the Bible in each of these enterprises and examines the ways Joseph Smith used it in the establishment of Mormon beliefs. The article proposes that, in his extensive use of the Bible, he was making a statement regarding his prophetic authority and his relationship to prophets and scriptures of the past.

Africa and the Biblical Period

1971 ◽  
Vol 64 (4) ◽  
pp. 483-500 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert A. Bennett
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Theological Education ◽  
Religious Faith ◽  
Black Theology ◽  
Human Condition ◽  
Divine Revelation ◽  
Association Of Theological Schools ◽  
The Bible ◽  
God's Word

The Holy Bible represents the literary deposit of the Hebrew people's faith in God's intervention within human history to liberate them and mankind from physical and spiritual bondage. Even though this divine revelation was given to a specific people at a specific time within history, its power and hoped-for fulfillment continues to be the basis of religious faith for Jew and Christian alike. Consequently, the most potent aspect of the Scriptures for the Black community in Africa and the Americas is its present meaning and revelation for us in our struggle today for physical and spiritual liberation. The particularity of the mode of biblical revelation — the witness of a specific people at a particular point in history — suggests that the medium is also the message, namely, that God's word is intended for identifiable situations rather than to be taken as amorphous, generalized truth having little to do with the specifics of the human condition. The American Association of Theological Schools' journal, Theology Today, Vol. 6, No. 3 (Spring, 1970) plus Supplement, turns its attention to this question of the divine revelation and a specific human situation under the title of “The Black Religious Experience and Theological Education.” James Cone, A Black Theology of Liberation (New York: Lippincott, 1970), offers a forceful argument for the biblical basis of the present black social and spiritual revolution. See also, J. Deotis Roberts, Liberation and Reconciliation: A Black Theology (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1971). However, while the hermeneutical task of proclaiming God's word to contemporary ears is of the greater importance — it is ontologically prior, there is also the necessity — chronologically prior — of adequately describing the Biblical word on the basis of its own setting. Dean Krister Stendahl has given classic statement to the fundamental role of the descriptive process, of what the Bible “meant,” before we take up what it “means,” in his article on “Contemporary Biblical Theology,” Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible, Vol. I (New York: Abingdon, 1962). Black consciousness is ultimately informed and inspired by the biblical message, but it also has some questions which it would address to Holy Scripture. Among these questions are those concerning the African presence in the Bible and the role of Africa in the period of biblical revelation.

Inspiration

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerald O’Collins, SJ
Keyword(s):  
Old Testament ◽  
Biblical Interpretation ◽  
Karl Barth ◽  
Divine Revelation ◽  
Authorial Intention ◽  
The Bible ◽  
The New Testament ◽  
Christian Worship

This book anchors its study of inspiration firmly in the Scriptures themselves, and examines both the inspired nature of the Bible and its inspiring impact. It begins by evaluating classical views of biblical inspiration expounded by Karl Barth and Raymond Collins. It then takes up the inspired origin of the Old Testament, where earlier books helped to inspire later books, before moving to the New Testament, which throughout shows the inspiring impact of the inherited Scriptures—both in direct quotations and in many echoes. The work then moves to the Bible’s inspiring influence on Christian worship, preaching, teaching, the visual arts, literature, and life. After a chapter that clarifies the interrelationship between divine revelation, tradition, and inspiration, two chapters expound ten characteristics of biblical inspiration, with special emphasis on the inspiring quality of the Bible. The book explains a major consequence of inspiration, biblical truth, and the grounds on which Christians ‘canonized’ the Scriptures. After spelling out three approaches to biblical interpretation (the authorial intention, the role of readers, and the primacy of the text itself), the work ends by setting out ten principles for engaging theologically with the Scriptures. An epilogue highlights two achievements of the book. By carefully distinguishing (but not separating) inspiration from divine revelation and biblical truth, it can deliver readers from false problems. The book also underlines the inspiring effects of the Scriptures as part of the Holy Spirit’s work of inspiration.

The Quranic Jesus: Prophet and Scapegoat

2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 183-220
Author(s):  
John Ranieri
Keyword(s):  
Major Theme ◽  
The Bible ◽  
Christian Understanding ◽  
The Way

A major theme in René Girard’s work involves the role of the Bible in exposing the scapegoating practices at the basis of culture. The God of the Bible is understood to be a God who takes the side of victims. The God of the Qur’an is also a defender of victims, an idea that recurs throughout the text in the stories of messengers and prophets. In a number of ways, Jesus is unique among the prophets mentioned in the Qur’an. It is argued here that while the Quranic Jesus is distinctly Islamic, and not a Christian derivative, he functions in the Qur’an in a way analogous to the role Jesus plays in the gospels. In its depiction of Jesus, the Qur’an is acutely aware of mimetic rivalry, scapegoating, and the God who comes to the aid of the persecuted. Despite the significant differences between the Christian understanding of Jesus as savior and the way he is understood in the Qur’an, a Girardian interpretation of the Qur’anic Jesus will suggest ways in which Jesus can be a bridge rather than an obstacle in Christian/Muslim dialogue.

Argumentation theory: competition between modern research approaches

2018 ◽  
pp. 77-87
Author(s):  
Анатолий Мигунов ◽  
Anatoliy Migunov ◽  
Елена Лисанюк ◽  
Elena Lisanyuk
Keyword(s):  
Social Life ◽  
Critical Discussion ◽  
Procedural Semantics ◽  
Social Success ◽  
Large Structures ◽  
Criteria Importance ◽  
Practical Argumentation ◽  
Argumentative Structure ◽  
Theory Competition

To overcome the crisis in the sphere of argumentation studies, the project proposes a logical-cognitive concept of argumentation which is a compound formalized theory that includes formalisms for modeling argumentation of different types, a relevant conceptual framework and a methodology for the use of scientific research in the practice. Three types of argumentation are defined: theoretical (two types) and practical. Theoretical argumentation is a critical discussion of the agents’ knowledge and opinions about facts aimed to substantiate a certain view or to change it – i.e. persuasion. Practical argumentation is a critical discussion of opinions about actions which includes, in addition to the statements about knowledge and opinions, statements of a non-descriptive nature about the agents’ values and intentions to adhere to a certain line of behavior. The study of argumentation needs to focus on the large structures that reflect specifics of the criticism and defense of the positions of the parties. An atom unit of such study is the argument as a statement of reason, while its molecular elements are the argumentative structure of a dispute (frame), a multitude of arguments that express the parties’ positions, a multitude of the agents’ knowledge and opinions that act as the bases for the formation of positions, lines of behavior, etc. Within the framework of this trend, both indefeasible (deductive) and defeasible argumentations can be studied. The argumentation effectiveness can be assessed based on the procedural semantics and using analogues of such logical notions as consistency and completeness. Modern approaches to the argumentation, including those claiming the compound status, can be classified using two methods: based on the substantive and practical criteria. Importance of the research outcomes amounts to the theoretical and methodological role of the new conception of argumentation and the general “umbrella” term argumentation that allows systematizing the manifold research and educational approaches and concepts in this field and is associated with communicative nature of modern social life where efficiency and social success rely on argumentative and narrative competences.

Divine Words, Female Voices

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jerusha Tanner Lamptey
Keyword(s):  
Jesus Christ ◽  
Theological Anthropology ◽  
Feminist Theology ◽  
Muslim Women ◽  
Divine Revelation ◽  
The Bible ◽  
Women Scholars ◽  
Female Voices ◽  
Divine Words ◽  
Vital Resource

Interreligious feminist engagement is a legitimate and vital resource for Muslim women scholars seeking to articulate egalitarian interpretations of Islamic traditions and practices. Acknowledging very real challenges within interreligious feminist engagement, Divine Words, Female Voices: Muslima Explorations in Comparative Feminist Theology uses the method of comparative feminist theology to skillfully navigate these challenges, avoid impositions of absolute similarity, and propose new, constructive insights in Muslima theology. Divine Words, Female Voices reorients the comparative theological conversation around the two “Divine Words,” around the Qur’an and Jesus Christ, rather than Prophet Muhammad and Jesus Christ, or the Qur’an and the Bible. Building on this analogical foundation, it engages diverse Muslim and Christian feminist, womanist, and mujerista voices on a variety of central theological themes. Divine Words, Female Voices explores intersections, discontinuities, and resultant insights that arise in relation to divine revelation; textual hermeneutics of the hadith and Bible; Prophet Muhammad and Mary as feminist exemplars; theological anthropology and freedom; and ritual prayer, tradition, and change.

Alcohol Use Disorder

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Igor Ponomarev
Keyword(s):  
Alcohol Use ◽  
Alcohol Use Disorder ◽  
Critical Discussion ◽  
Epigenetic Mechanisms ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Clinically Significant ◽  
Early Life Exposures ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Epigenetic Research

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is characterized by clinically significant impairments in health and social function. Epigenetic mechanisms of gene regulation may provide an attractive explanation for how early life exposures to alcohol contribute to the development of AUD and exert lifelong effects on the brain. This chapter provides a critical discussion of the role of epigenetic mechanisms in AUD etiology and the potential of epigenetic research to improve diagnosis, evaluate risks for alcohol-induced pathologies, and promote development of novel therapies for the prevention and treatment of AUD. Challenges of the current epigenetic approaches and future directions are also discussed.

Scripturalizing and the Second Amendment

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosamond C. Rodman
Keyword(s):  
White Women ◽  
White Children ◽  
The Bible ◽  
Second Amendment ◽  
The Us ◽  
The Status ◽  
Us Constitution ◽  
Half Decade

Expanding beyond the text of the Bible, this chapter explores instead a piece of political scripture, namely the Second Amendment of the US Constitution. Over the last half-decade, the Second Amendment has come to enjoy the status of a kind of scripture-within-scripture. Vaulted to a much more prominent status than it had held in the first 150 years or so of its existence, and having undergone a remarkable shift in what most Americans think it means, the Second Amendment provides an opportunity to examine the linguistic, racial, and gendered modes by which these changes were effected, paying particular attention to the ways in which white children and white women were conscripted into the role of the masculine, frontier-defending US citizen.

Witches and Forgers

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott Mandelbrote
Keyword(s):  
Seventeenth Century ◽  
Old Testament ◽  
Republic Of Letters ◽  
The Bible ◽  
God's Word ◽  
1 Samuel ◽  
The Witch

Scepticism and loyalty represent the poles of van Dale’s career. Two contexts have been mentioned as relevant here: the seventeenth-century attack on magic and superstition, and the circles of friendship that created a contemporary Republic of Letters. This chapter evaluates both contexts, as well as others that may throw light on his relatively neglected attitude to the text of the Bible. It brings into focus two important intellectual episodes: his treatment of the account of the Witch of Endor (1 Samuel 28:3–25), and his engagement with Hellenistic sources relating to the text of the Old Testament, especially to the miraculous composition of the Septuagint. These issues brought van Dale to ask questions about God’s Word. The chapter explores the limits of his scepticism, the extent of his scholarship, and the role of friendship and isolation in his development. Finally, it draws attention to his place in contemporary Mennonite debates.

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