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Today we see the Quran being used by some to justify war and terrorism, the Torah to deny Palestinians the right to live in the Land of Israel, and the Bible to condemn homosexuality and contraception. The holy texts at the centre of all religious traditions are often employed selectively to underwrite arbitrary and subjective views. They are believed to be divinely ordained; they are claimed to contain eternal truths.
But as Karen Armstrong, a world authority on religious affairs, shows in this fascinating journey through millennia of history, this narrow reading of scripture is a relatively recent phenomenon. For hundreds of years these texts were instead viewed as spiritual tools- scripture was a means for the individual to connect with the divine, to transcend their physical existence, and to experience a higher level of consciousness. Holy texts were seen as fluid and adaptable, rather than a set of binding archaic rules or a 'truth' that has to be 'believed'. Armstrong argues that only by rediscovering an open engagement with their holy texts will the world's religions be able to curtail arrogance, intolerance and violence. And if scripture is used to engage with the world in more meaningful and compassionate ways, we will find that it still has a great deal to teach us. -- from jacket flap
Table of Contents: Introduction
Part one. Cosmos and society --
Israel: remembering in order to belong --
India: sound and silence --
China: the primacy of ritual --
Part two. Mythos --
New story; new self --
Empathy --
Unknowing --
Canon --
Midrash --
Embodiment --
Recitation and intentio --
Ineffability --
Part three. Logos --
Sola scriptura --
Sola ratio --
Post-scripture.
FY2020 /
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"Today the Quran is used by some to justify war and acts of terrorism, the Torah to deny Palestinians the right to live in the Land of Israel, and the Bible to condemn homosexuality and contraception. The significance of Scripture--the holy texts at the centre of all religious traditions--may not be immediately obvious in our secular world but its misunderstanding is perhaps the root cause of most of today's controversies over religion. In this timely and important book, one of the world's leading commentators on religious affairs examines the meaning of Scripture. Today holy texts are not only used selectively to underwrite sometimes arbitrary and subjective views: they are seen to prescribe ethical norms and codes of behaviour that are divinely ordained--they are believed to contain eternal truths. But as Karen Armstrong shows in this fascinating trawl through millennia of religious history, this peculiar reading of Scripture is a relatively recent, modern phenomenon--and in many ways, a reaction to a hostile secular world. For most of their history, the world's religious traditions have regarded these texts as tools for the individual to connect with the divine, to transcend their physical existence, and to experience a higher level of consciousness that helped them to engage with the world in more meaningful and compassionate ways. Scripture was not a 'truth' that had to be 'believed.' Armstrong argues that only if the world's religious faiths rediscover such an open and spiritual engagement with their holy texts can they curtail the arrogance, intolerance and violence that flows from a narrow reading of Scripture as truth."--… (more)
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In religion distinct traditions have diverse ideas about the sacred. The sacred assumes various forms. Karen Armstrong deals with this diversity and reflects about the distinct ways to interpret sacred texts and rituals. She examines Chinese, Indian, Muslim and Christian (East
Interestingly, unlike another reviewer, I found the last chapter the
Another interesting aspect of Armstrong’s work is the recognition that all faith traditions e.g., Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Daoism, and indigenous religious, all profess the major tenet of the Golden Rule. People ought to do unto others as they wish to be done to themselves. These faiths uphold the tradition of how to live compassionately in the world.
Throughout the text Armstrong stresses the tension that exists between a right and left brain dichotomy. The right brain is myth - poetry, and music. Ancient scripture was transmitted orally. It was dramatized, and acted out for groups. In the past there weren’t books or scriptural sources like the canons that were recorded later. Eventually scripture was codified, no longer was it only to be committed to memory. The Quran itself means “recitation.” When Muhammad received these sutras he was told to recite them. It was long after his death that these same sutras were recalled, and formed the basis of the Islamic cannon.
As for the right brain there were ramifications that didn’t sit too well. By the 18th century the emphasis was on rational thinking. Religious critics began looking at the discoveries in science as a way of interpreting scripture. Many of the scientific humanists saw scripture as untrue. Their myths were considered falsehoods. These critics concluded the stories of the Hebrew bible and the Quran were untrue and ought to be dismissed. But Armstrong pointed out that myths and science have different roles in our understanding. These approaches accomplish special goals. That’s why Armstrong explained that some theologians brought understanding to myths through Midrash. Verses are often strung together to give them meaning. That’s why it’s necessary when reading scripture theologians and lay readers alike should take a holistic approach to find its meaning.