lISTENING TO jORDAN pETERSON'S LECTURE ON THE BIBLE, i TGHINK IT'S THE FIRST ONE. i'D HEARD PART OF IT BEFORE BUT A LONG TIME AGO SO i'M LISTENING AGAIN FROM THE BEGINNING. pROBABY WON'T GET THROUGH MUCH OF IT. wHAT'S INTERESTING IN PARTICULAR AGBOUT IT IS THTA HE'DS OING THE KIND OF THINKING UNBELIEVERS DO IN TRYING TO UNDERSTAND THE BIG QUESTIONS. fREOM THAT POINT OF VIEW YOU CAN ONLY START FROM YOUR OWN EXPERIENCE, OF COURSE FAMILIARIZING YOURSELF WITH THE SAME SORT OF THINKING DONE BY OTHERS AS EWELL, BUT THE POINT IS THAT YOU CAN ONLY START FROM ERSONA EXPERIENCE BECAUSE NOBODY HAS GIVEN YOU A MANUAL OF INTRUXTTIONS SUCH AS YOU WOULD GET WITH SAY A NEW MACHINE YOU NEED TO LEARN HOW TO OPERTAE. yOU HAVE ONLY YOUR OWN VERY LIMITED EXPERIENCES IN THIS WORLD, YOUR OWN MIND AND FEELINGS, AND THOSE OF OTHERS ALONG THE SAME LINES.
yOU CAN'T THINK ANY OTHER WAY IF YOU AREN'T A BELIEVER. THAT'S WHAT ALL PHNILOSOPHY IS ABOUT THAT ISN'T BEUILT ON BIBLICAL REVELATION, OR ACTIVELY REJECTS IT. bECAUSE THAT REVELATION does GIVEYOU A MANUAL OF INTSTRUCTIONS AND EXPLANATIONS IFYOU ACCEPT IT ON ITS OWN TERMS. i WAS IN MY FORTIES WHEN i FINALLY CAME TO BELIEVE IN gOD AND RECOGNIZED THE VBIBLE AS hIS WORD TO BE WHOLLY TRUSTED. bUT BEFORE THAT i COULD ONLY THINK AS pETSON THINKS. hE PARTCULARLY LIKES nIETZSCHE AND jUNG AND TAKES THEM AS FOUNDATIONS FOR HIS THINKING. hE APPRECIATES THE bIBLE VERY MUCH BUT IN A WAY THAT IS COMPLETELY ALIEN TO THE APPRECIATION OF A BLIEVER WHO OF COURSE TAKES IT ON ITS OWN TERMS AND AVOIDS IMPOSING ANYTHING ALIEN TO IT ON ATTEMPTS TO UNDERSTAND IT. bUT ALL pETERSON CAN DO IS IMPOSE HIS ALIEN THOUGHTS ON IT IN HIS ATTEMPTS TO UNDERSTAND IT.
hE CALLS IT A STRANGE OLD BOOK. hE CALLS IT CONTREADICTORY. hE CLAIMS WE DON'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT IT, HOW IT CAME ABOUT, WHO IT BGOT PUT TOGETHER, WHY IT HAS EXERTED SUCH INFLUENCE ON WESTERN CULTURE AND SO ON. fUNNY HOW HE TALKS ABOUT "WE" HAVING USCH AN ATTITUDE TOWARD IT, AS IF THE COUPLE BILLION OF US WHO TAKE IT ON ITS OWN TERMS DON'T EXIST. wE AREN'T HIS "WE" FOR SOME REASON. hIS "WE" IS THE SECULAR WORLD, THE WORLD THAT PUTS SCIENCE ABOVE EVERYTHING ELSE. hE WANTS TO TREAT THE bIBLE WITH RESPECT AS AN IMPORTANT FOUNDATION OF OUR CULTURE BUT HE CAN'T UNDERSTAND IT THE WAY BELIEVERS DO SO IT HAS TO PUZZLE HIM THAT IT WAS EVER TAKEN SERIOUSLY OR BELIEVED, HE JUST KNOWS THAT IT EXERTED A GREAT INFLUENCE AND THAT MAKES IT IMPORTANT AND WORTHY OF RESPECT. wELL, THAT'S SOMETHING i GUESS.
i MAY BE WRONG ABOUT THAT COUPLE BILLION SINCE MOST OF THOSE ARE cATHOLICS AND i'M NOT SURE HOW MANYU OF THEM REGARD THE bIBLE AS gOD'S WORD OR READ IT AT ALL FOR THAT MATTER SINCE THEY GET THEIR cHRISTIANITY MOSTLY IN THE FORM OF THE LITETURGY IN THEIR CHURCHES. i THINK THAT'S HOW, THOUGHJ MAYBE THERE'S MORE TO IT. iN maMERICA CATHOLICS READ THE BIBLE AND IN MANY WAYS ACT MORE LIKE pROTESTANTS, I GUESS BECAUSE WE ARE A pROTESTANT COUNTRY. sTILL THEY WANT TO HOLD ONTO THE PAGAN PARTS OF THEIR RELIGION, LIKE THE ROSARY, PRAYERS THEY LEARNED ASC CHILDREN AND SO ON. wELL, OF COURSE, IF YOUR PARTENTS TAUGHT YOU THE PRAYERS OF THE ROSARY IT'S HARD TO FIND FAULT WITH THEM. yOU REMEMBER THEM FONDLY FROM YOUR CHILDHOOD AND ALL THAT. aND PRAYERS TO MARY, AND LIGHTING CANDLES AND MAKING THE SIGN OF THE CROSS AND DIPPING YOUR FINGERS IN THE HOLY ATER WHEN YOU IENTER THE CHURCH, AND BACK A FEW DECADES NOT EATING MEAT ON fRIDAYS AND SO ON AND SO FORTH. tHE SCRIPTURE SAYS THAT FORBIDDING TO EAT MEAT AND FORBIDDING TO MARRY ARE DOCTRINES OF DEMONS AND THAT'S PRETTY CLEARLY REFERRING TO THE CATHOLIC cHURCH SO iDON'T KNOW WHAT THEYDO WITH THAT ONE.
aNYWAY, pETERSON ADMIRES THE BIBLE IN MANY WAYS ALTHOUGH HE REJECTS IT AS THE REVELATION OF TRUTH AND THE REALITY OF GOD BELIEVRES KNOW IT TO BE. hE'S WRONG ABOUG MANY OF THOSE THINGS HE SAYS AT THE BEGINNING. wE ACTUALLY DO KNOW WHERE IT CAME FROM, WHPO PRESERVED IT AND HOW AND WHY AND HOW IT BECAME A COLLECTION THAT BECAME A BOOK AND WHY IT HAD SUCH A POWERFUL INFLUENCE ON WESTERN CIVILICATION, ALL OF WHICH HE THINKS WE DON'T KNOW. i GUESS HIS "WE" DOESN'T KOW IT, BUT MY "WE" DOES KNOW IT.
hIS SERIES ON THE bIBLE IS AN ATTEMPT TO UNDERSTAND IT FROM A PSCYHOLOGICAL POINT OF VIEW, IT'S PSYCHOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE AS HE PUTS IT. THE PROBLEM WITH THAT IS THAT ITS SPYCHOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE AS HE PUTS IT TOGETHER IS GOING TO UNDERMINE ITS TRUE SIGNIFICANCE, WHICH IS AS A REELATION OF THE SUPERNATURAL gOD AND hIS PLAN FOR THIS WORLD AND HUMAN BEINGS. SO FOR INSTANCE HE INTERPRETS THE RAISING OF THE IMAGE OF THE SERPENT FOR THE PEOPLE TO LOOK ON IT WHEN THEY HAD BEEN BITTEN BY SERPENTS BEAUSE OF THEIR SIN AGAINST gOD, HE INTERPRETS THAT AS THE IMPORTANCE OF LOOKING ON OUR FAULTS AND PROBLEMS OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT AS A WAY TO COPE WITH THEM OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. I FOGET WSHAT HE ACTUALLY SAID. bUT IN FACT IT IS A SUPERNATURAL EVENT. lOOKING ON THE SERPENT ACTUALLY CURSES THE PEOPLE OF THE SERPENT BITES WHICH WOULD OTHERWISE KILL THEM. HE APPRECIATES THAT JESUS REFERS TO THAT INCIDENT WHEN HE SAYS THE sON FO mAN MUST BE LIFTED UP AS THE SERPENT WAS IN THE WILDERNESS, THAT'S A PEICTURE OF OUR SALVATION, AND IT TOOK IS SUPERNATURAL, BUT pETERSON CAN ONLY UNDERSTND IT AS A SORT OF METAPHOR FOR LOOKING INTO OUR OWN SINS OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT AS A KEY TO LIVING RIGHTLY IN THIS WORLD.
THAT DISCUSSION WAS IN AOTHER VIDEO, NOT THE bIBLE LECTURE. aND ALSO IN ANOTHER VIDEO HE INTERPRETS jESUS SAYING WE MUST BECOME AS LITTLE CHILDREN IN TERMS OF BECOMEING PLAYFUL OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT AS CHIDLREN ARE. uH, NO. i BELIEVE THE MAIN POINT IS THAT CHILDREN ARE HELPLESS AND ULTTERLY DEPENDENT ON OTHERS TO TAKE CARE OF THEM IN EVERY DAWAY AND THAT'S HOW WE ARE TO READ THE bIBLE AND BE BELIEVERS IN hIS SACRIFICE FOR US AND ALL OF IT, AS UTTERLY TDEPENDENT ON gOD AND WITHOUT ANY MEANS OF OUR OWN TO SAVE ORUSELVES. wHEN WE READ THE bIBLE FOR INSTANCE WE MUST SIMPLY TAKE IT AT ITS WORD, WE ARE NOT TO DOUBETHINK IT AS pETERSON DOES AND IMPOSE OUR OWN WORLDLY THOUGHTS ON IT, WE ARE SIMPLY TO TAKE IT AS GIVEN. tHERE ARE PLETNY OF THINGS WE'LL HAVE TROUBLE UNDERSTNDING BUT THOSE WE HAVE TO EXPECT WILL BE MADE CLEAR IN TIME IF WE REMAIN FAITHFUL AND JUST TAKE IT AT ITS WORD. tgHE COMPLETE OPPOSITE OF HOW pETERSONIS APPROACHING THE BIBLE.
iNNOCENT TRUST, THAT'S THE KEY. nOT COMPLEX REASONING AND DEEP THINKING ABOUT OUR PSYCHOLOGICAL CONDITION. pLENTY OF SOPHISTICATION, OR DEEP KNOWLEDGE GROWS OUT OF THAT INNOCENT TRUST BUT THAT'S THE PLACE IT MUST BEGIN, WE ARE NOT TO IMPOSE OUR OWN THINKIING ON IT.
tHIS IS A FALLEN WORLD. pETERSON CAN ONLY THINK AS A FALLEN MAN, HE IS LIMITED BY THAT MIND AND BY HIS EXPERIENCE IN THE FALLEN WORLD, WHICH HE ALONG WITH MOST OF FALLEN HUMANITY TAKE AS ALL THERE IS. tHIS IS IT, THIS IS tHE wORLD, THERE ISNO OTHER, WE HAVE TO FIGURE OTU WHERE WE CAME FROM ON OUR OWN ETC. sO WE CAME UP WITH EVOLUTION. jESUS BROUGHT THE REMEDY FOR FALLENNESS, hIS OWN SINLESS LIFE AND hIS DEATH ON TH CROSS ON OUR PLACE. bELIEVING THAT IS THE CONCEPTION OF THE NEW NBORTH WHICDH QUICKENS, BRINGS TO LIFE, RESTROES, THE SPIRITUAL FACULTY TO US THAT WE LOST AT THE fALL WHEN OUR FIRST PARENTS DISOBEYED gOD. bELIEVE AND ETERNAL LIFE WILL BE YOURS. iN REALITY. aND YOU WILL BEGIN TO KNOW THINGS YOU NEVER BEFORE BDREAMED OF FOR HALF A SECOND.
pETERSON HS SOME INTERESTING THINGS TO SAY ABOUT HOW THE MIND WORKS AND HOW WE CONSTRUCT REALITY FROM WITHIN THIS FALLEN FRAME OF REFERNECE, ALTHOUGH OF COURSE HE DOEN'ST THINK OF IT AS ANYTHING BUT THE REAL WORLD AND THAT THERE IS NOTHING ELSE. bUT ANYWAY HE IS AN INTERESTING THINKER WITHINT THAT FRAME OF REFERENCE BUT ONLY A BORN AGAIN cHRISTIAN CAN KNOW WHAT IT'S REALL ALL ABOUT. nOT THAT WE NECESSARIY DO BECAUSE WE NEED TO BE EXERCISED TIN THAT SORT OF THINKING TO UDNERSTND ANYTHING TOO, BUT THE POINT IS THAT WE HAVE THE NECESSARY FOUNDATION FOR IT, THE REVIVED SPIRITUAL FACULTY WHICH FALLEN MAN LACKS. jESUS SAYS IN jOHN tHREE THAT YOU CANNOT SEE THE KINGDOM OF gOD UNLESS YOU ARE BORN AGAIN, UNLESS YOU HAVE THE sPIRITU OF gOD WHICH IS OUR LEGACY AS BELIEVERS. yOU MUST BELIEVE THE BASICS ABOUT SALVATION TO RECWIVE hIM. i EMEMBER THINKING THIS IS ALL THERE IS AND i'M NOW SO HAPPY TOtO BE BORN KNOW IT ISN'T, WASN'T. wE AREN'T IN THE DARK, OR NOT AS MUCH IN THE DARK ANYWAY, AS WE WERE AS MERELY ONCE BORN FALLEN HUMAN BEINGS.
tO B BRN INTO THE FALLEN WORLD IS TO BE BORTN WITHOUT THE ABILITY TO RECOGNIZE GOD.. aND THAT'S PRETTY OBVIOUS AS MOST PEOPLE DON'T. wE LEARN ABOUT gOD BY BEING GOLD ABOUT gOD AND THEN WE BELEIVE WITHOUT ANY SENSE OF hIS REALITY. uNTIL WE ARE BORN AGAIN AND THEN THE FACULTY OF KOWING GOD IS RESTORED TO US, tHORUGH THE DEATH OF djESUS FOR US ON THE CROSS. dAWKINS WANTS EVIDENCE OF gOD AND THINGS WE CLAIMA ABOUT gOD. tHERE ISN'T ANY FOR A FALLEN MAN EXCEPT THE TESTIMONY OF OTHERS AND IF YOU REJECT THAT OUT OF HAND YOU CAN'T HAVE ANY KNOWLEDGE WHATEVER ABOUT gOD.
aNYWAY. tHOSE LAST TWO PARAGRAPHS WEREN'T WHAT i REEWANTSED TO WRITE BUT i DON'T REMEMBER WHAT i WANTED TO WRITE ANYWAY SO i'M GOING TO LEAVE THEM THERE.
correction: sOMEWHERE IN THE ABOVE POST i USE THE WORD "LEGACY" WHERE i SHOULD HAVE USED THE WORD "INHERITANCE." tHAT IS, THE hOLY sPIRIT IS OUR INHERITANCE, NOT OUR LEGACY. i CAN'T SEE WELLE NOUGH TO BGO BACK AND CORRECT IT SO i'M ADDING THIS NOTE INSTEAD.
sATURDAY: lISTENING TO MORE OF pETERSON AND JUST HAVE TO GIVE UP. tHERE'S ONLY SO MUCH i CAN TAKE OF A MAN DEFINING GOD AND CLAIMING THT'S WHAT HAS ALWAYS BEEN DONE, SINCE HE CAN'T ACCEPT THAT THE bIBLE IS SIMPLE TRUTH TO BE BELIEVED RATHER THAN A COMPLICATED TESTIMONY TO THE MENTAL MACHINATIONS OF HUMANITY. iT REALLY DOESN'T MATTER WHAT HE ENDS OUP THINKING BECAUSE IT'S SIMPLY WRONG. hE'S INTERESTING WHEN HE SPECULATES ABOUT THINGS LIKE DREAMS, WHAT THEY ARE AND WHERE THEY COME FROM BECAUSE THAT DOES'T CONTRADICT ANYTHING IN THE BIBLE THAT i KNOWORF, BUT HIS CONVICTION THAT ALL THE STUFF ABOUT gOD IS JUST A REIFICATION OF THE THOUGHTS OF HUANITY ... wELL THERE'S NO POINT IN LISTENING TO ANY MORE OF IT.
aS i POINT OUT ABOVE HE DOES SEEM TO THIK THAT "WE" HAVE ALL GIVEN UP ON THE bIBLE AS SOMETHING TO BE BELIEVED. THAT'S HOW HE TALKS ABOUT IT, WHICH IS RATHER ODD. yOU'D THINK HE WOULD KNOW THAT THERE ARE PLENTY OF US WHO DO TAKE IT JUST AS IT IS WRITTEN AND THINK OF IT AS A REVELATION OF gOD hIMSELF TO hIS MISERABLY CONFUSED HUMAN RACE. lIKE LITTLE CHILDREN WE ARE TO LEARN FROM IT THE NATURE OF gOD AND hIS WORK IN THE WORLD AND hIS PLANS FOR US AND WHAT REDEMPTION IS AND HOW WE GOT HERE AND ALL THAT. THE bOOK TAELLS US ALL THAT. hOW DO PEOPLE WHO LET THEMSELVES FOOL AROUND WITH THE BIBLE LIKE THIS LET THEMSELVES GET AWAY WITH IT? aRE THEY REALLY NOT AWARE THAT THERE IS A LONG HISTORY OF MILLIONS OF TRUE BELIEVERS IN IT AND MANY HIGHLY EDUCATED MEN WHO HAVE WRITTEN TOMES EXPLAINING ITS THEOLOGICAL MEANINGS? iS HE NOT AWARE OF THAT? iT'S MORE O LESS THE SAME QUETION i ASK ABOUT bEN sHAPIRO WITH HIS SUPEFIYINGLY WRONGHEADED NOTION ABOUT jESUS AS A jEWISH LEADER OF A REVOLT AGAINST rOME. sTUPEFYINGLY DULLWITTED. tHESE MEN HAVE READ THE BIBLE, THE NEW tESTAMENT, AND YET THEY LET THESMSELVE STHINK SUCH REDUCTIONISTIC DISTORTED THOUGHTS ABOUT IT? wELL, YEAH, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT FALLEN MEN, BUT THERE HAVE BEEN PLENTY OF FALLEN MEN WHO WOULD HAVE HESITATED TO MAKE SUCH DECLARATIONS IN THE FACE OF THWO OR FOUR THOUSDAND YEARS OF DEEP THOUGHT ABOUT IT BY BELIEVERS.
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