and Francis Collins about whether science and religion are compatible. Because I'm currently halfway through both of these men's recent books, I found it to be particularly interesting. If you're interested in such discussions, go to the Fresh Air site and listen to these interviews. (Grandpa Paul, I particularly thought of you while listening.)
7 comments:
I heard Dawkins' interview and I was impressed with how curtious and open he is. He didn't convert me, but I never got the impression that he looks down on people of fait.
I missed most of Collns' interview. Hope I can catch it again later. Since I'm not an evangelical, I probably won't agree 100% with him either, but what I did hear was a scientist who is interested in doing good science. It's very important that scientists look for what they can find and not try to prove someone's faith. The sun would still be orbitting us if we did things that way. For that matter, the Earth would still be flat.
I really enjoyed listening to these Kelly! I liked Dawkins take on the Bible--to be taught to children as a work of fiction to help them understand the culture.
I think I need to listen to Collins again because I was fairly distracted. It seemed to me that some of his statements were actually still from an atheist's viewpoint--could be my selective listening while trying to pay the bills. ;)
Dawkins didn't say teach the Bible as fiction," he said teach the Bible as literature.
The Bible is mythology, and mytholgy is shelved in the non-fiction section of the library.
Mytholgy isn't history, but it does contain essential truths about our culture and our values. It tells you about where you came from, and I would argue that it often gives examples of behavior that is approved of in context, but shows you exactly how not to behave.
There's much to be learned from mythology, and not all of it was what the writers meant to teach.
I have always loved mythology. And have always believed the Bible falls into that catagory. If you explained the big bang theory to those people they would have not understood it, as many do not now. But they would not understood what causes infection,heart diease or cancer. I believe that the more knowlege, the more we delope our intellect the better we are. I will be sending you a funny email
what dreams, I stand corrected--you are right on the terminology. :^)
I am mostly intrigued with the idea about teaching the bible at all when I don't believe it, it just made sense to me about learning the cultural aspects. Thank you for correcting my words, I did not intend to ruffle feathers. :^)
No feathers ruffled at all Nanette. I'm just an old English major who can't spell but has to get the terms right.
I don't believe "The Illiad" either, at least not as historically acurate fact. But there is some truth there, even some historical truth is burried deep within the poem.
What intrigues me most about this story is that Homer doesn't take sides. Both the Trojans and the Spartans have heros. And when you read it with a twenty-first century mind, you can see where the impulse for war comes from and you can understand why war is such a tragic waste.
There's much to be learned from mythology.
The most interesting class I took in college(40+ years ago) was world literature. The winter quarter was the study of the King James version of the bible. This at that time was the only version that was considered literature. It is beautiful.( what dreams isn't only one in the family that can't spell)
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