-Thucydites, on the Peloponnesian war, 427 BCE
For millennia, many have debated about the true meaning behind the sacred book known as The Bible. It's name, in Latin, means "The Book", and it is revered by many as the word of god himself. the bible contains many messages, and all of them have some goodness in them, but they can be interpreted in many different ways. This concept is explained well throughout the book, The Wordy Shipmates, especially through the ten commandments.
For one example, the commandment which states that one must respect their father has been seen in many ways. It can be taken literally, as an argument for one to listen to one's elders and to one's parents, but in the Group of ministers at the Massachusetts Bay Colony, they explained to others that it meant one should give respect and trust (and unquestionable obedience) to their higher authority, specifically them. The words of the bible which are clearly geared towards respecting elders in one opinion have been changed to encourage the rule of the government over the people, and a rule through religion.
If the bible is being used in this many ways, I cannot fathom how angry god must be if he truly wrote this book. Men have taken the text he wrote, and have changed it's meaqning to satisfy their own desires. By simply manipulating the words as written to their meaning, these men claim to have god almighty at their side, supporting them.
What is the point of having the bible if it is only going to be changed to fit our desires, rather than followed in order to better ourselves?
It seems to me, sadly, that the Bible has often been interpreted to suit/justify the desires of people (mostly men). Think about so called ministers who preach a "gospel of wealth" How would the Puritans (or the authors of the Bible) react to that. But then again, perhaps the differences between different Gospels is evidence at the source that the Bible is a collection of different interpretations of what God means to people.
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