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A study of world ethics could not possibly be complete without an examination of the Judeo-Christian view. Since the textbook that we are studying out of does not include a chapter covering the topic, our professor rightly added readings to compensate for the horrendous oversight on the author of our text.


Now if only those readings had come from an unbiased source! The book she photocopied chapters out of was Ten Theories of Human Nature by Leslie Stevenson. The reading selection was a classic example of a heavily skewed, relativistic-atheist view. If you want to read it out of curiosity, be sure to look it up. I may dive into the selection in greater detail in a future, but that is not the purpose of this present post.


But for now, here's a breakdown of an assignment from those readings, and my teacher's response:



Assignment: Biblical and Qur’anic Reading Check

Answer the following questions in your own words.

Questions are in bold, my answers are in normal text.

1) It has been claimed by at least one author that there is no such thing as an objective, neutral view of the Bible. Why?
He claims that there is no such thing as an objective view of the Bible because we all have preconceived notions and experiences that all influence what we believe about the book. However, if that is the case, then we have preconceived notions and experiences about almost everything in the universe that we have encountered to any degree before. So can we have an objective, neutral view of anything? Maybe not. But I do not think that our lack of a neutral starting point prevents us from determining the objective truth of the situation and then changing our viewpoint. By the same degree, we should be very capable of determining the objective truth about a certain text, and then be able to change our view if it needs to be changed.

2) How does the first version of the creation story (Genesis 1—2:3) differ from the second (Genesis 2:4—24)?
The writer claims that because the plural word “elohim” is used in the first chapter and the singular word “Yahweh” is used in the second chapter that the creation story must have been constructed from two different sources. This is simply not the case. If the author gave a full view of the Bible and/or had an accurate knowledge of the trinity, he would know that God exists as three individual persons in one. For instance, in the beginning of John (which parallels the construction of Genesis 1), John writes that “In the beginning was the Word (Logos, capital L, referring to Jesus), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.” Instead of the misguided conception that these were pulled from different texts, it is more logical to note that this is just more scriptural evidence for the Trinity.

The author(s) also note that the circumstances related in the two passages are different. In the first they note that man and woman appear to be created together, and in the second that man came before woman, and that God made woman from a rib taken from Adam’s side. The authors apparently believe that this indicates the two passages were taken from different manuscripts originally authored by different people.

However, this definitely does not need to be the case. Many noted academics, theologians, textual critics, et. al. agree that this is most likely a zoomed in view of an important event. The first chapter (roughly) gives the broad view of the creation story. In 2:4, the author zooms in for a close up of the most important part, the creation of man. This isn’t an uncommon literary technique, and there is no reason why the whole text of Genesis could not have been penned by the same person.

3) According to both the Jewish and Christian religious traditions, creation starts out as perfect but changes for the worse. How and why?
Man disobeys God and by doing so brings sin into the world. Why they do this, I really don’t know, but they wanted to become like God and know “the knowledge of good and evil.”

4) What problems arise when we try to use “The Bible” as a guide to solving moral problems or questions?
I would just like to point out that your question begs the question, “DO problems arise when we try to use “The Bible” as a guide to solving moral problems or questions?” Your question assumes that they do although that’s not necessarily the case.

However, I’ll play along and say that problems COULD arise from differing interpretations of the text, and that there could be disagreements on what is right and wrong because of them.

5) What similarities do you find between the Biblical selections and those from the Qur’an?
-Adam is involved in naming the animals.
-Adam lived in the garden with his wife and ate from its produce.
-Satan plays a crucial role by deceiving the humans into eating of the tree in order to become like God.
-After they become aware of their nakedness, they try to sew together leaves to create clothes.
-Pharaoh drowning in the sea.
-Israelites building a calf while Moses was away.
-Noah saved from the flood in the Ark.
-Moses meeting with God on the mountain.
-Laws given to Moses on tablets.
-Hell is reserved for sinners and Satan.
-There is a specific, appointed time when judgment will take place.

6) What differences do you find between the creation stories presented in the Bible and in the Qur’an?
-In the Qur’an, Allah taught Adam the names of the animals, while in the Bible Adam named them himself.
-In the Qur’an, Allah placed something evil on the Earth.
-Eve is never mentioned by name in the Qur’an.

Some Things to Think About:
Why do Christians believe in the Bible and Muslims believe in the Qur’an? What consequences might, or should, this have regarding religious belief, differences in beliefs, using religious beliefs as the basis for non-religious law, etc.?

My Professor's Response:
Serious problem with your answers to #1, #2, and #4. Your answers to those questions serve as very good proof regarding the author's claim regarding the impossibility of a neutral view. You are, of course, free to believe as you choose (and should), but please do not allow your beliefs to blind you to new knowledge. In particular, regarding #4, don't you think the ongoing debate over abortion, the role of women in the church, the death penalty, and other controversies serve as examples of the "problems" mentioned?

My grade: 3 out of 6

My Thoughts
I in no way thought that by my disagreement I was exhibiting blindness to new knowledge. Rather, I gave the information that I thought she was looking for, and then proceeded to tell her why I thought some of the assumptions were illogical. If I didn't spend much time grappling with any of the questions above, it was because I've grappled with them in the past.

Just because some photocopied chapter, out of a book that she didn't even take the time to cite, presented a number of unsubstantiated claims doesn't mean I have to respond by saying "Woe is me, my whole world view is crumbling under the pressure of one author's biased opinion without any support from outside sources." Give me more than just conjecture, give me proof! Give me a sound argument that I can't refute!

Furthermore, I don't think it is fair at all to give me a failing grade on the assignment (even if it isn't weighted heavily) just because I disagreed. Even in my disagreement I tried to at least mention the opposing views provided by the text.
  
Class Discussion
Thankfully, when the time for class discussion came around, our professor had slightly rephrased question #4 to take a more moderate stance. For the purposes of our discussion, the question read:

"There are numerous problems connected with interpreting and assessing ideas found within the Bible. What are some of them?"

While I would still like to edit it further and say that "there are numerous potential problems..." the question is much better stated by eliminating the question of whether or not moral dilemmas can be answered from the Bible and instead turning to issues of translation and interpretation.

This unit of readings, lectures, and discussion is evidence of how important it is to know what you believe and why you believe it. Over the course of my college career, I find that again and again my faith is held together by understanding what exactly it is that I believe, the reasons I have for believing it, and then being able to examine other theories and philosophies and understand the merits of flaws they contain.

In our day and age, critical thinking is at a premium, and if you don't take time to analyze what you hear, you are at the mercy of those with the talent of convincing delivery. That is why we write these articles here on Cranial Collision: to help you (and us) think!

Your Turn: What do you think is most important for the Christian to know when they enter the college classroom?