Biblical Perceptions

Man lives according to how he has learnt to live and he understands according to how he has been taught to understand. Interpretation of the Bible relies heavily on this premise. The important point here is that, man's perception has a direct link to how he understands and what he understands.

A simple example of this was man's earlier understanding that the world was flat. He perceived it to be flat, so he understood it to be so. It wasn't until the perception of more open-minded men that we then understood that the world was indeed a globe. The understanding of the Bible faces the same challenges.

First of all, the numerous translations which the Bible has endured, has only aided in losing the original intent and meaning of the texts. Here again, the perceptions and understandings of those who translate, has a direct impact on the outcome of the translation. Secondly, the further understandings and perceptions of those who read and decipher the texts also adds an added impact on what they declare is the meaning or message of the texts.

The danger here is, religious zealots would kill based on what beliefs they obtain from the Bible. These are beliefs that may be erroneous based on the imperfect perceptions and understandings of men. And on the mistranslations of original texts. One recent example of such action is the current persecution of homosexuals in America. Here, the texts claimed in condemning homosexuality are based on mistranslations and misinterpretations of the original intent of Biblical texts.

Man judges according to what he understands to be true. He may kill under that reasoning. He may also die under that reasoning. As such, innocent individuals die every day based on the erroneous perceptions and understandings of others or themselves. In order to understand the Bible, you must perceive the texts in the same manner of those who wrote it. You must understand life as they lived it, and you must perceive the message according to how they thought it. Putting it in today's words only harms that perception.

To say "I Love You" has a certain meaning based on the life perceptions of the individual saying it. The person receiving the message will in turn decipher the meaning and intent of those words based on their own life perception. In the end, it is the open-minded individual who gains the clearer understanding.

The open-minded individual does not base his perception on how he has been led to live or on what he has been taught to understand. Instead, he evaluates the evidence presented to him and calculates a possible truth out of that evidence. He realizes that his calculation may be wrong and as such is open to other variables which may enhance or change that truth.

As a final point. Society has only served to harm itself by adhering so rigidly to proposed truths. It is after all, the method of rule under the powers that be. Those who hold the greater knowledge or alleged perception have an upper hand on those that don't.