It is estimated that over 6 billion copies of the Bible have been sold. The same report also suggests that the Bible is slowly losing its popularity with post-modern thinkers.
Even theologians are struggling over the radical relativity and pluralism of contemporary religious reflection. One of the outcomes of this new era of thinking is that religion and spirituality is not to be identified with an absolute deposit of some sacred text from above, or, an infallible tradition of interpretation. And, in the light of modern science, the verity of sacred writings seems especially illogical.
Religion, which comes from the Latin word for binding together (ligare) or a unifying principle, is failing to produce a sense of wholeness, unity and integrity for humanity.
One sign of hope is that some insightful theologians are beginning to look for a deeper interpretation of Holy Scripture—that its narratives are to be looked at as describing a transformative event of new life in the way we approach our daily activities. What I find intellectually interesting about this dynamically potent essential core to the future of religion is that it also begins to embrace science.
How?
Well, personal transformation begins to tie Bible interpretation to the concept of reverse entropy! Scientifically speaking, reverse entropy is nature’s capacity to create order and complex structure in the universe. Scientists mostly see this as a serendipitous and temporary situation and that the trajectory of time will eventually give us a universe that runs its course and becomes devoid of coherent structure (entropy).
But personal transformation suggests that humans can assist reverse entropy into non-physical, psychical and spiritual realities—because it brings new order to our inner lives (hearts and minds).
The kingdom of heaven, from a scientific viewpoint, necessitates order on another level—far above thermodynamics and physical heat/energy conditions of physical nature.
Enter scientist/theologian Emanuel Swedenborg.
He claimed that the stories of God’s Holy Word transcend literal (terrestrial) interpretation and contain higher orders of dynamical structure and communication. In other words, reverse entropy was providentially built into the architecture of Holy Scripture! These unique revelations, when grasped by humans, will provide the world with a divine guide for a universal saving activity.
Furthermore, these higher levels of meaning hidden within the seemingly archaic and mind-doubting stories of Scripture will offer a corrective view of theology, which is much needed in today’s world of intellectual and emotional divisiveness.
If this topic of spiritual and scientific unity interests you please visit:
By “Bible” do you mean the Christian Bible, or the various other “Bibles” such as the Qu’ran and the Vedas? Please answer carefully because your answer might or might not be consistent with Swedenborg’s insights. This IS a trick question!
Or for that matter, the Catholic Bible does not have the same books as the Protestant Bible. And neither have the same books as the Eastern Orthodox Bible. So do the Protestants reign supreme over other Christians, and over the followers of non-Christian religions? What about the gargantuan Babylonian Talmud or the Jerusalem Talmud? Do the Protestants have a depth that Jews don’t?
Dear Debbie,
I used the term “Bible” for conversational expediency. I also used the more technically correct phrase “God’s Holy Word” which refers to specific narratives of the Jewish and Christian Testaments that have inner levels of meaning. Swedenborg points out that even older and more ancient writings existed in Asia which had similar multi-leveled structures and represented an original or prior Sacred Word. Only writings that contain not two, but three, levels of distinct meaning represent the Lord God’s true Holy Word. For instance, the story of “Lot” has only two levels – a literal and symbolic level – and is not the Divine Word. Legitimate Holy Scripture has a third level which treats of the Lord’s temptations and ultimate glorification.
The canonical Bible contains both sacred and human writings.
My answer IS a trick answer!
Spiritually yours,
TheGodGuy