Religion

MineralMan

(146,331 posts) Mon Dec 25, 2017, 10:56 AM Dec 2017

The Fungible Bible

https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/fungible
If something is fungible, you can exchange it for something else. Why is it that you can trade a twenty dollar bill for a ten and two fives? Because money's fungible!

The Bible is not just a book. It is a collection of books. When considering whether something is allowed or not allowed by the Bible, you can often check in several places, and then choose which book's words you prefer and substitute those for what is written in any other book.

For example, detailed instructions for required animal sacrifices to the Lord can be found in books in the Old Testament. Today, however, killing animals as sacrifices is no longer done by followers of the Bible. The fungibility of the Bible is at work. One can substitute what is said in any book of the Bible for what is said in any other book. This has proven to be very useful over the millenia.

4 replies

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The Fungible Bible (Original Post) MineralMan Dec 2017 OP

Yes, that's why you can't just read the book and know what a religion is marylandblue Dec 2017 #1

Yes. Also, the multiple translations of the Bible have MineralMan Dec 2017 #2

Have you ever seen a safeinOhio Dec 2017 #3

Sure. The first Bible I had was a red-letter edition of the. MineralMan Dec 2017 #4

marylandblue

(12,344 posts)

1. Yes, that's why you can't just read the book and know what a religion is

Reply to MineralMan (Original post)

Mon Dec 25, 2017, 11:12 AM

Dec 2017

You have to look at the totality of interpretations, rituals, prayers and conflicting opinions.

MineralMan

(146,331 posts)

2. Yes. Also, the multiple translations of the Bible have

Reply to marylandblue (Reply #1)

Mon Dec 25, 2017, 11:16 AM

Dec 2017

introduced changes from time to time. So has the passing of time and the modernization of society.

Leviticus and Numbers in the Old Testament are filled with rules and laws. Today, only some of those are followed, even by most Jewish people. Christians have the New Testament, and can point to several passages that "prove" that they don't have to follow all Old Testament rules.

Interestingly, though, fundamentalist Christian churches sometimes go back and claim that something in Leviticus is still in force. We saw that with their attitudes toward LGBTQ rights issues. They wanted that specific thing in Leviticus, but not all the other stuff in there. Fungibility is very useful.

safeinOhio

(32,722 posts)

3. Have you ever seen a

Reply to MineralMan (Original post)

Mon Dec 25, 2017, 01:03 PM

Dec 2017

Red Letter Bible? All of the words said by Jesus are printed in read. This has led to a very liberal religion. See redletterBible.org

MineralMan

(146,331 posts)

4. Sure. The first Bible I had was a red-letter edition of the.

Reply to safeinOhio (Reply #3)

Mon Dec 25, 2017, 04:04 PM

Dec 2017

King James translation. From what I can see of many fundamentalist denominations, the red letters were there so people would know what to ignore, based on how fundamentalists behave.

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