I have read the bible. In terms of understanding- that depends on how one was taught to understand it.

Yes, it is a blood thristy tyrant IF read literally. Remember, I said: "as interpreted ...through a literal reading" in the previous post.

When people read religious books in the context of a religion or any a priori belief-system (self imposed or otherwise), their interpretation is delineated according to the confines of the belief system. They read the text and are "fed" the interpretation they "should" have, and this all happens simultaneously and rather seamlessly. In the end, the confuse the objective text with the subjective interpretations imposed upon them. Keep in mind that for the vast majority of people involved in orthodox religions of all kind, this occurred during the highly impressionable years of childhood. The combination of an exclusivist insular belief system with a developing mind is truly frightening, but I digress. That is another topic entirely that could be spoken at length about. Needless to say, many adults that truly feel as though they are freely choosing their beliefs have no idea that they are the product of indoctrination.

Anyways, people understand a text according to how they are taught to understand a text. Hence, hermeneutics. Most of the time the teaching of interpretation is subtle and goes rather unnoticed. People are not able to distinguish the text from how they are being taught to interpret the text. These become fused into a single process.

Is a truly objective reading of the bible possible. No, not to anyone exposed to culture of any kind (which is everyone). Yet, this is not to say that some interpretations are not more objective than others.


I agree. But "hidden meanings" is anathema to the literalist. Everything is face value to the person who interprets the bible literally. It prevents them from truly having to think about what something may really mean. If the bible is primarily interpreted in a literal fashion and read as a historical record of actual occurrences, then all you is take those occurrences as face value. For instance, for those that interpret in this manner, the story of adam and eve doesn't have alterior meaning other than it was a historical event. They are not concerned with metaphorical, allegorical, symbolic meanings.


That depends on what the education is.