Sunday, November 29, 2009

year of living biblically

Answer each of the following points on the blog or in a hardcopy version.

1) On page 191, why does Jacobs refer to the red heifer as not just "zany" but also "potentially dangerous"? What is his hang up with this particular idea of the bible?
Red Heifer can be seen as a divine permission to rebuild the third temple at the Temple Mount, which is currently under the administration of Muslims. so if Re heifer arrives and Jews try to build it, it would cause a conflict between two parties.
the description of how the world would end in accordance to Revelation should not be taken literally, which is the epic battle between Jesus and Anti christ brought by the third temple. it's symbolic for something else such as history of Roman invasion.

2) How does the following verse describe the author's dilemma as he is half way through his "spiritual journey"?

Because this people draw near with their mouth
and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me,
and their fear of me is a commandment of men by rote.

-Jacob was confused if he felt spiritually connected because of repetition of prayers to God or he actually loved God. He didn't know if he truly became spiritual or this is a mere alternative to his rational mind, which caused boredom in him.

3) How does the author compare the Bible to wikipedia? Do you agree? Explain.

Both have many authors and editors and passages are evolved throughout the history by many people.
I agree with this hypothesis. I've never believe that the Bible is words of God, but collection of many socalled prophets, who were actually great philosophers, because it's evident that the Bible is written by humans, even though it's said that God gave them the lessons. I also believe in the theory that the Bible is just one of renowned legends among the region and Jesus was an outstanding spiritual leader.

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Psalm~

Psalm 8:

Write a summary

-Psalm 8 praises God about his accomplishment of creating the universe and shows gratitude from humans to God for their superiority over all other creatures.

Choose TWO of the following questions to answer: 1, 2, 3, 4

1. The central theme of Psalm 8 is the role of humans kind of the creation.

(a) In what verse is this theme first sounded?

-Fifth verse by saying humans are a little lower than the angels- immortals

(b) According to the psalmist, what places do humans occupy in realation to heaven and the rest of creation?

-Humans occupy everything below the heavens except for God and angels

(c) what does this unique place suggest about the relationship between humans and God?

-God cares humans most among all the creatures

3. In what ways does this psalm draw upon the first chapter of Genesis?

-the psalm mentions how glorious the universe created by God is by praising "the word of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained". this psalm also mentions the part of God commissioning humans to be superior over animals.

Psalm 19:

Write a brief summary

-Psalm 19 praises the glory of heaven, including Sun, created by God

And mentions every aspect of God including fear and law, etc. Even though something created by God might seem faulty, they are not, only because humans don't understand his intention.

Answer the following questions: 1 and 4

1. Scholars have suggested that this psalm combines two originally distinct poems (1-6 and 7-14).

How do these poems differ in what they praise?

- first one is about the heavens and the world, whereas the second one is about aspects of God.

4. A prayer is a request or plea directed to God. This psalm is unusual because it ends with a prayer and a prayer about this prayer.

(1) identify each of theses prayers – “keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have domnion over me then shall I be upright and I shall be innonect from the great transgression“

“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sigh, O lord, my strength and my reddemer”

(2) what is the author requesting of God in each case.

-the first one requests for minds not to get tempted by sinful actions. and the second one requests for words and minds that are morally acceptable

Psalm 23:

Write a brief summary

-God guides people all the hardships and sinful temptations, therefore they can live well

Choose TWO of the following questions to answer: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6

1. An extened metaphor is on that is developed at length and includes several points of comparisons

(a) Identify the extended metaphor in this psalm.

-The metaphor is present throughout the psalm in a way that God is the shepherd who leads people in green pastures to the house of the Lord

(b) what does this metaphor suggest about the relationship etween God and humans

– God is a parent-like existence to humans, leading and teaching them.

4. Which verse best summarieds the theme of the paslm? Give reasons for your choice

-the first verse summarizes the theme of the psalm best because the sentence is the beginning of metaphor which this psalm is about. And The sentence that the Lord is my shepherd defines this psalm

Psalm 137:

Write a brief summary

-this psalm shows dedication of Israelites who promised not to forget glory of God and Jerusalem when they were captured by outside force and had to leave the city.

Choose TWO of the following questions to answer: 1, 2 or 3

1(a) how does the situation of this psalmist differ from that of the authors of the other psalms.

- Israelites including the psalmist, seemed on the move, because they are captured whereas people in other psalms seemed peaceful, praising God. This psalm is particularly different from other psalms because it seems to have emphasis on Historical aspect rather than pleading for religious or divine aspect.

b) What special problem does this new situation present?

-This situation might have provoked doubt in God who let this invasion happen.

3 other psalm appeal to god’s mercy and goodness. To which qualities of God does this psalm appeal? Why?

-Justice. This psalm pleads for retaliation against Babylonians who conquered the holy land

Friday, November 20, 2009

Bible and Genesis

The Bible is a collection of writings including several books, written through a long time ranging from tenth century B.C to fifth century B.C. by anonymous people to deliver supposedly god’s words. The major theme of this book is worshiping the power, goodness and mercy of the one god. He gives people a treat if they follow him well and he also forgives them who are born sinful because they are human beings.
The Bible has had significant influence on not only Jews but also on all the people around world in every aspect such literature, morality etc.

1. What meanings are associated with light and darkness in the first chapter of Genesis?
-Light is contrast to darkness. God saw darkness and created light to compensate the balance. They are used to measure or divide a certain amount of time like a day. Light is subdivided into the greater light and lesser light. They don’t have any significance in terms of morality or good and bad, they are just light and darkness.

2. What attitude toward nature does Genesis convey?
-Apathy in a benign way like my parents. They don’t care about what I do but they make me take responsibility for whatever I have done. God created all the things, gave them freewill to live by themselves and made them take responsiblity “ God blessed [humans], and God said unto them, Be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth and subdue it” and “ because thou has done this, thou art cursed above all cattle and above every beast of the field”


3. What are the implications of the relationship established between humans and the rest of creation?
-two humans should have subjugation from all the creatures such as beats, fowls, fishes, trees and grasses, suggested by God, therefore God created humans superior to every creature on earth.

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

year of living biblically

For this week your task is to take two of the Bible verses Jacobs uses at the beginning of each day he writes about and analyze both the meaning behind the quote and how this applies to life / how it is interpreted by Jacobs. So for both: Write the quote, describe what it means and apply it to either Jacobs journey in literalism and/or what it means, metaphorically, in the modern world.

I think this is a coincidence, maybe divine if so. I have never commented on the bible verses because they sound absurd or insensible and it was the first time that I underlined and commented ""So good, nothing more" on the verse. After I read the heading "Month Five: January", right under it, there is a verse from Ecclesiastes "Do not pay attention to every word people say, or you may hear your servant cursing you for you know in you heart that many times you yourself have cursed others". It is neither absurd nor insensible. the meaning of this sentence is very self-examplatory: don't get upset nor pay attention to badmouthing about you, because you have done the same thing about others many times. I think that this verse is still valid, if not more, in the modern world, because nowadays the ways of communication are developed and varied, compared to the method used in the ancient Israel. people gossip or hear gossips all the time with all the devices as well as actual conversations. I think this is one of a few verses that could be taken as literal as possible.
the second one doesn't affect me as much as the first one, since I chose it because it's easy and standing out. the versus is from Deuteronomy "you shall write them on the doorposts of your house", meaning that you should write religious rules in doorposts. Jacob took this literally and wrote God's words on the post with a pencil after feeling the house wasn't Biblified enough. at first he felt absurd and nervous, however he realized that he started absorbing the words and meanings more deeply, lingering over every letter and cadence. as he said, behavior shapes mind

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Noah, Ruth and David

The Flood
1. (a) What is the meaning of the statement, "Noah walked with God"?
-God saw every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually, repented that he had made man on the earth with grief. however Noah who was a just and perfect man in his generations, was different from others. he followed the ten commandments well and God's words

(b) what does God's willingness to spare the earth because of Noah suggest?
-God's willingness to spare the earth because of Noah suggests his two different sides: Justice and Kindness. he punished all the living creatures because men betrayed God's words and filled the world with violence. however he still loved them and forgave them in a way that he let the creatures last afterwards with a fresh start.

2. Find two details and explain why you think they are especially vivid.
-Two details that I found vividly visual are how Noah made the Ark and survived the Flood with animals for a long period, and how the water submerged the world gradually. Because Genesis has such a long and elaborate description on both of them. it shows how the ark should be made, "Make thee an ark of gopher woo; the length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits and the height of it thirty cubits" and even the amount of animals according to hygiene. also the Bible has this description of gradual change of water engulfing the surface. "the waters prevailed and were increased exceedingly upon the earth and all the high hills that were under the whole heaven, were covered" I can just imagine those two descriptions like pictures.

3. (a) What does God require of Noah and his sons before he makes the covenant?
-he demanded that Noah made the Ark, brought a pair of each living thing of all flesh, and prepared food for them including Noah himself.
(b) What is the reason for these demands
-as said earlier, this shows generosity of God that wanted to save his creations but also punished them in some say for betraying him.

David vs. Goliath
1. How does the description of the setting heighten the drama of this one on one combat?
-"the Philistines stood on a mountain on the one side and Israel stood on a mountain on the other side and there was a valley between them" the description created by this quote heightens the drama of this one on one combat by creating juxtaposition of two extreme sides. the juxtaposition isolates all the components except for the two sides, which are shown by David, Goliath in the valley and two gatherings on the mountains.

2. What devices does the author use to create suspense in building toward the battle of David and Goliath?
-Mainly, the author used comparison and contrast. he put two opposite sides on each top of mountains, and described Goliath as a huge guy with brass mail whereas David as a small youth with a mere slingshot.

3. (a) in what ways do these two opponents represent opposite views of life?
-I couldn't find much clue to decide their views of life from the text. after finishing question (b), I realize that Goliath represents a barbaric way of living whereas David represent a peaceful way of living, concerning about spiritual advancement.

(b) how do the descriptions of their weapons emphasize these contrasting outlooks?
-Goliath was armed with a coat of mail, helmet,and spear whereas David was equipped with a staff and slingshot. I feel that Goliath is a man of brutal force and david is a man of wisdom or intellect, not interpreting it literally.

4. is it fair to call the combat between David and Goliath a contest between good and evil? Explain

-No, because No one is bad or good. that Goliath is not circumcised doesn't prove that he is evil, so doesn't that he doesn't believe in a god that Hebrew people believe in.I guess history is always written by winners
circumcise, god,

For the two sections you choose to read you are assigned to answer three questions from the end of the reading. You can choose any of the questions to answer as long as each has clear connection to what we are studying. (In other words, try to avoid answering literary analysis questions.) In total you will answer 6 questions of your choice from two of the three readings.

Thursday, November 12, 2009

year of living biblically

for chapter 4 write an extension of one of the annotations you make in your book. In other words, taking something you found in your reading from chapter 4 develop an inquiry, mini-research, a tangential point or some sort of extension on what you read and develop an organized paragraph diving into something you found interesting.

actually I found this whole book interesting because it felt like this book was explaining my situation: secular and skeptical, but decided to be spiritual or religious in desire to experience more than my usual life as I grew maturer. there are a lot of quotes that make me feel as if it were my biography, such as "my parents were always in favor of experimentation", "freedom form choice, I'd always been taught to fetishize freedom of choice." and other better quotes in different chapters. the difference between him and me is that I decided to be a few years ago but haven't advanced much whereas he started a few months ago and has become way more spiritual. It might be because of the age or that I haven't initiated those kind of fixed rituals. I have been meaning to attend this thing called Vipassana Association that Gretchen introduced. basically what I am supposed to do in that seminar is live for a week without talking, whose purpose I guess is to feel disconnected from a busy world and to appreciate what I have such as ability to talk. which is the meaning of Sabbath and the exact description of what happened in a bathroom with Jacob. I also thought If I were forced, I would achieve faster just like he was forced to be trapped in the bathroom. even though It' involuntary, the result might be the same. that's why I want to go to this association.
sometimes, I feel envious or jealous of him because I feel like he is achieving so much as shown in a paragraph describing himself as more passionate person than before. I am looking forward to reading more of it

Sunday, November 8, 2009

year of living biblically

Here are your questions. Choose three of the seven to answer. You choose which you want to address. Answer them via the blog or have a hard copy when you get to class.

1) Comment / summarize on why Jacobs has such a hard time speaking biblically or avoiding Lashon Hara - "The Evil Tongue"
speaking biblically requires a total switch in the content of the conversation: no lying, no complaining and no gossiping. especically he says it's hard to avoid Lashon Hara a.k.a the evil tongue, which can be interpreted as gossiping, according to the modern perspective. first of all, everybody gossips these days, americans in particular if what I have experienced is right, comparing Korea to Boise. Moreover to follow the bible correctly, one needs to avoid almost all negative speech whatsoever, which constitutes 70 percent of all conversations in New York, he said. following the bible would need more so-called-spirituality or maturity in modern days than in ancient times, cause one needs to be patient and composed in order to avoid bad mouthing about someone obnoxious whom we could see everyday. I don't remember why exactly I wrote in the book that it's harder in moderns days, while reading. if I recall the reason, I will add it.

2) What did Jacobs mean when he stated: "It is exactly what I was always most afraid of with religion. To embrace religion, you have to surrender some control."
I guess he means people should abandon attachment or connection that they have felt familiar to, which is scary for the fear of unknown. however I want to comment on the next quote "it's why I don't know what to do with Jasper if I give him some religion. then he might become obsessed and go guru Gil on me. then again, if I give him no religion, he could descend into moral anarchy. they are both risky" why does he think that he needs religion to teach morality? religion is merely one way to learn morality rather than only source that people should worship and treasure.


4) What is Jacob's revelation (no pun intended) when he decides to "convince myself the that the earth was formed a handful of generations ago." (When he is trying to figure out why the Answers in Genesis people believe so strongly in the creation story)
first of all I want to say I am stunned about how strong this individual is after reading that he made himself believe in one idea that he hadn't believe. it's such a hard thing to force oneself to believe in things unfavorable. this is why I am struggling with this world religion class because I don't believe in religions thus am biased on and skeptical about them.
he notices that he feels more connected to other individuals after believing that everyone is an descendant of a couple: Adam and Eve. he also notices is that his life would be more significant if he thinks the earth is barely six thousand years old. that way, he would have had significant influence on this earth and the world's existence. and he can feel superior to the beasts and nature, because god created humans on the last day. the key motivation to creationism is the need to feel less inconsequential. I have thought alot about this quote, and came up with a conclusion that people in belief of creationism, if I deciphered what he described correctly, are people who are not satisfied or feeling insignificant in reality, cause they are not giving enough credit or trust, etc. I also recognize it would be a different case with someone who realizes the vastness of universe and agonize over time and space.

7) What is meant by the term Chasid Shote or Righteous Idiot? What does this address about religious belief?
the term Chasid Shote or righteous idiot means people who are preoccupied with the ritual aspect of religion so can't recognize the real intent for which the ritual is made. this addresses that religious belief, at least literalistic fundamentalism is not supposed to supplement reality but help one dream in some idealistic world where everything is intended for religion

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Year of living biblically

1) Describe / Summarize why Jacobs goes to the creationist museum and the main points or ideas Jacobs learns or struggles with in his visit to the museum.

"creationism is biblical literalism at its purest, that's why [he] needs to check it out" (56). he learns that some creationists are superbly aware of science supporting their creationism such as a fact that ninety percent of age-dating methods are faulty to defend the date of creation of the earth, unlike hill billies who believe in creationism, cause they can't find anything else. however he also realizes that "their faith in the literal bible is so strong, they will squeeze and distort all data to fit the Genesis account" to the excessive extent. another thing he learns is that there are various spectrums of creationists and their faith in it from moderate ones to extreme ones. one creationist could believe in geocentrism whereas other creationist would believe in heliocentrism. however moderation is always a relative term. one more thing he learns is that media portrays religion in a biased way, regardless of its purpose to support or degrade. he also finds that the measurement used in the Bible is different from that used in the modern days, even though the spelling is the same back then and now. even after going through all the convincing brainwash process, he still finds himself with a belief in evolutionism

2) Comment / describe what Jacobs spiritually struggles with or discovers on one of the following:

- "Original intent" of the bible
he tries to find the original intent of the bible and wants to live the original religion, inspired by Scalia who gave a speech in order to criticize people who believe the Constitution should evolve with society. he thinks finding the original intent of the bible is difficult, being aware of the facts that the Bible was written thousands of years ago by people with profoundly different world-views, and that it was written in Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek rather than English, which makes it the most mistranslated text in history. Consequently he tries to compensate the missing parts in any way he can such as flipping between different versions, trying to learn Hebrew and Greek as well as asking the advisory board.

3) Describe what Jacobs specifically admires about the prophets (especially by the end of the second month?

Jacobs admires prophets' message of social justice and the way they delivered those messages. they didn't just go to some podium and speak about the social justice but sacrificed themselves to maximize the efficiency and effect of their messages and publicized their sacrifices to everyone without fear."they proved that in the name of truth, sometimes you can't be afraid to take a left turn from polite society and look absurd"