I believe that calling the Bible an "artifact of social memory" implies that is a creation of collected thoughts and stories over time. As religion became more and more popular, people began hearing stories about God, Jesus, etc. and began to collaborate with others about the works Jesus had performed as well as the word of God given through various prophets such as Moses. The stories were combined from various sources and eventually became what the Bible is today. Artifacts like the Bible provide a basis for collective memory as well as guidelines for life.
[...] I feel very strongly that everyone should read the Bible in their own way, as it applies very differently to each and every person. This different understanding comes not only from the readings, but what kind of life experiences people have been through, as well as what sort of religious background they were raised in. In relation to my own life, I was brought up in a family religiously divided. My father was not a practicing Christian, but held vague Christian beliefs. [...]
[...] get curious about a passage in the Bible, the first thing I would do would be to re-read the passage two or three times. This would allow for a fuller and deeper understanding of the passage before I got into any serious research. Next I would look at any footnotes found in the passage at the bottom of the pages I was reading. The footnotes oftentimes refer to other passages, reference other times similar events or acts were brought up, or simply inform about some things not seen on the surface of the passage. [...]
[...] The other reason I came to believe, is that the rest of the Bible doesn't always back itself up, with Revelation being the epitome of this. For example, Thessalonians explains that Christians will “have no part in the wrath”, while much of Revelation does not clearly lay out who will experience the Rapture or why. The prevailing view is that all “true Christians” will be gathered up into the air to meet Jesus upon his return. This is just another prime example where the Bible oftentimes contradicts itself. [...]
[...] Through our study of the Bible in this course, I have come to learn a great deal. I have to say the biggest change I've experienced is simply my knowledge of the Bible. Coming into this course, I had read little to nothing of the Bible and only knew of the great Bible stories which get told and retold constantly, such as Noah, Moses, David and Goliath, etc. Now, however, I have a much broader base to form opinions on. [...]
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