Psalm 8:
This psalm aims to depict the glory of God's creations. It praises the heavens, and notes man's importance, as well as the animals over which he has dominion.
3. This psalm picks up on one main theme from the first chapter of Genesis, that man was given dominion over the earth by God. "Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands...) In another slightly less blatant reference to Genesis 1, Psalm 8 makes a reference to everything God created. The psalm lists off the heavens, the birds, the fish, etc, all the things God created in the first week, and then praises him for all the goodness he put upon earth.
4. Poetry is an effective manner to express praise due to three main factors. The first factor is that, during the ancient times, poetry was a popular form of entertainment and media, making it the perfect forum to spread the goodness of God. Second, poems are passionate. It is quite easy to express emotions through poetry, including the love of God. The third is
Psalm 19:
This psalm is another reflection of the glory of God and the extent of him. It speaks that God is everywhere, everything, and perfect in all his actions and words. It also expresses the human desire to be approved by God and reach a level of purity deemed acceptable in God's eyes.
1. The first poem declares the excellence of God's creation, and the entirety with which God exists. This first section maces statements such as "There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard" or "Their line is gone out through all the earth..." expressing the belief that God is everywhere, as well as his greatness. The second poem talks more about the moral behaviors of man and the perfect actions of God. This is expressed through lines like "the commandment of the lord is pure..." and "Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sin," praying more for guidance and the ability to behave in a lordly manner.
4. The first prayer is in verse 13, asking God to keep man from sinning and to help him live in the right manner. The second prayer is in verse 14, asking God to view the last prayer as an acceptable prayer, almost as if to say "Please accept that I have said enough in my last prayer."
Psalm 23:
This psalm praises the Lord for his goodness, and expresses a trust in God that he will lead his followers down the right path and protect them in times of trouble. God is addressed in this psalm as the provider: the provider of guidance, comfort, strength, protection, blessings, and spiritual well being.
4. The over arching theme in this psalm is the providing of the Lord. Verse 5 best represents this theme, for it lists off a short list of things that the Lord does for man, "Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over." The cup running over is especially significant in the relevance to the theme because it is symbolic of the amount of good God does for humans. He does so much that my cup runneth over.
6. This psalm, in a time of ultimate despair, could be interpreted in a couple of ways in order to help a person through a life threatening situation. First, with the image of the protector or "shepherd" portrayed upon God, one could see this as a last ditch effort to contact god and have him lead one through the shadow of the valley of death, hoping to make it out alive with the guidance of God. The second interpretation could be that one recognizes that the time of dying is upon them and looks to God to lead them through the shadow of the valley of death without fear, helping them to accept it, and ultimately take solace in the fact that they shall "dwell in the house of the Lord forever."
Psalm 137:
This psalm is representative of one of the exiles from Jerusalem. God is not actually addressed in this psalm at all, however it is implied that God has punished the Hebrew people and they mourn the loss of their city.
1. The other psalmists were in a situation of praising God because life was good. This psalmist is in an entirely different situation because he is currently (upon writing this psalm) on the receiving end of God's wrath. This presents a new kind of problem reflected in the psalm. The author asks how he can sing the songs of Jerusalem in a strange land, highlighting the situation as extremely odd for the people of Jerusalem.
3. This psalm appeals to God's anger and wrath. The poem is a decree of sadness, for God has taken them from their homeland at the hand of foreign captors.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Friday, November 20, 2009
YOLB month 5
1. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house...
I enjoy these kinds of biblical rules. In literalism, the quote is simple and doesn't really create any kind of conflict. It simply means WRITE THEM ON YOU DOORPOSTS. However, these types of simple biblical rules have an immensely important purpose, a purpose that really can only be fulfilled by following these simple and seemingly random rules. That purpose would be to engage your mind. By doing something so simple as writing the rules of God on your doorposts, one is force to spend a significant amount time connecting with the rules. If you spend an hour writing ten rules on your door as Jacobs did, then you instantly become more familiar with the rules. I like the fact that these seemingly pointless decrees have this underlying power to keep people conscious of how to practice good behavior. (almost like subliminal messaging)
2. And you shall not strip your vineyard bare, neither shall you gather the fallen grapes... you shall leave them for the poor.
This is probably my favorite concept in the bible. This idea, when applied in ancient Israel, was that you shall leave food for the poor, because they need it. It is one of the verses that probably should be interpreted literally (minus the vineyard part) the concept of giving is a good one to follow. In Jacobs journey, he focuses more on the idea of sacrifice implied by this verse, giving up something of yours for God or someone else. These sacrifices force people to recognize what they HAVE, for when you give something a way (the life of a chicken or the fruits of your labor) you have no option but to think of how useful that thing was. It seems like the main goal of such sacrifices are to be mindful of self, others, the earth, God, everything really. This verse highlights the importance of mindfulness.
I enjoy these kinds of biblical rules. In literalism, the quote is simple and doesn't really create any kind of conflict. It simply means WRITE THEM ON YOU DOORPOSTS. However, these types of simple biblical rules have an immensely important purpose, a purpose that really can only be fulfilled by following these simple and seemingly random rules. That purpose would be to engage your mind. By doing something so simple as writing the rules of God on your doorposts, one is force to spend a significant amount time connecting with the rules. If you spend an hour writing ten rules on your door as Jacobs did, then you instantly become more familiar with the rules. I like the fact that these seemingly pointless decrees have this underlying power to keep people conscious of how to practice good behavior. (almost like subliminal messaging)
2. And you shall not strip your vineyard bare, neither shall you gather the fallen grapes... you shall leave them for the poor.
This is probably my favorite concept in the bible. This idea, when applied in ancient Israel, was that you shall leave food for the poor, because they need it. It is one of the verses that probably should be interpreted literally (minus the vineyard part) the concept of giving is a good one to follow. In Jacobs journey, he focuses more on the idea of sacrifice implied by this verse, giving up something of yours for God or someone else. These sacrifices force people to recognize what they HAVE, for when you give something a way (the life of a chicken or the fruits of your labor) you have no option but to think of how useful that thing was. It seems like the main goal of such sacrifices are to be mindful of self, others, the earth, God, everything really. This verse highlights the importance of mindfulness.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
David and Goliath
3.(a)In what ways do these two opponents represent opposite views of life? (b)How do the descriptions of their weapons emphasize these contrasting outlooks?
Goliath: A grand, well adorned warrior. He is thought highly of by himself and his people and has an air of arrogance about him.
David: A small shepherd. He is devout in his beliefs and is relatively modest (until after the battle).
Their professions instantly portray a difference in their personality, for Goliath works in a profession that is perceived to feed egos and bully the Israelis and David is in the simple business of herding sheep, obviously modest and poor.
Another blatant comparison is the religious difference, David being a devout monotheist and Goliath a Pagan. This sets the scene for conflict between the different ideas, the Pagans having "defied" God, according to the Israelis.
The descriptions of their weapons emphasizes their differences in this respect: David is simple and chooses simple weapons, but he has God on his side. Goliath is chauvinistic warrior who chooses shiny swords, spears and shields, obviously no match for the divine favor granted to David.
The story aims to prove that faith in God is one of the best things one can have, illustrated by David's (the underdog) victory.
4. Is it fair to call the combat between David and Goliath a contest between good and evil? Explain.
I believe not, but it is hard to determine for it can certainly be implied. No where in the text is a battle between good and evil mentioned. David is not revered by God, and Goliath condemned nor vise versa, and neither city is defined in terms of good or evil. However, it can easily be inferred that the philistines are "evil" in comparison to the Israelis who are "good" where David declares that he shall win because God is protecting him and the philistines hath defied God. It can be inferred because it appears that David wins because God was upset that the philistines hath defied him and granted divine protection over David. Afterward, the philistines are "punished" (just as God has done with the other evils in the bible) by having their village pillaged. Therefore, one could see that God was favoring the Israelis and could decide that it must be a conflict of good and evil or God would have no interest in it. However, in order to avoid false judgement based on inferences I'm going to say that it is not between good and evil, just a conflict of interest. If it is, then it justifies killing "defy-ers" in the name of God, a concept that cannot be allowed to prevail in today's society.
3. David refuses to use conventional weapons. How is this refusal a statement about the relationship between the Hebrew people and God?
This refusal highlights the Hebrews deep seated connection to God. He decides to enter the battle with no armor or swords all based on the premise that his God will protect him. It takes an immensely strong faith to put ones life in such a precarious position in the name of their God. The victory of David even greater emphasizes this deep connection, for when the Hebrews stay faithful, God provides. The Hebrews obviously have an extremely intense, devout, connection to their God.
Goliath: A grand, well adorned warrior. He is thought highly of by himself and his people and has an air of arrogance about him.
David: A small shepherd. He is devout in his beliefs and is relatively modest (until after the battle).
Their professions instantly portray a difference in their personality, for Goliath works in a profession that is perceived to feed egos and bully the Israelis and David is in the simple business of herding sheep, obviously modest and poor.
Another blatant comparison is the religious difference, David being a devout monotheist and Goliath a Pagan. This sets the scene for conflict between the different ideas, the Pagans having "defied" God, according to the Israelis.
The descriptions of their weapons emphasizes their differences in this respect: David is simple and chooses simple weapons, but he has God on his side. Goliath is chauvinistic warrior who chooses shiny swords, spears and shields, obviously no match for the divine favor granted to David.
The story aims to prove that faith in God is one of the best things one can have, illustrated by David's (the underdog) victory.
4. Is it fair to call the combat between David and Goliath a contest between good and evil? Explain.
I believe not, but it is hard to determine for it can certainly be implied. No where in the text is a battle between good and evil mentioned. David is not revered by God, and Goliath condemned nor vise versa, and neither city is defined in terms of good or evil. However, it can easily be inferred that the philistines are "evil" in comparison to the Israelis who are "good" where David declares that he shall win because God is protecting him and the philistines hath defied God. It can be inferred because it appears that David wins because God was upset that the philistines hath defied him and granted divine protection over David. Afterward, the philistines are "punished" (just as God has done with the other evils in the bible) by having their village pillaged. Therefore, one could see that God was favoring the Israelis and could decide that it must be a conflict of good and evil or God would have no interest in it. However, in order to avoid false judgement based on inferences I'm going to say that it is not between good and evil, just a conflict of interest. If it is, then it justifies killing "defy-ers" in the name of God, a concept that cannot be allowed to prevail in today's society.
3. David refuses to use conventional weapons. How is this refusal a statement about the relationship between the Hebrew people and God?
This refusal highlights the Hebrews deep seated connection to God. He decides to enter the battle with no armor or swords all based on the premise that his God will protect him. It takes an immensely strong faith to put ones life in such a precarious position in the name of their God. The victory of David even greater emphasizes this deep connection, for when the Hebrews stay faithful, God provides. The Hebrews obviously have an extremely intense, devout, connection to their God.
The Story of the Flood
1.(a) What is the meaning of the statement, "Noah walked with God"? (b) What does God's willingness to spare the earth because of Noah suggest?
The meaning of "Noah walked with God" is simply that he was above the men of the earth. While all the men were busy being evil, Noah was moral and just, and there for on the same playing field as God.
When God spares earth because of Noah, it suggest that he is indeed an involved God. He takes notice of humans and loves them. It is also the introduction to the Covenant. He agrees never to destroy the earth again, provided that Noah follows the covenant. God calls it "the token of his covenant".
2. Both Genesis 1-3 and 6-9 deal with the theme of evil. What is similar and different about their treatment of this theme?
In 1-3, God deals with evil (the eating of the forbidden fruit) by punishing Adam and Eve. He does not do the same in 6-9. In 6-9, his reaction to the evil is to restart his creation. The differences are because of the situation God was presented with. In each story, the evils are of a different scale, from a simple disobedience of which deserves a reprimand, to a large scale population of evil, of which needs elimination. When Adam and Eve ate the fruit, he punished them by banishing them from the garden of Eden. This was done in an attempt to teach them a lesson. In comparison, in 6-9, God wanted to start over completely. He saw that his creation, man, was not good and therefore must be redone.
3.(a)How does God's giving of all creatures into human hands look back to Genesis 1:26? (b) How do God's commands look forward to the 10 Commandments?
In Genesis 1:26, God gives humans "dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth." He does the same when he tells Noah and his family that everything on earth shall fear them and that all the animals are meat for them. It is, in a sense, like he is creating the earth again, telling Adam and Eve the law of the land, and then giving them the rules. He does the same with Noah, telling him of the human status as dominant, and then creating the covenant.
The First Covenant is an early form of the Second Covenant. This covenant has far less rules and regulations than the second, but they are of the same archetype, i.e.) These are my rules, here is my promise.
The meaning of "Noah walked with God" is simply that he was above the men of the earth. While all the men were busy being evil, Noah was moral and just, and there for on the same playing field as God.
When God spares earth because of Noah, it suggest that he is indeed an involved God. He takes notice of humans and loves them. It is also the introduction to the Covenant. He agrees never to destroy the earth again, provided that Noah follows the covenant. God calls it "the token of his covenant".
2. Both Genesis 1-3 and 6-9 deal with the theme of evil. What is similar and different about their treatment of this theme?
In 1-3, God deals with evil (the eating of the forbidden fruit) by punishing Adam and Eve. He does not do the same in 6-9. In 6-9, his reaction to the evil is to restart his creation. The differences are because of the situation God was presented with. In each story, the evils are of a different scale, from a simple disobedience of which deserves a reprimand, to a large scale population of evil, of which needs elimination. When Adam and Eve ate the fruit, he punished them by banishing them from the garden of Eden. This was done in an attempt to teach them a lesson. In comparison, in 6-9, God wanted to start over completely. He saw that his creation, man, was not good and therefore must be redone.
3.(a)How does God's giving of all creatures into human hands look back to Genesis 1:26? (b) How do God's commands look forward to the 10 Commandments?
In Genesis 1:26, God gives humans "dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth." He does the same when he tells Noah and his family that everything on earth shall fear them and that all the animals are meat for them. It is, in a sense, like he is creating the earth again, telling Adam and Eve the law of the land, and then giving them the rules. He does the same with Noah, telling him of the human status as dominant, and then creating the covenant.
The First Covenant is an early form of the Second Covenant. This covenant has far less rules and regulations than the second, but they are of the same archetype, i.e.) These are my rules, here is my promise.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
YOLB: Month 4
I have taken a new look on the prayer process based on Jacobs regular 10 minute prayer sessions in month 4. I have come to a conclusion about WHY the bible encourages prayer. Prayer is not simply showing your faith or asking for things, but more designed to force you to recognize what you have and be thankful for it, along with what you don't and keep you hopeful for it. Jacobs spends quite sometime talking about intercessory prayer, a form of praying in which you pray for others. This is to make sure you keep your neighbors in mind and in good thought, to keep you aware of their trials and tribulations and recognize that either life could be worse, or if not worse, you aren't the only one on the planet having hard times and deserve no special pity. Or so I think.
YOLB: Month 3
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)
He discovers the comforting nature of believing in such a young world. If the world truly is only several thousand years old and humans were there in the very beginning, then it suggests that humans are indeed important to the world. If the average human lifespan is around 70 years, and the world has existed for hundreds of millions, then truly, the individual is of no consequence, we are just along for our very short ride and then we die.
The creation story implies that humans are the central most integral part of the universe. God gave us rule over all the earth and made us in his image during his seven days of creation. This, too, is comforting, implying that humans are needed, wanted, and have a purpose in the universe. If one doesn't believe in the creation story, then we are simply the product of random evolution, here until we change into something new or die out completely, having existed for only a small portion of the worlds existence. A greatly less nurturing idea compared to Creation. Creation places more importance on humans.
6) When Jacobs reads Ecclesiastes and comes to the conclusion, "be good for goodness sake", how does that allow him to answer the question: Why do bad things happen to good people?
Be good for goodness sake derives from the idea that we shouldn't expect rewards based on our good deeds, especially not here on earth or in this lifetime. God is mysterious and has his own plans, therefore, bad things happen to good people and vise versa, but this is only in the here and now. The true rewards come in the afterlife with heaven or hell. After reading Ecclesiastes, Jacobs (focusing on the Vapors of Vapors quote) comes to the conclusion that because everything is just vapors, then nothing can be predicted and therefore nothing can be expected. Good things can still happen to bad people, and bad things can still happen to good people, therefore we should be good for goodness' sake because being good is simply the right thing to do.
7) What is meant by the term Chasid Shote or Righteous Idiot? What does this address about religious belief?
I found this to be the most interesting part of the chapter. The idea of a chasid shote is the bible's way of discouraging fundamentalism, outlining the fact that the bible's purpose is simply to make the world better. One should not let another die for fear that saving them would violate a law. In other words, don't let bad things happen if you can stop it, even if you need to break a few rules. This addresses the fact that, in most cases, the bible is really not meant to be taken absolutely literally. There are always exceptions because the overall gist of the book is to help people behave in a morally appropriate manner, not to simply follow the processes set out by God.
He discovers the comforting nature of believing in such a young world. If the world truly is only several thousand years old and humans were there in the very beginning, then it suggests that humans are indeed important to the world. If the average human lifespan is around 70 years, and the world has existed for hundreds of millions, then truly, the individual is of no consequence, we are just along for our very short ride and then we die.
The creation story implies that humans are the central most integral part of the universe. God gave us rule over all the earth and made us in his image during his seven days of creation. This, too, is comforting, implying that humans are needed, wanted, and have a purpose in the universe. If one doesn't believe in the creation story, then we are simply the product of random evolution, here until we change into something new or die out completely, having existed for only a small portion of the worlds existence. A greatly less nurturing idea compared to Creation. Creation places more importance on humans.
6) When Jacobs reads Ecclesiastes and comes to the conclusion, "be good for goodness sake", how does that allow him to answer the question: Why do bad things happen to good people?
Be good for goodness sake derives from the idea that we shouldn't expect rewards based on our good deeds, especially not here on earth or in this lifetime. God is mysterious and has his own plans, therefore, bad things happen to good people and vise versa, but this is only in the here and now. The true rewards come in the afterlife with heaven or hell. After reading Ecclesiastes, Jacobs (focusing on the Vapors of Vapors quote) comes to the conclusion that because everything is just vapors, then nothing can be predicted and therefore nothing can be expected. Good things can still happen to bad people, and bad things can still happen to good people, therefore we should be good for goodness' sake because being good is simply the right thing to do.
7) What is meant by the term Chasid Shote or Righteous Idiot? What does this address about religious belief?
I found this to be the most interesting part of the chapter. The idea of a chasid shote is the bible's way of discouraging fundamentalism, outlining the fact that the bible's purpose is simply to make the world better. One should not let another die for fear that saving them would violate a law. In other words, don't let bad things happen if you can stop it, even if you need to break a few rules. This addresses the fact that, in most cases, the bible is really not meant to be taken absolutely literally. There are always exceptions because the overall gist of the book is to help people behave in a morally appropriate manner, not to simply follow the processes set out by God.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Genesis Response
1. What meaning are associated with light and darkness in the first chapter of Genesis?
The literal associations are simply night and day. Interpretation can take us further and bring forth the allegory of Good and Evil. It is a common theme throughout religious history and is often represented by light and dark, day and night. For example, the Egyptians represented Good and Evil with their Gods, Horus and Set. Horus was "The Sun," "The Light," "The Good One," and Set was his compliment "The Moon," "The Dark," "Evil." In Genesis, the connections between good, evil, light and dark are not implicit or even strong, but in the context of religious history, they are brought out.
4. What are the implications of the relationship established between humans and the rest of creation?
Genesis 1:28 clearly places humans as the highers of the rest of creation, telling them to replenish and subdue the earth and to have dominion (rule) over it and its animals. Historically, the implications could very well have meant that humans should harvest the earth and the animals as they need for food or as tools, however in the current generation, the verse could be taken to mean that we should develop as much as possible regardless of habitat or animal and environmental concerns.
Genesis does not directly state that animals have no soul, but it can easily be inferred because when God "...breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul" (Genesis 2:7) he neglected to bless the animals with the same gift. This gives way to human behavior that neglects to treat animals with respect or at least civility because they are on a lower level. This is in contrast with other religions such as those of the Native American's, which respect animals based on the fact that they depend on them, or Hinduism, which places animals on an almost equal plane because of their connection to Brahma.
5. Why do you think God links "the knowledge of good and evil" with death?
The knowledge of good and evil is linked to death due to the death of innocence and the way of living they had that occurs when good and evil are discovered. Before Adam and Eve ate the fruit, they had no conceptions as to good or evil, almost like infants. They were relatively morally indifferent to everything, such as their nakedness. Things were viewed simply as they were. However, after they ate the fruit, that indifference and innocence died because now, they had to recognize the difference and behave "well" because they were aware of good and evil. Also, their way of living (Things are as they are) died as well because they now were required to make decisions and judgments based on the knowledge of good and evil.
The literal associations are simply night and day. Interpretation can take us further and bring forth the allegory of Good and Evil. It is a common theme throughout religious history and is often represented by light and dark, day and night. For example, the Egyptians represented Good and Evil with their Gods, Horus and Set. Horus was "The Sun," "The Light," "The Good One," and Set was his compliment "The Moon," "The Dark," "Evil." In Genesis, the connections between good, evil, light and dark are not implicit or even strong, but in the context of religious history, they are brought out.
4. What are the implications of the relationship established between humans and the rest of creation?
Genesis 1:28 clearly places humans as the highers of the rest of creation, telling them to replenish and subdue the earth and to have dominion (rule) over it and its animals. Historically, the implications could very well have meant that humans should harvest the earth and the animals as they need for food or as tools, however in the current generation, the verse could be taken to mean that we should develop as much as possible regardless of habitat or animal and environmental concerns.
Genesis does not directly state that animals have no soul, but it can easily be inferred because when God "...breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul" (Genesis 2:7) he neglected to bless the animals with the same gift. This gives way to human behavior that neglects to treat animals with respect or at least civility because they are on a lower level. This is in contrast with other religions such as those of the Native American's, which respect animals based on the fact that they depend on them, or Hinduism, which places animals on an almost equal plane because of their connection to Brahma.
5. Why do you think God links "the knowledge of good and evil" with death?
The knowledge of good and evil is linked to death due to the death of innocence and the way of living they had that occurs when good and evil are discovered. Before Adam and Eve ate the fruit, they had no conceptions as to good or evil, almost like infants. They were relatively morally indifferent to everything, such as their nakedness. Things were viewed simply as they were. However, after they ate the fruit, that indifference and innocence died because now, they had to recognize the difference and behave "well" because they were aware of good and evil. Also, their way of living (Things are as they are) died as well because they now were required to make decisions and judgments based on the knowledge of good and evil.
Monday, November 9, 2009
What is the Hebrew Bible? A Summary
The Hebrew Bible (or old Testament) is a compilation of texts formed from about the 10th century B.C. to the 5th century B.C. It is divided into three sections, mainly concerned with the law of God as well as the power, love and goodness of God. The main events and themes within the book are God's greatness, The Covenant, and human tendency to stray from the right path. The Bible is one of the most influential books in history, shaping our language and poetry as well as the way millions of people think.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
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.
Jacobs decides to visit the creationist museum because, in his words, "...creationism is biblical literalism at its purest, so I need to check it out." Creationists have taken the Genesis and interpreted everything literally, therefore epitomizing biblical literalism. Also, Jacobs seeks to learn more about religion, and creationists are a group he knows not much about. Jacobs struggles mainly with the ideas that the earth is only several thousand years old as stated by creationism and cannot give up his steadfast belief in evolution. He does learn, however, something about the characteristics of biblical literals; They are not dumb, or crazy. They have a relatively normal intelligence and logical process, they just believe in creationism so much, that they are capable of filtering everything through the creationist theory and distorting whatever they need to make everything fit into its mold.
2) Comment / describe what Jacobs spiritually struggles with or discovers on Dancing like King David"
This passage was one of the most interesting in my opinion. I found it interesting because I have never heard of a "Jewish Dance Club" before, but the things he learned from it struck me as one of the more important biblical lessons up to this point in the book. He learns that, although the bible is full of strict rules that seem to make life quite difficult and relatively un-fun, it still notices the humans need to let go every now and then. Even the most devout of Jews practice the dancing, a seemingly ridiculous act, and let loose. I also noted that this passage in the bible is not very prominent, yet it contains one of (to me) the best lessons yet.
3) Describe what Jacobs specifically admires about the prophets (especially by the end of the second month?
He admires their all-trusting faith in God. For him, it is difficult to surrender that much control to an entity that may or may not exist, but the prophets dedicated their lives to the will of God. I would be in the same boat as Jacobs, it's a frightening concept to give my destiny and my life to something else, I quite enjoy believing I'm in control, however, we (Jacobs and I) lack the belief in an almighty being necessary for such faith.
Jacobs decides to visit the creationist museum because, in his words, "...creationism is biblical literalism at its purest, so I need to check it out." Creationists have taken the Genesis and interpreted everything literally, therefore epitomizing biblical literalism. Also, Jacobs seeks to learn more about religion, and creationists are a group he knows not much about. Jacobs struggles mainly with the ideas that the earth is only several thousand years old as stated by creationism and cannot give up his steadfast belief in evolution. He does learn, however, something about the characteristics of biblical literals; They are not dumb, or crazy. They have a relatively normal intelligence and logical process, they just believe in creationism so much, that they are capable of filtering everything through the creationist theory and distorting whatever they need to make everything fit into its mold.
2) Comment / describe what Jacobs spiritually struggles with or discovers on Dancing like King David"
This passage was one of the most interesting in my opinion. I found it interesting because I have never heard of a "Jewish Dance Club" before, but the things he learned from it struck me as one of the more important biblical lessons up to this point in the book. He learns that, although the bible is full of strict rules that seem to make life quite difficult and relatively un-fun, it still notices the humans need to let go every now and then. Even the most devout of Jews practice the dancing, a seemingly ridiculous act, and let loose. I also noted that this passage in the bible is not very prominent, yet it contains one of (to me) the best lessons yet.
3) Describe what Jacobs specifically admires about the prophets (especially by the end of the second month?
He admires their all-trusting faith in God. For him, it is difficult to surrender that much control to an entity that may or may not exist, but the prophets dedicated their lives to the will of God. I would be in the same boat as Jacobs, it's a frightening concept to give my destiny and my life to something else, I quite enjoy believing I'm in control, however, we (Jacobs and I) lack the belief in an almighty being necessary for such faith.
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