LiveJournal.com Archive (2007)

Hermeneutics or Herman U. Tics ;-)

From a historical standpoint, there is no evidence for many seemingly historical statements in certain world scriptures (one way or the other). Histories are mirrors, and those mirrors reflect the perspectives of specific individuals and populations. Various academic and traditional systems are operating within different constructions of reality, and there is no point in trying to connect them.

As an example: Adam can be viewed in the context of diverse religious narratives. Affirming his existence serves a function in those narratives. As to whether Adam existed - that is a matter for which can only be answered in those narratives (relative truth).

We are not, therefore, talking about "what happened." Who knows what happened? Even eyewitnesses to current events, like auto accidents, may, for various reasons (including racial and gender prejudice), not agree. We can only speak in the context of different stories as expressions of power and intentionality.