http://blogs.jta.org/ENTRY_PERMALINK_HERE/reading-the-bible-will-make-you-plotz/ Shmuel Rosener interview Slate’s David Plotz about his new book, “The Bizarre, Hilarious, Disturbing, Marvelous, and Inspiring Things I Learned When I Read Every Single Word of the Bible.” en-us aeden@jta.org Copyright 2009 2009-02-26T;20:21:00-05:00 nate.ullrich@gmail.com I read the entire interview on the Jeruslem Post website, and there were 50 ranting comments deriding Plotz for his commentary.  I could not help but to be outraged by the intolerance expressed. I commend Plotz for reading scripture with fresh eyes in context and sharing HIS reactions.  I was raised catholic, hearing individual passages from the old and new testament in isolation every week at mass.  I attended a Jesuit university and for the first time read all four gospels in their entirety and was stunned by how different the experience was from my experience of the bible when I was growing up.  I have not read the old testament like this, but i am now intrigued.  any person of faith should rejoice at a skeptic reading the Word, and should not fear commentary they do not agree with.  Faith does not require proof--that is the point of faith.  I do not understand why so-called people of faith feel so threatened by anyone who reacts to sacred words differently than they do.  Thomas did not believe in the resurrection until he saw the holy wounds--his belief was not born of faith, nor is a religeous person’s belief true faith if they cannot tolerate skepticism from someone who does not believe.  To dismiss the thoughts or words of a skeptic who is truly trying to understand is truly fragile faith at best, and insincere hipocracy and self-deception at worst.  If you believe in an all powerful G-D, G-D knows if you truly have faith, and you do not need to strike down someone with different views to prove your faith. I read the entire interview on the Jeruslem Post website, and there were 50 ranting comments deriding Plotz for his commentary.  I could not help but to be outraged by the intolerance expressed. I commend Plotz for reading scripture with fresh eyes in context and sharing HIS reactions.  I was raised catholic, hearing individual passages from the old and new testament in isolation every week at mass.  I attended a Jesuit university and for the first time read all four gospels in their entirety and was stunned by how different the experience was from my experience of the bible when I was growing up.  I have not read the old testament like this, but i am now intrigued.  any person of faith should rejoice at a skeptic reading the Word, and should not fear commentary they do not agree with.  Faith does not require proof--that is the point of faith.  I do not understand why so-called people of faith feel so threatened by anyone who reacts to sacred words differently than they do.  Thomas did not believe in the resurrection until he saw the holy wounds--his belief was not born of faith, nor is a religeous person’s belief true faith if they cannot tolerate skepticism from someone who does not believe.  To dismiss the thoughts or words of a skeptic who is truly trying to understand is truly fragile faith at best, and insincere hipocracy and self-deception at worst.  If you believe in an all powerful G-D, G-D knows if you truly have faith, and you do not need to strike down someone with different views to prove your faith.

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