Love is the Key

The love for God and your neighbors is a reoccurring theme in book three of St. Augustine’s book. It is interesting because this love for God and our neighbors is something that one needs to develop in order to fully understand the bible according to Augustine. One of the things that happen when you fully love God is that you trust in him and you trust his word. This faith in God and his truth is what allows a person to believe in the bible and all that it says without prejudice.
But, one has to wonder whether or not this love for God and faith in his truth really allows you to understand the bible or whether it blinds you to what is really there. When you have faith in God and his truth you are believing in something that cannot necessarily be proven. It is a blind faith. This might actually hinder a person from asking questions that should be asked. Or it might give you an insight into the true meaning of some bible verses. It may also give a person more faith in the bible because not all things that God does can be explained just like the bible. So it seems that love and trust in God are the keys to fully understanding the bible according to Augustine. But this may not be in the way that a person seeking all truth might want. So it is up to you to take Augustine’s route or the route of a person that wants all the facts.

Augustine's take on the Psalms

After reading Book Two in Saint Augustine’s book I find it easier to understand the purpose of the psalms and how they are read and interpreted. In the beginning of book two, Saint Augustine speaks of symbols and how they have great meaning to people. He speaks of different ways that symbols take form and how they can be interpreted. He speaks of music being a form of a symbol. The psalms were written to be used in song, making them a powerful symbol. This helps me to understand the power of the psalms during this time of a symbol of religion.
Also St. Augustine speaks of how there are different levels of belief and understanding in a religion. He speaks of the knowledge that one can gain when they are in the third stage. He says that when a person is in the third stage he understands the scripture and has a reading knowledge of it. I feel that, as a person that is not really religious, we have a reading knowledge. But the person in the third stage also has a belief in the truth of the religion and the word. With this belief the religious person will be able to read the bible without prejudice and will be able to believe it. This helps me understand how it is religious people are able to believe and have faith in what they are reading without passing little to no judgment on it. Overall, reading book two was helpful in understanding the importance of the symbolism used in the psalms and in understanding the religious people’s faith in the bible.

Is God a Lover or a Fighter?

In Psalm 18 God is presented as a warrior. But in many other psalms and in many other books in the bible the Lord is presented as a loving God. In many places in the bible God is shown as being patient and forgiving. But, if at any time you sin against God you are condemned and so too are your children. So is God a lover of all his creations, or is he a fighter and enforcer of his laws?
If the Lord loves all his creations and wants them to prosper then why would he condemn them? Why would he choose sides and help one of his children to destroy the other? In Psalm 18 it seems as if God has chosen a side. He is helping to destroy this other person and it seems as if he has declared war against his enemy. But how could his creation be his enemy? How could he love all yet destroy them? Many religions believe that there is favoritism, but this is contradictory to the teachings of the bible.
The majority of the books in the bible present evidence of God being more of a lover than a fighter. And although there is a lot of evidence of this there are still historical events that show God as more of a fighter than a lover. Now with the addition to the bible which is the New testament it gives people another way to be on God’s good side. In the past before the New testament it seems like God was more of a fighter but now with the hope of being saved in present day he is more of a lover.

An angry God

The image of God in Psalm 18 is that of a very scary God. The idea of God as a fighter is not seen very frequently in the bible. The Lord is usually portrayed as being very loving, patient and forgiving. I feel that it is problematic for this idea to have been taken from other religions because I feel that it does not match that of the God in the rest of the bible. There are not many instances were the Lord declared full on war on somebody.

            It seems that the God in Psalm 18 is angry and destructive. It almost contradicts the image of God through out the rest of the bible. I would not want an angry destructive God that would declare war on his own people. God has become angry in other books of the bible and has destroyed people be he was really portrayed as being extremely destructive. He was compared to a volcano in the way that he got angry and the destruction that he created. I feel that this is not the purpose of a God and it is a very scary thought.

Is the bible obsolete

The bible consists of multiple books that were written thousands of years ago. The majority of the books with the exception of Revelations and maybe a few other verses were written about that a particular point in time. For example the book of Psalms was written during a time when there was war. Since the majority of the books in the bible were written about a particular time in history it could be said that the bible no longer applies to present day.
But why is the bible not obsolete? Many people argue that some of the rules in the bible are in practical for this time. One example, of a rule that wouldn’t be as practical today would be having premarital sex. In the past if a person was to engage in premarital sex, particularly a woman, she would have no chance of getting married because it would unacceptable. And the woman would need a man in this society in order to provide for her. But in this day and age females are independent and can provide for themselves and so it is socially acceptable for people to engage in premarital sex. But although I don’t agree with all the rules in the bible and although I feel that it is partially out dated, I don’t believe that the bible is obsolete. Since the bible is written in a manner that draws it to be interpreted. This allows humans to still feel like the bible can give them guidance thousands of years later.

An Early American Interpretation of Psalm II

Psalm two speaks of the kings of the earth uniting against God and his people. It can be said that this Psalm could have been interpreted by early Americans as being important. Before the creation of American there were colonies, and these colonies were ruled by people in the old world. For example English colonies were ruled by Britain. These colonies were being treated unfairly by the King. Then Britain declared war on the colonies.The people could have read these first few verses and identified themselves as the people of God. They could have looked to the Lord for support in this situation. The people gave power to the Lord just like in the psalm. I believe the colonist felt that God was going to deliver them from this situation by destroying the other nations just as it said in Psalm 2 verse 9. I believe that it is possible for this psalm to have had almost as much meaning to the people at this time as it did in the past when it was written.

Did Native Americans Believe in An After life?

There is evidence that Native Americans believe in an after life. Conical mound building provided proof. These mounds were created for the purpose burying the dead. The Henschel site in Wisconsin is a great example of Native Americans believing in an afterlife. The conical mounds built in this particular site are next to a spring. Springs were believed to be a place of entry in to the watery underworld.

In addition to the specially chosen locations of the conical mounds, grave offering were found. Grave offerings seen in many other cultures have indicated the belief in an afterlife. In Egyptian burials, valuables would be placed in the chambers along with the dead so that they could take their belongings with them to the afterlife.  In some of the mounds some of the people were buried with personal items such as knife, spear points, and beads. These things could potentially aid the person in the new world that they would be living in when they reached their afterlife.

The natives believed in a renewal of the world after death and this was shown in the location of the mounds, which were mostly by springs. The Native American belief in an afterlife is apparent in the time and effort that was taken to bury the dead and in the process of creating the burial sites.

Effigy Mounds a Reflection of a System of Symbols

The effigy mounds of Wisconsin served a religious purpose to the Native Americans in the area.  They were a series of mounds created that were made in the shapes of different animals. These animals had special significance in the spiritual world of the natives. There were two worlds, the upper and lower worlds. There were many different animals that were associated with these worlds such as the thunderbird for the upper -world and the snake or bear for the lower -world.

These beliefs in an upper and lower world were represented through the creation of these mounds. The effigy mounds were created in shapes that represented the animals that were associated with these worlds. The upper-world was associated with the sky and the lower with water. An upper-world animal such as a thunderbird would be made on a cliff of another high area, and a mound in the shape of a lower-world animal such as a snake would be created near a spring or another source of water.

The creation of these mounds showed a desire to create a connection between people, the land, the animals and the spiritual world. The mounds were a way to create a form of order and understanding of the world around the natives. They symbolized death, as they were usually burial sites. They also symbolized renewed life, as they would be located near springs that represented the renewing of life to these peoples. In conclusion effigy mounds help create a general order of existence by allowing the Native Americans create a physical form of their beliefs.

Religion…man made or God made?

When I begin to think about religion and why there are certain rules and guidelines I start to think about the creation of religion and the purpose that it serves to human kind. No matter where you live in the world be it in a large city or secluded jungle all people have some form of religion. It is almost as if we as humans are built to have a need to believe in something more than just us. It is as if we are programmed to believe in a God or gods, and with that belief comes the belief in the supernatural world and supernatural power.

 Human kind was also programmed with a need to control and understand their environments. The creation or rather existence of religion is a way that humans can feel a sense of control and understanding in a world of chaos and uncertainty. So I find it only natural to wonder whether or not religion was just a man made creation. I wonder whether or not man just created a God and rules from this God to benefit themselves and try to exercise control over people and their environments. There are so many religions in this day and age that cater just about every want and need that a human might experience. Humans have molded and bent different religions into what they find to be ideal for them. What rules from one religion are best for their life style mixed with some ideals from another.

So I’m left thinking whether religion created by God and then dulled down by man or whether it created by man and just further evolved it to what best served them during whatever point in time they are living?