moorthy@hctdemo.leis.bellcore.com (Velu Sembugamoorthy) (06/04/91)
**************************** Joseph Wood asks: Everyone interprets Bible differently. I would appreciate someone telling me why there are so many sects, so many bibles, and so many people thinlking that they are right and everyone else is wrong. I would really like to understand.. ************************** This problem is present not only with respect to Bible but also in all religions and with all scriptures. What I have observed in other scriptures may be true in the case of Bible too. There are at least two ways of coming to know the truth, Love, Kingdom of God Christ, Father, etc. One by direct experience and another by reading the scriptures using one's mind. The first type is somewhat strange, I think, in Christian and Islam religions, while it is important in most of the eastern religions. The content of people's mind depends on the time in which they live, their life experience and the current goals, etc. Since the content varies widely, so does the interpretations which is based on the contents of the mind. A gay person will interpret Bible differently from the so called straight. A Chinese christian interprets Bible differently from an American christian. A woman who has recovered from a terrible experience of rape throgh Jesus will interpret Bible differently from a woman who has never experienced any sorrow in her life. A 20th century person will understand Bible differently from a 3rd century person. If you have objectively observed the core teaching of all scriptures, you will find that they all emphasize Love. How is that great spiritual leaders came to say the same thing which is Love? It is IMHO because that they all directly experienced God. There is a state of human existence called Love to which one can raise one's consciousness and experience God (according to the experience of estaern spiritual teachers.) Since they reach the same state, they spoke the same truth. Then there is a reason why even those who directly experience God emphasize different aspects in their teaching. It is because there are different levels in which one can experience God. For example, being one with Holy spirit, with Christ, with Father. Persons who have experienced diferent levels emphasize different aspects. Of course there are many more reasons why one interprets a religious scriptures differently. But basically it is because the minds which interpret vary widely. It seems to me that one of the objective ways of finding the truth described in scriptures is by direct experience of God with an open mind. Approaching God with an open mind does not necessarily mean leaving one's faith but rather discovering that all faiths lead to the same state, in my humble opinion./moorthy Note: What is conveyed through this message is entirely my personal opinion and is not connected in any way with the company for which I work.