Scripture and Spirituality
The relationship between scripture (religious texts) and spirituality has always interested me. How important is the 'accuracy' or 'precision' of scripture? Also does scripture have a special relationship to truth (or Truth)? I found an interesting piece on this topic by the philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein discussing Christianity and the Danish religious man and philosopher Soren Kierkegaard:
Quote:
Kierkegaard writes: If Christianity were so easy and cosy
(German: gemütlich), why should God in his Scriptures have set
Heaven and Earth in motion and threatened ETERNAL punishment?
Question: But in that case why is this Scripture so unclear? If
we want to warn someone of a terrible danger, do we go about it
by telling him a riddle whose solution will be the warning? - But
who is to say that the Scripture really is unclear? Isn't it
possible that it was essential in this case to 'tell a riddle'?
And that, on the other hand, giving a more direct warning would
necessarily have had the WRONG effect? God has FOUR people
recount the life of his incarnate Son, in each case differently
and with inconsistencies - but might we not say: It is important
that this narrative should not be more than quite averagely
historically plausible JUST SO THAT this should not be taken as
the essential, decisive thing? So that the LETTER should not be
believed more strongly than is proper and the SPIRIT may receive
its dure. I.e.what you are supposed to see cannot be
communicated even by the best and most accurate historian; and
THEREFORE a mediocre account suffices, is even to be
preferred. For that too can tell you what you are supposed to be
told. (Roughly in the way a mediocre stage set can be better
than a sophisticated one, painted trees better than real ones, -
because these might distract attention from what matters.) The
Spirit puts what is essential, essential for your life, into
these words. The point is precisely that you are only SUPPOSED to
see clearly what appears clearly even in THIS representation. (I
am not sure how far all this is exactly in the spirit of
Kierkegaard.)
(source)
Is there a concern with scripture that it, the medium, will become the focal point instead of the message? Is there a case of the tail wagging the dog with scripture and spirituality? It is clear that scripture can support and nourish spirituality, yet in my life scripture I think is at best an inspiration of spirituality. Also, I believe there are other inspirations.
Although Wittgenstein was concerned with Christian spirituality and the possibility of being a Christian if a person didn't religiously (excuse the terrible pun) follow scripture, as Kierkegaard also thought, I'm wondering about all spiritualities and their relationships to scripture. So feel free to post if there is a lot of discussion upon Christian spirituality, as the input is invited. Thanks
