Way too often, when people (P1) from one culture think about people (P2) from a different culture, P1 try to force the thoughts and ideas of P2 out of the proper context, P2’s culture, and for it into their own, P1’s, culture. Often that is because P1 don’t have a way of studying or even understanding P2’s culture. I fear that we in the world today don’t truly understand the text of the Bible because we don’t understand the context that it was written in.
For example, Isaiah is full of word play that is easily seen by those who can read ancient Hebrew, but those of us who don’t speak it miss it completely and the true sense of the scripture slides right past us and we are totally unaware of it. It’s not our fault, but we still miss the true meaning of those scriptures. But it’s not that we not only miss the true meanings of the words, we take those words and try to understand what they mean by means of words and a culture that are completely foreign to the original language and the original culture.
For example, Isaiah is full of word play that is easily seen by those who can read ancient Hebrew, but those of us who don’t speak it miss it completely and the true sense of the scripture slides right past us and we are totally unaware of it. It’s not our fault, but we still miss the true meaning of those scriptures. But it’s not that we not only miss the true meanings of the words, we take those words and try to understand what they mean by means of words and a culture that are completely foreign to the original language and the original culture.
I just stated to the unbeliever of the ark story that if God said Noah built an ark, then Noah built an ark.
What some body else believes is their business.