[whispering out loud]

I do appreciate the candor of your question, and I would note that no interpretation of the scriptures in circulation today is in the script. I can however say that there is one exact, and precise meaning, and or interpretation. Though I would not say that I have a plenary understanding of every individual passage within the scriptures, nor does anyone alive today, I will say that there are several passages of the scriptures that need no "interpretation, nor explanation" for the most part, the Bible is very straight forward, and it never, I repeat never contradicts itself. Though several different "Christian" groups may indeed debate over the interpretation or theology surrounding certain passages, there is an absolute truth, as well as absolute morals. Anyone who denies this denies the very foundation of the scriptures. The word Gospel is interpreted as being truth, since the Bible refers to itself as the Gospel, then if there is just one lie within it, then it negates the claim to being the truth. Hence the Bible is either 100% true, or it is in it's entirety a lie.

[andysandmikesmom]

Thank you for your thoughtful response...perhaps the better question would have been then, 'Who has the absolute truth?'...from what I have seen in the religion forum on FR, and what I have experienced in my real life, each different Christian religion seems to believe that their interpretation is the 'absolute truth'...and again, we come to the fact, that different Christian religions cannot all have the absolute truth of a matter, when they are in complete disagreement as to what that absolute truth is...so if we grant, that the Bible contains the absolute truth, the question will still remain, as to which Christian religion has the absolute truth....

The most explicit example I can think of relating to this is about the perpetual virginity of Mary, mother of Jesus...Catholics believe that she never had sex with Joseph during their marriage, never had any other children besides Jesus, and remained a virgin all of her life...most non-Catholic Christians seem to believe, that after Jesus was born, Mary did have sex with Joseph during their marriage and she bore many children...now, there can be only one truth here...either she remained a perpetual virgin or she did not...either she had sex with Joseph or she did not...either she had other children or she did not...there is only one absolute truth of this matter...yet who has it, this absolute truth about Marys state of virginity?...Its been hotly contested for a long time on FR....on this matter someone is right, and someone is wrong...both contenders cannot be right...and both sides of this matter, use Biblical scriptures to support their own particular beliefs...

And so it goes for so many matters concerning the Bible...so even tho we may grant that there is an absolute truth from the whole of the Bible, who indeed has this absolute truth? Truthfully, I dont think anyone here can answer that, to anyone elses satisfaction...because each particular Christian religion believes that they have the absolute truth, and will back it up with Biblical scriptures, and a different Christian religion will use those very same scriptures, and come to a completely different conclusion...

And so the question remains, 'Who has the absolute truth?' and that question remains unanswered....