This is http://www.essayz.com/a9611233.htm         
Previous-Essay      <== This-Essay ==>     Following-Essay
Click HERE on this line to find essays via Your-Key-Words.
{Most frequent wordstarts of each essay will be put here.}
==========================================================
   %LITERAL INTERPRETATION SCRIPTURE TEXT OBJECTIVE+961123
  %FUNDAMENTAL TRUTH HONESTY INTEGRITY PERSONAL SIN+961123
%EVIL ALIENATION ESTRANGEMENT CONFLICT VIOLENCE WAR+961123
%WORDS LANGUAGE DIALOGUE LISTEN INTIMACY VULNERABLE+961123
  %CONTROL PRESCRIBE DESCRIBE PROSCRIBE COMMAND LAW 961123

     Some  people  insist  that their  interpretations  of
scriptures/texts   are  correct because they  are  reading
the  literal  meaning  of the words.    They believe  that
they (unlike others)  are avoiding the pitfalls of reading
into  the  scriptures and/or texts any meanings which  are
beyond  those  which reside inherently in  the  scriptures
and/or texts.

     Those who claim to be holding to the literal meanings
of words in scriptures/texts act as though the meanings of
words in the scriptures/texts  are objectively real and so
are   independent  of  the readers---in the way  in  which
physical  objects like rocks,  mountains,  and  lakes  are
real; independent of the viewers of them.

     To   act   as  though  the  meanings  of   words   in
scriptures/texts    are   objectively  real ---  DOES  NOT
MAKE IT BE SO!    Such pretense is dishonest --- and often
is  part of  a pattern of collusive games of  mutual  self
deception  among   those   engaged  in the  pretense   for
mutual  self-support in dishonesty.

     Honest people acknowledge the inevitability of subtle
and/or  major  differences in the meanings which they  and
others  find  in  the assemblages of words  in  scriptures
and/or  other  texts.    This is  the  case  because  they
honestly   acknowledge  that  they  and  others  come   to
scriptures  and/or other texts with different patterns  of
experiences  in  life  and in the  usage  of  oral/written
words.    Not  only  do  people speak/write/read different
languages  such  as English,  French,   German,   Spanish,
Russian, Italian, Arabic,  Chinese, Japanese and countless
others  of  well defined natures.   People also differ  in
subtle  ways within each such language as to  dialect  and
differences in ways in which words are used and understood
individually and collectively.

     The  meanings of scriptures and/or other texts reside
in  the  meetings between people and the patterns of words
found  therein---and  in the dialogue among  people  about
their meetings with those patterns of words.  The meanings
reside  in the relationships between and among the  people
and the patterns of words.

     It is dishonest  to pretend that real meanings reside
in patterns of  words apart from the relationships between
people  and  the  patterns  of words.    Meanings are  not
objective realities like rocks,  mountains and lakes.

     Human meanings have  no existence  in  the absence of
humans.  How  can  it be meaningful to  talk  about  human
meanings existing in  the absence of humans to  talk about
them?

     Objective realities are those about which humans  can
come to nearly universal agreement.   It is not helpful to
pretend  that  the  meanings of scriptures/texts are  like
objective  realities---especially  when there is  so  much
disagreement  among humans about what the scriptures/texts
mean.

     When  people  pretend  that  there are true "literal"
and/or "objective"  meanings of scriptures/texts they  are
probably  engaging  in  conflict  over who  is  to  be  in
control.   They are preoccupied with issues of control and
their use  of  conflict to heighten their power  to  be in
control.    They are not interested in conflict resolution
or  the mitigation of violence,  alienation,  estrangement
and misunderstanding.
                                                                                                                               
                         (c) 2005 by Paul A. Smith in      
                    (On Being Yourself, Whole and Healthy)  
                                                                                                                               
==========================================================