Deseret News | Reader comments: Scripture 'story' power

Reader comments
Scripture 'story' power

Duff | 4:45 a.m. Jan. 4, 2009

I too love the scriptures. They tell such compelling stories that even little children can understand. I particularly like the one in, I think it is Numbers, where God tells the believers to kill all the inhabitants of the land, but that they may keep the little girls to use any way they want. What a lovely story about how God loves little children. Especially, little girls.

Sunday AM | 8:52 a.m. Jan. 4, 2009

Yes, stories make great teaching aids for instructing children about morals. Aesop's Fables work better, however - they're more colorful, more memorable, communicate a rational, humane and consistent set of ethics, and are every bit as true as the stories of "scripture."

Teaching children about morals using the Bible makes absolutely no sense. It is filled with God-ordered slaughter, God-ordered murder and mayhem, God-ordered misogyny, God-ordered slavery, etc.

Honestly, in my opinion using the Christian Bible as an instructional tool for children constitutes child abuse.

Sarah Nichole | 9:53 a.m. Jan. 4, 2009

Personally, I love the Bible and the other scriptures. I love the stories, and I love the religion, and I love the poetic structures. There's some gorgeous writing in there. I also love reading and writing fiction based around those stories, like The Kingdom and the Crown or The Promised Land series'. Finding ways to bring the scriptures to life is a wonderful way to teach the values contained inside.

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Hello There | 10:30 a.m. Jan. 4, 2009

"Duff" and "Sunday AM" seem to get their "jollies"
by posting Negative comments. One gets out of life
what one PUTS Into Life. It's the Parable of the Harvest.

Positive attitudes generally yeild a more Fruitful and Happier Life!!

God Bless those who get their "kicks" out of being
Negative. Jesus can BE Your Friend if you just
let Him In.

RE: Sunday AM | 11:52 a.m. Jan. 4, 2009

I challenge you to find any historic stories or stories of man and his existance on earth that doesn't have violence, struggles with ethics and morality, or anything you complain about it,

But it is in those stories of struggles against adverstiy, temptation, etc,

in hose stories about overcoming trial and tribulations,

it is in those stoies that the great inpiring stories have sprung.

it's true | 5:10 p.m. Jan. 4, 2009

There is no way one can "spin" the Old Testament as anything but as dour and often horrific tale of war, oppression, mass slaughter, child abuse, misogyny etc. If you think otherwise, you haven't read the book.

Re: it's true | 8:46 a.m. Jan. 5, 2009

Nobody has to "spin" the Old Testament to see a wonderful book full of great worth. If you aren't taking the time to read it and to study out why certain things happened the way they did, taking the historical context into account, then of course you're not going to understand some of its messages, or miscontrue them.

It is possible to read the entire Old Testament and have a completely different view of it than you did, sorry.

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