Religious Reflection Paper

Reflection Paper
In terms of academic study, what did you learn about the Bible that was new to you? What turned out to be new to me was how and why the books of the Bible were grouped together. The understanding that I had before this class was that there are specific divisions within the Bible. I already knew that there is Old Testament, the New Testament, as well as the Pentateuch, the Gospels, and the Letters. Yet I honestly did not previously think to analyze the significance that exists in the way the Bible is divided and ordered. For example, I really found it enlightening to see that the different books of the New Testament included not only letters (epistles) from the Apostle Paul, but also the Pastoral Epistles from other biblical figures. After taking this course, I can now really appreciate having been introduced to the specifics in the order of the Bible. I also learned how important it is to study the Bible from the “three worlds” approach. After reading through the book, it seems to be very important that every aspect of the Bible be reviewed and studied from the literary, historical, and contemporary points of view. If I were to read a literary work by William Shakespeare, for instance Romeo and Juliet, how could I process the meaning of the text used without gaining an understanding the particular words and phrases utilized in the story? Furthermore, if I was truly interested in reading the story and coming close to understanding the author’s intentions, then I must consider the customs and culture of that period of time in order to fully appreciate what the story offers. Finally, in processing the story from a literary and historical point of view I should be able or interested in relating the situations in the story to what I personally know or have observed.
In terms of the academic study of the Bible, what did you learn about the Bible which surprised you pleasantly? I was pleasantly surprised at the section that discussed The Letters of Paul in Context. This section was a pleasant surprise because, once again, I had not previously taken the initiative to discover the Bible. Prior to this course, I only used the Bible as a source for following along during my pastor’s sermons at church and for subjective study. Never had I taken the Bible on for everything that it offers in terms of the literary and historical contexts. So to get into this introductory study of the Bible and find that the letters that Paul wrote have specific themes that I can lean on was an awesome insight to say the least. I feel more confident in knowing that whenever I am having an issue, then there is a specific area of the Bible that I can turn to for whatever the issue may be at any given time. I was also pleasantly surprised with Chapter Twelve: The Proclaimer Becomes the Proclaimed. I was impressed with this chapter for the simple fact that I was given broader view of the gospels than I previously had. It was already known by me that the gospels are messages about Jesus’ ministry, as well as his life, death, and resurrection; which, in a real sense, is the ultimate example of God’s plan for our salvation. Rather than just know that the gospels account for Jesus on the aforesaid, it truly intrigued me to read exactly how the gospels are paralleled. With the Four-Source Hypothesis and the Q Source being new concepts to me, I was provided with the opportunity to recognize more about how the gospels came to be. Just as I was impressed with the themes of the letters of Paul, I was also impressed with the themes for the different gospels. I guess it would be safe to say that I am generally impressed with the concept of biblical themes.
In terms of the academic study of the Bible, what did you learn about the Bible which surprised you unpleasantly? Well I was unpleasantly surprised with Chapter Ten’s outlay of the varieties of classical Judaism. Now, I’m not saying that I was not prepared for what the textbook had to offer in regards to the different groups within Judaism. However I am saying that it was sort of displeasing, if you will, to read about the different groups that Judaism included. It was only displeasing in my opinion just because it is almost reminiscent of the way people still conduct themselves today when it comes to religious rites and authority. I suppose that for me, it was another picture of how religion can be and is often times distorted by the natural inclinations of mankind. For example, the Pharisees and Sadducees are perfect examples of the type of people that you can and will find in any denomination of Christianity (and other religions I would imagine). People establishing their religion for the sake of ritual purity or being associated with aristocratic religion is something that can be observed in today’s Christian church. Religiosity has turned so many people away from the church that it is in my opinion difficult to say whether it is unavoidable. One thing is for certain, it is definitely a concept that I am not particularly in favor of discussing.
In terms of the academic study of the Bible, in what ways, if any, might what you have learned about the Bible in this course influence your perspective toward your personal tradition’s approach to the Bible? Well as I attend a predominantly African-American non-denominational church I find that, based on what I have observed and been taught, the eschatology of African-American theology being the sentiment “we shall overcome” all oppressive obstacles. Therefore as that sentiment relates to my tradition’s approach to the Bible, the focus seems to be on those things in the Bible that accommodate how one should persevere through hard times and hard circumstances. So in regards to how this course influenced my perspective toward my tradition’s approach to the Bible, I can say that it has enhanced my ability to further relate to the biblical stories as they are exegete during Bible studies.