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The Forum > Article Comments > The blight of infallibility > Comments

The blight of infallibility : Comments

By Ray Barraclough, published 27/7/2022

Conservative evangelicals are usually influenced by the conservative ' spirit of the age'. That seems to be the common case in Australia.

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Great article - can we have more from Dr Barraclough please?

While I agree with the thrust of this piece, I think it does downplay a little the role of Christian thinking in the abolition of slavery and recognition of women’s rights. The early abolitionists were mostly (though not all) motivated by religion, though they drew on the thinking of Enlightenment philosophers who criticised slavery. Bible passages such as Galatians 3:28 – “there is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus” – were very influential in shaping the thinking of the abolitionists in Britain and elsewhere, and in the early women’s movement. And the letter to Philemon, while not questioning the institution of slavery, appeals to Philemon to treat his runaway slave Onesimus as a “beloved brother”. Recognising the full humanity of the “other” is the starting point for human liberation, whether it be the abolition of slavery, respecting of women’s rights or ending prejudice and discrimination against LGBQTI+ folk.

Dr Barraclough’s point that it took 1800 years for Christians to come around to this view is telling though. I think it reinforces his point – we interpret the Bible through the lens of our own times and cultures. At it best, this process can be a considerable force for good, as the Christian abolitionists demonstrated. At its worst, unfortunately, it is the opposite.
Posted by Rhian, Wednesday, 27 July 2022 1:49:08 PM
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I don't believe the bible is the written word of God. but the written word of men, some of who heard voices coming from thin air. And over 2,000 years ago and nothing since?

Today we medicate those or incarcerate them in homes for the insane.

If you would know the truth and wisdom as old as time, learn to meditate minus any religious dogma. And consists of completely stilling the conscious mind. Not concentrating on a particular passage from a book over and over. that's not meditation, but it is brainwashing.

So, find your self a comfortable sitting position, close your eyes, put on some calm soft deeply relaxing music. Then create a picture in your mind's eye where you are walking on a deserted beach where your footsteps are the only ones to have touched this virgin sand.

Walk slowly along this beach noting the gentle waves lapping the beach keep time with your breathing. Keep walking until your conscious mind is still and only your subconscious is self aware.

Stay there and just observe and listen. Use it if you have a problem you can't solve and come out of meditation with a, why didn't I think of that, solution.

When you've completed what you need, 10 minutes to an hour, you'll simply open your eyes feeling completely relaxed and calm. [NB. People have put their cancer into remission solely with meditation?]

Remember everything you observed with your mind's eye or heard. Pick a time and place where you will not be disturbed and when you are fully refreshed.
Alan B.
Posted by Alan B., Wednesday, 27 July 2022 2:10:58 PM
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"Slavery is no longer an issue in Australia."

OK, so slavery is no longer being discussed, but does it mean that it no longer exists?

Of course it does. Slavery continues to be alive and kicking even in Australia, only it became more subtle, less obvious and is called by other names which give it some legal justification.

In a couple of centuries people will be astounded to read about the cruelty and injustices of our present "modern" times.

And surely then, theologians will be able to find passages in the Bible that clearly show how our present lifestyle is unbiblical, sinful even. How come nobody finds these passages now?
Posted by Yuyutsu, Wednesday, 27 July 2022 3:21:48 PM
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One can only assume from this Ray has too much time on his hands, & spends a great deal of it meditating on his navel.

Perhaps we should start a fund me to pay to have his navel surgically removed, then perhaps he could find something more useful to do with his time.
Posted by Hasbeen, Wednesday, 27 July 2022 3:57:40 PM
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Biblical justification for "... religious colonists in Australia to justify the killing and dispossession of the land's Indigenous owners". Piffle! I don't know what this person knows about the Bible, but his history is off.

Apartheid, slavery, empire expansion - all justified by the Bible. Christians thinking that they are infallible. He's got the wrong religion.

I agree with Hasbeen. This bloke has too much time on his hands; and why he is still a theologian with his attitude is a mystery.

He removed himself from " … the evangelical circles in which (he) once moved …", or was removed, and has been sucking lemons ever since.
Posted by ttbn, Wednesday, 27 July 2022 4:26:32 PM
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Yes, an excellent article, a breath of fresh air compared to most of the usual stuff re Christian-ism that has been featured on this site.
This long essay describes the cultural and historical (including now-time) contexts and interpretations of the Bible, which quite obviously has hardly anything to do with either Truth, Reality and The Beautiful Itself. http://www.dabase.org/up-1-1.htm
Posted by Daffy Duck, Wednesday, 27 July 2022 6:37:09 PM
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