Christ in LimboMuseum of Fine Arts, Budapest
As a fulfillment of redemption, Christ, having broken open the gates of hell, has brought with him the pious figures of the Old Testament, holding Adam by the hand as the symbolical incorporation of the whole of humanity. Allusions to this forced invasion, a favoured incident of popular legends and mystery plays, are found even in the Divine Comedy; here it is indicated by cracked and broken stones. It is typical of medieval thinking that hell is represented as a well-guarded building of huge stones, a sort of immense fortified prison; the notions of release, heaven, enjoyment of the delights of Paradise, are conveyed by a fresh green meadow encircled by mountains and forests of fantastic shape, worthy of the imagination of a Tyrolese painter. As symbol of his triumph over death, Christ holds the banner of victory in his hand; the wounds on his hands and feet are clearly visible.
ok so there's talk abt abolishing e limbo "since it has always been only a theological hypothesis".
i find it interesting tt ppl of e same religion can actually be separated into different "sects" or demonitions, or into different thinking eg b/w e traditionally minded & e more hmm, shld i say, open followers?
i mean isn't there supposed to be just 1 god? if there's 1 god, how come god's followers can have such diverse ideas on their beliefs? how can followers even disagree on their fellow followers' beliefs? so by disagreeing are they saying that there is only 1 correct belief? then how isit that they have been unable to figure out which is e correct one since religion first started? Isn't god supposed to guide them? how isit that god would allow such diversity in beliefs? how can god allow e possibility of e abolition of e limbo aka Abraham's Bosom? why isit tt e bible can be interpreted in many ways by different followers?
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e haze is really bad. i dun think e PSI index is just a pathetic 80. like c'mon, i already have breathing difficulties & having nose & eye irritation & u tell me it's 80?!! honestly, i think tt's a lousy cover up again with e mentality tt singaporeans are dumb. ok maybe most of them are. i can't be bothered.
bet those assholes are well equipped with air purifiers @ home so they can't be bothered abt e rest of us. i tew u, if this goes on, my brain will most probably die frm e fumes. do smthin!
6 comments:
Did you see "I, Robot" and how the evil machine forged a new interpretation of the Three Laws of Robotics? Interpretation Happens, there's no use fighting it. It's as true of secular literature and society's legal codes as it is of scriptural literature.
You might as well ask: Why are there so many religions if there's supposed to be only one god? Isn't God supposed to guide them to the true religion then? Haha... People, being people, have many different ways of viewing the exact same thing. It's the same way a poem can be interpreted a thousand ways. Which way is right? Which way is true? I guess we can never really find out. What matters is what you believe and what appeals to you. No matter what you choose, there will always be people who tell you, "No. It's wrong. It isn't true." There is no end to all these guessing games. It is imperative to realize that being human means you are given the freedom of choice (no matter how stifled it is by your family or friends or country), and I feel that is something God will not change or interfere with, regardless of whether your choice is right or wrong. Whatever you choose, you will have to face up to the consequences of it.
Different interpretations probably arise due to ambiguities in the Bible. Examples include:
"The Lord is a man of war." (Ex 15:3) and the contradicting statement which says that "God is not the author of confusion but of peace." (1 Cor 14:33).
"Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, put every man his sword by his side... And slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbour." (Ex 32:27) But at the same time, the Bible says, "Thou shalt not kill." (Ex 20:13)
I quote S and C, "Interpretation happens". There can be different interpretations for everything, even for words that are written in black and white with clearly defined meanings and intentions.
Christianity branches into different denominations (as many as 30,000, or so I've heard), and some are more radical. For example, Jehovah's Witnesses believe that blood transfusions should not be allowed, even in times of emergency when a person's life is at stake.
Some extremely conservatives Christians see non-Christians, including Catholics, as people who lead demon-led and worthless lives (please refer to http://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_capr.htm). Fortunately we don't have many of these people around.
Anyway, at the end of the day Christians will just tell you that the Bible is ambiguous because God's ways are beyond human comprehension and not something that earthly beings can grapple with, and the various Christian denominations just go to prove God's unfathomable nature.
to S & C & faith
thank u so much for ur valuable insight, it did make me understand this issue better. i guess it's always good to have different viewpoints towards religious issues. thanks again. :)
to miao: u r knowledgeable! haha, i wasn't aware of such things. shall go & look up on the things that u've mentioned. thanks!
Hi Estelwen,
Thank you for correcting "dragons" to "lions" on cathy's and my blog. It does make more sense. ---Steve
hi steve,
u're most welcome. :)
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