Reverend discusses alternative interpretations of sexuality and religion in Bible
Katherine Kohls
Issue date: 2/27/09 Section: Campus
African American feminist theologian the Rev. Irene Monroe addressed a group of Miami University students, faculty and staff about world religions, sex and the Bible Thursday afternoon in the Shriver Center Heritage Room.
As part of the religion and community lecture series, Monroe discussed different interpretations of various Bible passages.
Monroe said interpretations have led to problems since the start of Biblical translation, since the power of translation is in the hands and the mind of the interpreter.
Monroe explained that words can hold different meanings throughout history. She said the word "virgin" historically meant young lady, therefore it is possible Mary, the unmarried virgin mother of Jesus, may have been marrying Joseph in an attempt to avoid dishonoring her family.
"Interpretations create distortion, which are carried from one generation to another, from the pulpit to the mouths of babes," Monroe said.
Mary Jane Berman, director of the Center for American and World Cultures (CAWC) and associate professor for the department of anthropology, helped bring Monroe to the Oxford campus, hoping her speech would address Biblical analysis and translation.
"There are various areas within the Bible where there are multiple interpretations," Berman said. "It depends on who's reading it, who wrote it, who translated it as well as the historical and current context it is taken."
Monroe said she believes the discrimination people justify with religion often isolates certain social groups and leads to a loss of faith.
"The Bible has played a salient role in discrimination in different times in the history of our country," Monroe said.
Monroe mentioned the Biblical story of Sodom and Gomorrah, in which God destroyed two cities for their sins, specifically sodomy. According to Monroe, homosexuality was common among men in that time period because it was a way to lower the birth rate. However, Monroe said the fear of a population decline led to oral myths about homosexuality and eventually led to laws prohibiting it.
As part of the religion and community lecture series, Monroe discussed different interpretations of various Bible passages.
Monroe said interpretations have led to problems since the start of Biblical translation, since the power of translation is in the hands and the mind of the interpreter.
Monroe explained that words can hold different meanings throughout history. She said the word "virgin" historically meant young lady, therefore it is possible Mary, the unmarried virgin mother of Jesus, may have been marrying Joseph in an attempt to avoid dishonoring her family.
"Interpretations create distortion, which are carried from one generation to another, from the pulpit to the mouths of babes," Monroe said.
Mary Jane Berman, director of the Center for American and World Cultures (CAWC) and associate professor for the department of anthropology, helped bring Monroe to the Oxford campus, hoping her speech would address Biblical analysis and translation.
"There are various areas within the Bible where there are multiple interpretations," Berman said. "It depends on who's reading it, who wrote it, who translated it as well as the historical and current context it is taken."
Monroe said she believes the discrimination people justify with religion often isolates certain social groups and leads to a loss of faith.
"The Bible has played a salient role in discrimination in different times in the history of our country," Monroe said.
Monroe mentioned the Biblical story of Sodom and Gomorrah, in which God destroyed two cities for their sins, specifically sodomy. According to Monroe, homosexuality was common among men in that time period because it was a way to lower the birth rate. However, Monroe said the fear of a population decline led to oral myths about homosexuality and eventually led to laws prohibiting it.
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traduceri legalizate
posted 6/25/09 @ 9:39 AM EST
Not even reading the Bible in its original language can make one realize the true sense of those words. A translation is even harder to get.
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