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Originally Posted by ZNPaaneah
What does happen is Christian teachers can go off the deep end with allegories seeing everything as an allegory. For example, WL was very big on what numbers in the Bible mean. I always felt that was extremely tenuous, and they bring out a good example of "the five husbands of the Samaritan woman". What do these 5 husbands represent in contrast to the man she is now with who is not her husband?
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First, no offense in characterizing our perspectives.
I consider that in reading scripture, we have primarily what is written. The plain words. If they are clearly something like a parable or fiction provided to make a point, then there is quite possibly something to alegorize. And at some level it has been done for us. Not that the solution is clearly given, but the direction as to its place as meaning more than simply the raw narrative. But few argue over where those are.
But if we come to the Samaritan woman, we can see so much that is simply the narrative. Yes, there is a little bit of nuance when they get into things like the "place" to worship and Jesus basically says it is not about place. That is the kind of statement that seems out of place — at least at first. But when we get to the 5 husbands, there is a point. She is a serial marryer. She is just committing adultery in stages.
Yet I would not have much problem with a preacher who wanted to spring from the 5 husbands to, say, 5 ways that we ignore God, or whatever. But these are always couched in terms of using one thing — 5 husbands — as a springboard to something else. They don't try to make the 5 into something concrete as if suggested by the narrative. That is where I would draw a line.
Anyone trying to say that there is anything suggested in the narrative as a meaning for each of the 5 husbands immediately gets my antennas up. How is there anything metaphorical here suggesting 5 specific things? Where did these come from? Where is he going with this? And why is he trying to make it out to be certain when it is not?
Now if we were talking about reading the Song of Songs, then my thoughts are quite different. I'm sure that there are things that some people get of of that book that probably are not there. But at least you come to it with the understanding that it is intended to be metaphorical. Rich in inference and meaning that is not directly stated.
I do not deny that we may find rich meaning in other places beyond what is simply written. But if the first place we should be looking is to what is there. Not what it not. Allegorizing what is not provided as allegory needs many caveats. Saying "the 5 husbands means" and then rattling off 5 different specific things is not supported, or supportable, based on what is there to read. On the other hand, to say, "we could treat these 5 husbands as . . ." can provide a springboard to something that is admittedly not within the passage, but is useful in Christian living and may be found in other, unrelated passages.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ZNPaaneah
I see no harm in trying to determine what the 5 husbands are
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But how do you propose to determine what the 5 husbands are? On what basis do you conclude that you have found the 5 and have linked them to this passage?
Quote:
Originally Posted by ZNPaaneah
But as Awareness has pointed out, there are many unstable loonies in Christendom and this practice, taken in excess is like a drug.
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And this is more than true. The scary thing is that there are many who do not appear to be "unstable loonies" who are busy doing the same thing. Go to work and look around you. There is probably someone literally on drugs who does not exhibit any signs. There are functioning alcoholics. But, in reference to the allegory addicts, they are just as errant as the unstable loonies.