Why Does the Bible Contain Explicit Narratives?

[maxwel]

I appreciate you took time to respond but....you didn't really answer the two main questions. I understand what Song of Solomon is supposed to be. I just don't get why the book is written like a literotica...in a way that clearly is meant to arouse:/

Song of Solomon
4:2 Thy teeth are like a flock of sheep that are even shorn, which came up from the washing; whereof every one bear twins, and none is barren among them.
4:3 Thy lips are like a thread of scarlet, and thy speech is comely: thy temples are like a piece of a pomegranate within thy locks.

If that arouses you... I don't think you can blame God.

 

[WineRose]

Whoa! So you have the courage to step into the infamous BDF?

The only thing I can say about that is...welcome to the jungle! Hope you enjoy your stay! *hops into a helicopter and flies away from the madness that is about to ensue*

 

[umzza]

I thought I did answer the questions. On the surface, it is a love poem from a man to his wife and from a woman to her husband. I don't see anything faintly ugly in it. It is love poetry. The spiritual meaning is of Christ and His church. Most poetry has a surface meaning and a spiritual parallel.

Why was Solomon allowed to write it? Probably because as a man with so many different wives, he was in a unique pisition to realize that only one was special. Solomon tried having tons of women and found out monogamy is best (read Ecclesiastes to see how jaded he was with his luxurious lifestyle, or the proverbs where he talks about staying with one wife and not hankering after other women).

This may be going a little far afield, but have you ever seen the film Anna and the King? It is a version of The King and I starring Jodie Foster as Anna Leowens (I think her last name is). Anyway, Anna goes to Thailand during the 1850s or 1860s to be a governess to the Thai king's children. The king falls in love with Anna. In the climactic moment of the film, the king tells Anna "Now I know why a man can be happy with one wife." He had tons of wives, but concluded that quantity does not equal quality.

I think Solomon probably found this out with the Shulamite.

Okay second part makes sense. Never thought of that. Good argument to think about.

First part - When I read Song of Solomon it reads . . . in an explicit way, from my point of view. Sorry if this offends you but it reads much like pornography, not just love poems. Explicit, detailed descriptions of intimate acts. Okay like that really bothers me because when I read it it's like pornography. It makes me angry.

 

[umzza]

Song of Solomon
4:2 Thy teeth are like a flock of sheep that are even shorn, which came up from the washing; whereof every one bear twins, and none is barren among them.
4:3 Thy lips are like a thread of scarlet, and thy speech is comely: thy temples are like a piece of a pomegranate within thy locks.

If that arouses you... I don't think you can blame God.

There are other parts. You have not chosen to post the explicit portions.

Song of Solomon 2:3, 4:5, 4:16, 7:7-8, 7:3

 

[umzza]

Whoa! So you have the courage to step into the infamous BDF?

The only thing I can say about that is...welcome to the jungle! Hope you enjoy your stay! *hops into a helicopter and flies away from the madness that is about to ensue*

Lol I've been around here since 2009. Still come back here every once in a while. Miss alot of the old members though

 

[MultilingualMessenger]

There are other parts. You have not chosen to post the explicit portions.

Song of Solomon 2:3, 4:5, 4:16, 7:7-8, 7:3

So six verses from a poetry book make you doubt God and His entire Word full of revelations, prophecies, spiritual truths and other inspired writings? Huh?

Your questions were statements that needed no answers and I doubt very seriously if these answers as simple as they are would do anything to change you mind about not trusting the Bible. Only those on the outside do not trust the Bible nor do they deny that it is The divinely written, inspired WORDS of GOD. I think you want to find a way of not to believe. SO SAD

I'm kinda curious as to your response to this, umzza...

 

[Galatea]

Okay second part makes sense. Never thought of that. Good argument to think about.

First part - When I read Song of Solomon it reads . . . in an explicit way, from my point of view. Sorry if this offends you but it reads much like pornography, not just love poems. Explicit, detailed descriptions of intimate acts. Okay like that really bothers me because when I read it it's like pornography. It makes me angry.

I think it is not explicit at all, but entirely implicit. Did you ever read any John Donne? The love poems? I don't believe anyone would say his writing is pornographic, but there is much implied.

After all, pornography is explicit- things that are implicit are not.

If your interpretation bothers you, then don't read it until you can get it resolved in your heart that this is a picture of Christ and His Church, then it might not offend you.

 

[maxwel]

There are other parts. You have not chosen to post the explicit portions. 4:5, 7:7-8, 7:3

So... there are 4 verses you don't like?

4 verses?

That's all you got?


When you come to a religious site, and libel the sacred scriptures as "pornography", then YOU are the one who needs to explain herself... not the rest of us.

If you want to claim it's pornography, then you need back up your claim.
You need to post every verse you don't like, and explain exactly why each verse is pornography.
If you can't be ethical, and back up your claim, then you need to stop.
If you can't be honest, and ethical, and back up your claim, then you need to stop lashing out at CC whenever you're having a bad day.

 

[umzza]

So six verses from a poetry book make you doubt God and His entire Word full of revelations, prophecies, spiritual truths and other inspired writings? Huh?



I'm kinda curious as to your response to this, umzza...

1) yes six do. I am not ashamed to say that. The Bible is supposed to be inerrant.

2) I honestly don't know if answers to the questions would change my doubt. I would hope that they would help to decrease my doubt. The sarcastic attitudes of alot of people toward my questions does not help.

 

[umzza]

I think it is not explicit at all, but entirely implicit. Did you ever read any John Donne? The love poems? I don't believe anyone would say his writing is pornographic, but there is much implied.

After all, pornography is explicit- things that are implicit are not.

If your interpretation bothers you, then don't read it until you can get it resolved in your heart that this is a picture of Christ and His Church, then it might not offend you.

What does implicit mean?

 

[maxwel]

1) yes six do. I am not ashamed to say that. The Bible is supposed to be inerrant.

2) I honestly don't know if answers to the questions would change my doubt. I would hope that they would help to decrease my doubt. The sarcastic attitudes of alot of people toward my questions does not help.

That's because you were far from asking polite questions.

You were spewing vitriol, making accusatory statements, and calling the scripture pornography.


And... oh shock... that got a bad response, lol.

 

[umzza]

So... there are 4 verses you don't like?

4 verses?

That's all you got?


When you come to a religious site, and libel the sacred scriptures as "pornography", then YOU are the one who needs to explain herself... not the rest of us.

If you want to claim it's pornography, then you need back up your claim.
You need to post every verse you don't like, and explain exactly why each verse is pornography.
If you can't be ethical, and back up your claim, then you need to stop.
If you can't be honest, and ethical, and back up your claim, then you need to stop lashing out at CC whenever you're having a bad day.

Sorry I edited it. It is 6 verses. But yes, that's all I got. I think the verse, for the most part, are pretty self-explanatory. Given the storyline, I'm not sure what other explanations there would be for the verses other than that they are explicit descriptions.

 

[Bladerunner]

@MultilingualMessenger I am so sorry but I really just want an ANSWER TO THE FIRST TWO QUESTIONS. Telling me I need to trust God is not going to help if I don't trust the Bible because of apparent contradictions. You cant talk all about me and try to teach me about other stuff but I just want ANSWERS TO THE FIRST TWO QUESTIONS.

NO umzza...... If you believed, really had faith in Jesus Christ as your Savior, the Forgiver of your sins, you would not question the Bible as the whole uncorrupted Word of GOD.

My question to you is: Did God make mistakes in the Bible or is it the faulty interpretation of MAN????????

The Bible was Divinely Written and Inspired by God himself. I have been studying it for some time now and just about everyday, I find something that I did not see before that makes me have to change my mind of a certain point of view.

BUT it all comes down to this. In my mind, My Faith in Jesus is unconditional and the Bible is without Error. It is I who has not fully discovered what God was trying to tell me and all who read his #1 Book of all time. The Holy Bible.



Have a blessed Day

Blade

 

[MultilingualMessenger]

1) yes six do. I am not ashamed to say that. The Bible is supposed to be inerrant.

2) I honestly don't know if answers to the questions would change my doubt. I would hope that they would help to decrease my doubt. The sarcastic attitudes of alot of people toward my questions does not help.

There it is. You're operating under the assumption that if you don't understand or like it, it must be in error. That's an underlying assumption that won't be a bit dealt with by anyone answering your questions.

 

[Ugly]

Up until about 150 years ago many young ladies married at 12-13-14, it was a different time. Now you would rather see them sent of to a hedonistic college system I suppose? And marry at 30 when they have already become WELL........

You sound like a troll.

Actually you sound like a troll. The OP has been on the site for years with no trouble. You are new and making condescending, presumptuous, rude and uncalled for remarks at someone asking questions. And accusing them if thinking things that has NOTHING AT ALL to do with anything being discussed. So who's really the troll?

 

[hornetguy]

Thank you for reading what I wrote. About question two - I thought God wanted men to only marry one woman. Like I get that it was normal to have multiple wives in the OT. I don't get why, if God only wanted men to have one wife, He would choose Solomon to write about marriage relationships. Solomon seems like the last person who should write on the subject.

Solomon was the wisest man that has ever lived.. Who better to write about the relationship between a man and woman?

And, it was customary for younger girls to be betrothed to an older man... that is simply the way it was done in that culture. In some cultures today it is still common.

The Bible was not written to satisfy the social mores of a 21st century American citizen. It was written to be what it is... the word of God. A written history of the chosen ones of God, from Adam down to Jesus.

 

[umzza]

That's because you were far from asking polite questions.

You were spewing vitriol, making accusatory statements, and calling the scripture pornography.


And... oh shock... that got a bad response, lol.

What would have been a polite way to ask the questions?

What's vitriol?

 

[maxwel]

Sorry I edited it. It is 6 verses. But yes, that's all I got. I think the verse, for the most part, are pretty self-explanatory. Given the storyline, I'm not sure what other explanations there would be for the verses other than that they are explicit descriptions.

Claiming something is self explanatory is not an explanation.

 

[umzza]

NO umzza...... If you believed, really had faith in Jesus Christ as your Savior, the Forgiver of your sins, you would not question the Bible as the whole uncorrupted Word of GOD.

My question to you is: Did God make mistakes in the Bible or is it the faulty interpretation of MAN????????

The Bible was Divinely Written and Inspired by God himself. I have been studying it for some time now and just about everyday, I find something that I did not see before that makes me have to change my mind of a certain point of view.

BUT it all comes down to this. In my mind, My Faith in Jesus is unconditional and the Bible is without Error. It is I who has not fully discovered what God was trying to tell me and all who read his #1 Book of all time. The Holy Bible.



Have a blessed Day

Blade

I have trouble with faith. If something doesn't make sense I get disconcerted but not quite as angry. But if something seems to contradict itself I get angry. Hard to have faith then.

That's why I ask questions. I was wondering what people thought the answers were.

 

[umzza]

Claiming something is self explanatory is not an explanation.

I'm not going to explain the verses from my point of view because, to me, that would be explaining a pornographic scene. If you have an interpretation of the verses I would be open to hearing that.