Modern technology and Bible

[truthman]

All are encouraged to comment on this.

My wife and I were talking today about the upcoming Passion movie and how violent it will be (R rating). The reason is because I was thinking about taking my church's youth group to go see it. Our discussion then morphed into talking about how graphic words can be versus video presentation.

So, my question to you all is this.

Imagine just for a moment that today's technology (video, audio, graphics, animation, computer codes of all types, insert favorite technology here) was available during the time of Bible writing.

Would God have used other mediums along with text to inspire the Bible? For instance, imagine watching a God inspired movie reenactment of the battle of Jericho, or a God inspired, correct down to the last detail, video account of the crucifixion. Or how about Song of Soliomon, can you imagine the implications?

What are your thoughts? Could/would God have used other mediums had they been available?

truthman

[GrayPilgrim]

All are encouraged to comment on this.

My wife and I were talking today about the upcoming Passion movie and how violent it will be (R rating). The reason is because I was thinking about taking my church's youth group to go see it. Our discussion then morphed into talking about how graphic words can be versus video presentation.

So, my question to you all is this.

Imagine just for a moment that today's technology (video, audio, graphics, animation, computer codes of all types, insert favorite technology here) was available during the time of Bible writing.

Would God have used other mediums along with text to inspire the Bible? For instance, imagine watching a God inspired movie reenactment of the battle of Jericho, or a God inspired, correct down to the last detail, video account of the crucifixion. Or how about Song of Soliomon, can you imagine the implications?

What are your thoughts? Could/would God have used other mediums had they been available?

truthman

Good question. I would be inclined to side on the no side. In Exodus and Deuteronomy God forbade the use of images. Notice it is not limited to idols. Images tend to limit a thing. For instance while a picture gives a 2 dimensional representation of a thing it is not a thing an sich. It lacks the full qualities of the thing being pictured. Moreover images do not require a volitional or an intellectual response. One can see a picture and have an emotive response, but it fails to have any life changing response. Take the common misunderstanding of the quote of Francis of Assisi "Preach the Gospel at all times. If necessary, use words." I almost think this is a little tongue in cheek, because it is always necessary to use words in order to preach the Gospel.

I do not think that it is wrong for Christians to use images, it is jsut that images and other multimedia are more time bound than words. Take for instance the western movies of the 1920s and 30s we watch them for camp value and sentimental reasons, they no longer grab audiences the way they used to. That is because they appealed to those aesthetic princeples that were in vogue at the time.

Just my $.02

[truthman]

Gray, thanks for your thoughtful response, however...

Where is exactly in Exodus and Deuteronomy did God forbid the use of images? If you are speaking of the commandment here
Exodus 20:4-5 "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness [of any thing] that [is] in heaven above, or that [is] in the earth beneath, or that [is] in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God [am] a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth [generation] of them that hate methen please tell me how that doesn't have to do with worship but rather all images for all purposes?

Secondly, regarding your comment that images go out of date (as in Westerns), don't you think Hebrew and Greek are 'out of date' and not 'in vogue' at this time? Yet, people study them to get the original meaning.

So, with that in mind, why couldn't God have used the technology of that day if it were video and we would later do 'video criticism' instead of 'textual criticism'.

truthman