Don

I DO give at least partial reasons for my OE belief, that these reasons do not fit into a schema that you use that results in your belief of YE is NOT my problem, the problem is that your schema is so confining you do not see where to hang my beliefs, the solution is that I do not hang my beliefs on the schema you use, but my guess is you are so close to your schema you do not see it as such, as it apparently seems so “obvious” to you. This is VERY SIMILAR to what the non-egals do with egals in trying to dismiss them, they use a schema that assumes male preference over the entire Bible and this is so “obvious” to them that they at first think egals are simply bogus, then they end up not understanding them unless they change.

The YE/OE area is a big one with scads of books by proponents of each. It is simply not possible on a forum like this to try to repeat what is already in books. But I can try to give indications of why I believe as I do. I believe a Berean should study both sides in this area and come to their own conclusions, while not dismissing others who see things differently. I gave a book “Paradigms on Pilgrimage” that is written by 2 former YE people. I recommend it, as it covers a lot of the Scriptural AND scientific reasons for OE. Paula replied that there were those who flipped from OE to YE, yet gave no book. I would read one if it existed, will you YE people read P on P? One of the authors is also a guy who was a main actor in the recent “The Books of the Bible” version of the TNIV so he is no slouch as a scholar.

The very way Cheryl asks her questions assumes her schema, which is why I find it hard to give her an answer that she wants, as I do not assume her schema. I give an answer as best I can, but it seems insufficient to her. So I back up to basics as I understand it (pericopes), but find even the basics are not agreed upon, or at least not responded to; instead I get more questions.

I do not believe the Bible contradicts itself either, but it can SEEM to do so and these are puzzles to solve, not ignore or deny. It means we need to dig deeper as it is likely we are missing something.

FWIIW, I think the allegorical method of interpretation is one that has been greatly misused, used where it should not be. So I hesitate to say I use allegory, but it is true I do interpret some prehistory verses differently than YE people.