Re: The mind/brain and revelation

From: george murphy (gmurphy@raex.com)
Date: Sat Sep 16 2000 - 14:47:38 EDT

  • Next message: gordon brown: "Re: The mind/brain and revelation"

    "George Andrews Jr." wrote:

    > Hi Dave;
    >
    > David F Siemens wrote:
    >
    > > On Thu, 14 Sep 2000 08:57:30 -0400 "George Andrews Jr."
    > > <gandrews@as.wm.edu> writes:
    > > > > <snip>
    > > > >
    > > >
    > > > The fact that those accompanying Paul did not also hear Christ's
    > > > voice is my
    > > > point. It was all in Paul's mind.
    > > >
    > > Sorry, George, but you need to read your Bible more carefully. Acts 9:7
    > > says those with Saul heard a voice. So, if it was all in Saul's head, it
    > > was also in the heads of those accompanying him.
    > >
    > > Dave
    >
    > Thanks for the correction. I thought they just heard sound. But I agree
    > with your conclusion that is was also in the heads of the others. Again,
    > where else would it be. However, unless I am mistaken again, I am afraid
    > you may be missing my point concerning a theistic interpretation of the
    > experiments. When I say it was in Paul's and his companion's minds, I am
    > not arguing that the source wasn't God. I am saying that religious
    > experiences must be in the mind so experimental stimulation shouldn't worry
    > us.
    >

            The situation is not as simple as Dave suggested. Acts 9:7 does say
    that the men with him heard the voice, but Acts 22:9 says that they "saw the
    light but did not hear the voice of the one who was speaking to me," while
    26:13-18 says nothing about the experience of those with Paul except that they
    fell to the ground.
            Of course solutions have been proposed, such as the two discussed by
    F.F. Bruce, _The Acts of the Apostles_, (Eerdmans, 1952) p.199. According to
    neither of these did they distinguish the _words_ apoken to Paul. Or it might
    be simply 9:7 describes correctly what happened & that 22:9 reports correctly
    what Paul said had happened, but that he was wrong - though this seems a
    stretch.
                                                                Shalom,
                                                                George



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