OnceConvinced Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 Here are some thoughts I had today that I just had to type up. Any comments or opinions are welcome. Do you agree with my spin on the bible here?: The Bible Jigsaw Puzzle When I was a Christian I used to see the bible as a gigantic jigsaw puzzle. It was a portrait painted by one amazing artist. It all had to fit together to give an overall picture. The books of the bible were like different parts of the puzzle, but they all fitted together. Even when you got one piece that didn’t seem to fit with the rest of the puzzle, it didn’t matter. Somehow it would all fit together once you’d spent enough time placing the pieces. But as the years passed I noticed certain things. I noticed that a lot of the pieces could be placed in many different ways, thus showing conflicting images. Many people would proudly show their completed puzzle showing how they had fitted the pieces together which showed a different picture to what I had. Of course they claimed they had the pieces fitted together perfectly, but then so did I. And so did many of the other people who fitted their pieces together differently again. Then I began to notice people forcing pieces together, making them fit into shapes that didn't really match up. People were even repainting pieces to make them look like they fitted, sort of like a kid takes a messed up Rubicks cube and either pulls it apart and forces it back together or switches the stickers around on it. Hell, I even saw people trim the jigsaw pieces to force them to fit together. Some even created some of their own pieces to help join other pieces together! I discovered this was the standard way Christians did the jigsaw puzzle and yes, I was even guilty of similar things myself, but mainly I just tried to put the pieces together the best I could figure out. I began to wonder. Perhaps this jigsaw puzzle isn’t all it’s cracked up to be? Why do people put it together differently? Why can’t even two people come up with the same overall picture? It just never happens even though many claim to have the great Holy Puzzle Solver guiding them. I decided that no longer could I take the perspective that the bible was one huge jigsaw puzzle. I took a closer look at it, this time without the Christian glasses. And I discovered something. I discovered that it wasn’t one gigantic puzzle. It was a whole heap of smaller puzzles, all of the same scene, but all drawn by different artists who had painted the scene through different perspectives and styles. It became so obvious to me. Christians continue to insist it is one gigantic puzzle but the ones who are best at putting the puzzle together are the ones who are best at cutting it into shape and re-colouring bits and pieces to give an overall picture. Some of their pictures actually look ok, and look like they may be the genuine article. But then some come up with an abstract mess. I’ve realized it’s futile to take a whole lot of pieces from different jigsaw puzzles and try to force them together to get one big picture. It just doesn’t work and only looks good to the person who is forcing the pieces to fit trying to make it look like the picture they have in their head. In summary. The bible cannot possibly be taken as the word of God, the contradictions can't be justified, the differing opinions can't be reconciled. Those who think they understand the bible just haven't realised that what they are looking at is a whole lot of conflicting perspectives of different writers. Until they realise that, all they're going to have is a mess of tiny peices which don't logically connect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatrickB Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 What a fantastic post! The jigsaw puzzle viewpoint I've not heard of before. It shows a great perspective with which to look at the bibley. I always wondered who, and searched for the person that had that puzzle put together the best, only to find one or more of those pieces purposely left out or shoved into the wrong place. But still I looked until I was essentially told to shut up and just believe! I did, and gave up all of my intelligence and life experiences for something that could bring me peace. It absolutely did NOT. I actually thought the Holy Puzzle Solver [very funny, by the way] was in me, and guiding me. Problem is, he told me to do a bunch of stuff in complete non adherence to living a life. Thanks for this post, OnceConvinced! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ogilvy Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 That is a brilliant analogy! It's spot on. And some people leave out pieces too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rosy_mary Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 By George, I think he's got it! This is almost exactly how I've begun to see it. I've been thinking for awhile that the Bible says so much stuff that anyone could take it and assemble whatever meaning they want out of it. And everyone that does thinks he or she has found the One True Meaning. Some people waste their whole lives trying to make sense out of it all. It's sad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnceConvinced Posted January 22, 2009 Author Share Posted January 22, 2009 thanks for the feedback! Much appreciated. Patrick I love your sig. That is so true too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neon Genesis Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 So, rather than a jigsaw puzzle that fits together perfectly, the bible is like a jigsaw puzzle where the company purposely ripped you off by putting in pieces that don't fit or leaving pieces out or even at points stealing pieces from other puzzle companies that probably make better puzzles? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnceConvinced Posted January 23, 2009 Author Share Posted January 23, 2009 That could very well be. It could also be that the jigsaw puzzle was never produced by a jigsaw company at all, but by some turkey in his garage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amethyst Posted January 24, 2009 Share Posted January 24, 2009 That could very well be. It could also be that the jigsaw puzzle was never produced by a jigsaw company at all, but by some turkey in his garage. Hmm... Roast turkey anyone? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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