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-======  ... ======
+====== On insight into this world ... ======
-Thursday, Jan 4, 2018.
+Thursday, Jan 4, 2018. It is interesting to think about what is causing
+us to gain insight into this world. What is creating a path towards better
+insight? And what is in the way, keeping us from insight at this or that
+particular point?
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-** With open Eyes ...**
+** Philosophical Preconceptions ...**
+If you look into the history of science, your realize quickly that there
+were many philosophical preconceptions which kept people from insight into
+special problems for quite a while.
+Only when someone managed to break the preconception, the path was free for new
+insight. What is the nature of our space, the nature of light, the nature of time,
+the nature of small things and large things, matter and fields? Physics has seen
+astonishing insight over the past 150 years.
+But the same is true for medicine, for biology, for chemistry, for engineering,
+for manufacturing, for mathematics.
+When it comes to faith, we have the same phenomenon. Philosophical preconceptions
+might keep us away from faith, or they might keep us caught in a particular world.
+That might not be the faith described in the biblical books, in the New Testament,
+in the prophets.
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-** See and Trust ...**
+** The biblical faith ...**
+What is the biblical faith? What does it tell us? What is its message, its insight?
+You might approach the book with a particular idea about its content. You probably
+approach it with your own philosophical preconception.
+There is, for example, the historical critical approach. Its philosophical preconception
+is a particular understanding of what can be true and what cannot be true. So it reads
+and sorts the texts and arguments according to its prescribed ideas of reality. That does
+not necessarily help to get to the message of the bible as it was written or meant
+by Jesus himself.
+Of course, this argument is very general. Any approach might be a preconception. Any
+understanding needs some ideas, then listen, then judge, then reread, then change the
+first ideas and approach with an updated understanding, and so on. We call this the
+hermeneutical circle. It means to understand step by step - if all works out well!
+It is not a bad idea to go and read with some preliminary ideas, and then see how far
+you get. As long as your are willing to listen and to change your understanding when
+good arguments turn up, there is nothing wrong. It might be the best you can do.
+And yes, God might want to talk to you through the biblical books. So it would be
+good to listen. It would be good to pray to him to help you to understand. This might,
+at least initially, also be a preconception, which has to be proven to be a good
+way, which leads you forward.
 (Roland Potthast)
 [[http://www.jesusnetwork.eu/en/topics_collection_ix|... further texts]]
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