Newly-elected Speaker Mike Johnson gave Americans a glimpse of his "worldview" on Thursday night while fielding a question about homophobic remarks he made.
That's such a classic answer because the bible doesn't say shit other than what we decide it says. Our interpretation of it follows cultural norms, not the other way around. One thing it damn sure doesn't say is abortion is wrong or that life begins at conception - it explicitly says the opposite and that hasn't somehow changed anyone's opinions.
I'm too lazy to try to find a citation for your claim about our morals guiding how we interpret religious canons (not vice-versa), but this was taught to me in multiple philosophy courses and is well-established.
Our morality is developed thru our upbringing and exposure, including being influenced by parents, teachers, peers, media, culture, etc. We then pick and choose passages from canons based on our pre-established moral beliefs.
I find Dan McClellan's videos on TikTok to be informative and accessible. He's a biblical scholar and Mormon but he makes very clear that the bible is not flawless nor univocal. That's not a recommendation I make lightly because I'm an atheist and think Mormonism is a crazy cult, but he's very clearly an expert on the matter (he has a doctorate) who speaks very matter of factly because he draws a pretty clear line between personal faith and the actual facts about the bible and pretty much only talks about the latter.
That's such a classic answer because the bible doesn't say shit other than what we decide it says. Our interpretation of it follows cultural norms, not the other way around. One thing it damn sure doesn't say is abortion is wrong or that life begins at conception - it explicitly says the opposite and that hasn't somehow changed anyone's opinions.
I'm too lazy to try to find a citation for your claim about our morals guiding how we interpret religious canons (not vice-versa), but this was taught to me in multiple philosophy courses and is well-established.
Our morality is developed thru our upbringing and exposure, including being influenced by parents, teachers, peers, media, culture, etc. We then pick and choose passages from canons based on our pre-established moral beliefs.
I find Dan McClellan's videos on TikTok to be informative and accessible. He's a biblical scholar and Mormon but he makes very clear that the bible is not flawless nor univocal. That's not a recommendation I make lightly because I'm an atheist and think Mormonism is a crazy cult, but he's very clearly an expert on the matter (he has a doctorate) who speaks very matter of factly because he draws a pretty clear line between personal faith and the actual facts about the bible and pretty much only talks about the latter.
Edit: Here he is addressing this very issue: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT8BN3gCR/