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Shawn, I completely understand. The OT is the prime example, but wars between the Nephites and Lamanites are up there, too. I tend to look at scripture as a source of inspired writings. I can gain a certain amount of spiritual uplift by reading about Jesus healing a blind man. Thinking about symbolism of the flood can do something similar, even if everyone else takes it literally. But there are large chunks of the OT, and scattered pieces of other works in the scriptures that I basically ignore. I’m just not interested in the Judges of Israel.
I do appreciate Paul more than many. I think that he was the greatest philosopher of Christian thought in… well… ever, and I rank his words right up there with Jesus’. I think Paul, of all the religious figures in the scriptures, was the most like people here at StayLDS; he strove to makes sense of it all and to move away from dogmatic observances and toward spiritual-based living. Paul was just as frustrated as we are that people could bog themselves down into the mire of black & white thinking, and miss the big picture. He saw the gospel as freeing, not regulating; strengthening, not shackling.
Of course, we have to determine which words were really Paul’s. It’s almost certain, for example, that he didn’t write I & II Timothy, Titus or Ephesians. The speeches attributed to Paul in Acts are generally considered to be the words of the author of Luke-Acts, rather than authentic words of Paul, in part because they conflict with what Paul wrote in the epistles. And Paul didn’t write Hebrews, as almost all LDS members believe (although Hebrews is still a great work, in and of itself).
If aliens came to earth and forced me to reduce the complete volume of LDS scripture down to just a few works, I’d easily choose the four gospels, the authentic writings of Paul, and maybe Hebrews, and I could operate with just those.
I think there are lots of lessons to be gained from the Old Testament – most of which are things that cause major problems when people believe them. I think one of the major lessons from the Old Testament is to make sure we don’t repeat history. I find a lot of the Old Testament stories fascinating if I approach them as an anthropologist would. It’s so strange and kind of wonderful to watch how we Mormons, in our culture that’s radically different from the ancient Hebrews, approach and discuss these old texts. Maybe the novelty will wear off after a few years, but for now I’m taking what interest I can out of it this way.
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