Why are the scriptures so general?

[Anonymous]

My wife and I have spoken about this for years — we wonder why the scriptures and even the lessons at Church are so general about how to face life’s problems. They do a good job of setting general direction, but we find when it comes to specific problems that affect everyone (like getting along in a marriage, for example), there really isn’t a lot of solid advice. The old “Pray, Read Scriptures, Keep the Commandments” seems to be the mantra of our religion.

I realize that there is great diversity in people’s situations, and period in the world’s history, which makes specific “prescriptions” to specific problems difficult and impractical. Particularly since the scriptures are supposed to be timeless , but there are a lot of problems that are very common, such as how to pick the right spouse, how to save an unhappy marriage. I find even Church publications are rather silent on the specifics of these issues. As my wife says “The scriptures tell you THE GOALS, but not HOW TO DO IT with any specificity”.

In my own situation, I had a rocky marriage for 10 years, and we hit rocks about once a year even now for brief periods. To find the solution to our marital troubles, I had to turn to the work of contemporary thinkers in marriage relationships who have written some excellent books. The scriptures and the temple ceremeny advice was not much help at all.

Comments — why are the scriptures so non-specific on so many common problems we face?

[Anonymous]

A good amount of scriptures (or holy books) don’t even contain a cohesive theology. The Old Testament in particular does not, and it’s the 3,000 year old bedrock of three major world religions. The OT is part history and part religious law (which is a bunch of tangible do’s and do not’s, which isn’t the same as self-improvement). Making sure not to eat pork, or not to wear linen with wool isn’t exactly going to tell me how to be a better husband, or how to love other people more.

The majority of scripture is a form of religious and secular history — a foundational narrative. Even the Book of Mormon contains mostly a historical narrative of what happened to the Nephites and Lamanites, not a self-help book, or even a detailed description of God or the holy realms.

[Anonymous]

Brian Johnston wrote:

The majority of scripture is a form of religious and secular history — a foundational narrative. Even the Book of Mormon contains mostly a historical narrative of what happened to the Nephites and Lamanites, not a self-help book, or even a detailed description of God or the holy realms.

Then why does everyone always say that all the answers to life’s problems are found in the scriptures? I cringe when I hear that statement. For me the answers are found in books like these:

His Needs Her Needs (Willard Harley Junior)

The Family That Works Together

Leading Change (Kotter, Harvard)

Getting to Yes (Fischer and Ury) (a book on problem solving and negotation in business and relationships)

Behavior Modification, What It Is and How To Do It (I’ve forgotten the author)

First Things First (Covey -sorry Brian, I know you don’t have a deep fondness for Covey, but I liked this book and a few of his nuggets on using your time effectively)

Unconditional Parenting (Alfie Kohn, he even quoted me in one spot, which I thought was cool)

Punished by Reward (Alfie Kohn)

How To Raise and Emotionally Intelligent Child (forgotten author)

Why Good Parents Have Bad Kids….etcetera

For me, the scriptures point general direction — prescribing “shoulds” which then lead me to search literature and other sources. They don’t really help solve a lot of problems, although the Book of Mormon seems to provide more help than most other scriptures,. Also, the four gospels do provide some how-to, focusing more on interpersonal relationships — but the majority of the scriptures are lacking in practical help, really.

[Anonymous]

Maybe because people find their own answers by extrapolating from the generalities they read. Also, maybe because we really shouldn’t be commanded in all things. Also, maybe because whenever they get specific, they get problematic.

I really don’t think it’s any more complicated than that, frankly. For some, the scriptures become self-help books in a sense, because they give them the hope and “faith” necessary to cope and the “principles” to use as the foundation for coping. For others – those who want specific help and advice, general principles aren’t enough – so they turn to “experts” in the particular area where they need help.

I’m totally fine with that – and I really like the fact that our own uniquely Mormon D&C includes multiple statements about how important it is to seek learning out of the best books and NOT just the scriptures. Not everyone has to accept and see that in the same way I do, and everyone can interpret that to mean whatever books they choose as “the best”, but it gives me official license, if you will, to read anything and everything to find whatever help or insight or enlightenment I want.

[Anonymous]

SilentDawning wrote:

Then why does everyone always say that all the answers to life’s problems are found in the scriptures?

Because people like to say all kinds of things that sound good to them. The more it makes them feel good, the more they say it.

I agree with Ray. People see “the answer” in the scriptures, but it is really an interpretation of general themes. And really, the more specific and detailed they get, the more problematic it becomes over the long run. Can you think of any really specific interpretations in Mormonism that didn’t last? 😈

I’m not saying our interpretations are not the right answers. They just tend to become less and less relevant over time, or even downright wrong (for other people later in history).

[Anonymous]

Brian Johnston wrote:

SilentDawning wrote:

Then why does everyone always say that all the answers to life’s problems are found in the scriptures?

Because people like to say all kinds of things that sound good to them. The more it makes them feel good, the more they say it.

I agree with Ray. People see “the answer” in the scriptures, but it is really an interpretation of general themes. And really, the more specific and detailed they get, the more problematic it becomes over the long run. Can you think of any really specific interpretations in Mormonism that didn’t last? 😈

I’m not saying our interpretations are not the right answers. They just tend to become less and less relevant over time, or even downright wrong (for other people later in history).

I had similar thoughts after I wrote this — in pondering general principles, like patience, faith, etcetera, people get ideas that are specific to their own situation. Some call it revelation. However, I’ve found I get the same flow/strokes of ideas from secular books like the ones that have shaped my thinking and character in the list I gave above. Reflection on just about anything will trigger more personalized thoughts — it’s not just unique to the scriptures.

Perhaps their value is in the fact that they provide a starting point that is grounded in “goodness”, directing thoughts into more personal paths that are an extension of the “goodness” found in the scriptures.

The other bit of value in the scriptures is that MANY PEOPLE BELIEVE THEM. So, they have a convincing power that secular material sometimes doesn’t have (although I recognize that to some of us, myself included, certain secular ideas have more convincing power than the scriptures themselves on certain issues).

[Anonymous]

SilentDawning wrote:

My wife and I have spoken about this for years — we wonder why the scriptures and even the lessons at Church are so general about how to face life’s problems…when it comes to specific problems that affect everyone…there really isn’t a lot of solid advice. The old “Pray, Read Scriptures, Keep the Commandments” seems to be the mantra of our religion…To find the solution to our marital troubles, I had to turn to the work of contemporary thinkers in marriage relationships who have written some excellent books. The scriptures and the temple ceremeny advice was not much help at all…Comments — why are the scriptures so non-specific on so many common problems we face?

Personally, I think the scriptures are too specific in many cases like the way they describe exactly how big Noah’s Ark was and how it held at least 2 of every kind of animal while the earth was entirely covered with water for a specific amount of time. In cases like this they have left the domain of pure faith and have made some rather significant and extraordinary scientific and historical claims that are difficult to believe at this point which casts doubt on other related scriptures as well.

As far as their relevance and usefulness in answering common questions nowadays I guess I don’t really expect the scriptures to provide solutions to many problems we face in our everyday lives in part because they were written so long ago and a lot has changed since then. The way I see it the men that wrote these scriptures had their own concerns and interests that were often very different from our own simply due to the environment and culture they lived in.

I don’t have a problem with the idea of revelation, inspiration, or prophecy in special cases I just have a harder time believing that any books of scripture are literally the word of God from beginning to end and therefore inherently superior to any other sources of knowledge or wisdom. For example, I think Paul was inspired to help spread Christianity but I don’t believe that this needs to mean that everything he supposedly said should automatically be considered the literal word of God for his own time much less for ours. I like to read scriptures sometimes but at the same time I don’t want to make too many assumptions about what they really mean or how reliable this information really is.

[Anonymous]

Quote:

Comments — why are the scriptures so non-specific on so many common problems we face?

Actually quite a few of them are very specific. Take the Ten Commandments, for example – I think they’re pretty clear on most of what they say*, and still apply today.

* Although I think “gods” in the commandment could refer to things we don’t commonly think of as such, e.g. money/love of money, cars, fame etc etc

[Anonymous]

This is exactly why:

SilentDawning wrote:

The other bit of value in the scriptures is that MANY PEOPLE BELIEVE THEM. So, they have a convincing power that secular material sometimes doesn’t have (although I recognize that to some of us, myself included, certain secular ideas have more convincing power than the scriptures themselves on certain issues).

You have to have something to relate to that is common ground in order for someone (or yourself) to believe that what you felt “inspired” to feel was correct.

It’s like if you say “I prayed about it and I feel as though….” Please don’t doubt you because how can you doubt someone’s prayer or what they feel they received revelation on? I know that we are all here because we have that doubt so don’t go there.

I always felt inferior in class discussions as a kid because I could never relate scripture stories to my life now. I still have that issue (not that I care anymore) and I used to think there was something wrong with me because I couldn’t take experiences in my life and turn them into testimony building stories that I could share with others.

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