13AR18-41

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Apologia Report 18:41 (1,177)

November 14, 2013

Subject: Buddhism as "a science of the mind"

In this issue:

BIBLICAL RELIABILITY - "Up to half of the canonical New Testament's books are counterfeit" says Bart Ehrman in his latest attack

BUDDHISM - a former follower considers its shortcomings

ISLAM - contrasts in the application of sharia law based on authority and location

PROCESS THEOLOGY - "a guide that can be used with profit by individuals with almost no theological orientation"?

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BIBLICAL RELIABILITY

Forgery and Counterforgery: The Use of Literary Deceit in Early Christian Polemics, by Bart D. Ehrman [1] -- J.K. Elliott (Professor of New Testament Textual Criticism at the University of Leeds, England) mirrors Ehrman's hostility to the Bible, and opens his review by acknowledging that "Bruce Metzger, in his presidential address to the Society of Biblical Literature in 1971 entitled 'Literary Forgeries and Canonical Pseudepigrapha' <www.ow.ly/qPy9y>, stated that 'if nobody was taken in by the device of pseudepigraphy, it is difficult to see why it was adopted at all.' Forty years on, Metzger's pupil, Bart Ehrman, has written this weighty volume on the place of pseudepigraphy in antiquity and specifically with reference to Christian polemical writings of the first four centuries. The 600-page book shows why it was necessary to impose these limitations. ...

"Pseudepigraphy was no mere innocent literary conceit but deceit (to use the term in this book's subtitle). Up to half of the canonical New Testament's books are counterfeit (Ephesians, Colossians, 2 Thessalonians, the Pastorals, James, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, Jude, 1 John as well as Acts and Hebrews). ...

"Ehrman investigates in full some fifty texts - from the New Testament, New Testament 'apocrypha,' Apostolic Fathers (and, significantly, the Pseudo-Ignatian letters), Pseudo-Clementines, Sibylline Oracles and others. This latter catch-all includes the numerous tractates, sermons and letters attributed to a church father. ...

"Forgery was one weapon among many in the armoury of Christianity's spokesmen. This was not surprising, given the frequent use of forgery in the ancient world, as this book readily uncovers, but also given a background that read [sic] legends attributed to the likes of Moses and Abraham, writings in the names of characters like Solomon or Isaiah, and New Testament gospels that incorporated fictitious deeds and sayings. No wonder that later writers within Christianity could compose with impunity documents under others' names or, like the Gospel of Thomas and other early non-canonical gospels, could perpetuate the canonical writings habit of concocting tales about the sayings of its founder. This then is the environment, culture and literary ethos we need to acknowledge; Ehrman's book enables us to appreciate why so many writers promoted their teachings in camouflage." The Expository Times, 125:2 - 2013, pp74-76.

For an extensive collection of scholarly and popular evangelical responses to Ehrman's attacks on Scripture, see <www.ow.ly/fiJV3>.

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BUDDHISM

"The Door to Paradise" by Franklin Freeman -- offering "a Christian reflection on the attractions and shortcomings of Buddhism," Freeman begins by noting that "some would say [that Buddhism] is not a religion at all, rather a science of the mind." While in a sense that rings true, it is ironic that amid all the interest we at Apologia have in cultic belief systems, this connection is rarely made by anyone.

Freeman finds that "Buddhism, in its most pure form, is a kind of naturalism. ...

"While Buddhism does not see all nature as illusory, [C.S.] Lewis was right ... when he said, 'The more we respect [the Buddha's] teaching the less we could accept his miracles.' ...

"What Buddhism doesn't tell us is why we are here, where human beings come from, and why are we different from the rest of nature. It asks us, instead, to forget we are human and to seek to realize that we are, inf fact, one with the wind or a falling leaf. ...

"Buddhism excludes something, and that is history. Nowhere have I read a Buddhist writer grappling with Jesus' claims to divinity or with the historical claims of the Church. ...

"I've read that [Catholic scholar] Romano Guardini ... expected Buddhism to be the strongest alternative to Christianity in this age, and perhaps it is. But appealing as it is to many, it leaves out of its view of life too much that is human." Touchstone, Jul/Aug '13, pp42-46.

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ISLAM

"What would Muslim law look like?" by Richard Ostling (Aug 23 '13) -- both concise and comprehensive, this interesting response begins with how Islam and Christianity contrast when comparing secular and spiritual ideals: "Islam draws no distinction." Ostling, a senior correspondent for Time magazine, describes how this plays out, noting the various forces who assume the authority to dictate what sharia means - e.g. Islamists versus traditional Muslim jurists. He adds another layer of complexity by noting how geographic contexts change the political interpretation and application of sharia:

* - Sharia has official status or heavy influence over all aspects of life in nations like Egypt, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen, as well as certain regions within pluralistic countries like Nigeria.

* - In mixed systems, sharia generally covers family and personal law while secular courts under varied degrees of Islamic influence cover other matters, for example Algeria, Libya, Jordan, Kuwait, Malaysia, and Syria.

* - In some Muslim-majority lands, sharia plays no official role, such as Turkey and the five "stans" in Central Asia that were formerly part of the Soviet Union.

* - Finally, some countries with Muslim minorities let religious courts handle family law, for example India, Israel, and several nations in East Africa. <www.ow.ly/qG0WV>

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PROCESS THEOLOGY

Process Theology: A Guide for the Perplexed, by Bruce Epperly [2] -- many familiar with the subject, will doubtless find the subtitle appropriate. While Ronald J. Allen (Professor of Preaching and Second Testament at Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis) conveys little that suggests the philosophically dense and "seemingly impenetrable" nature of process theology in his review, he acknowledges that "Epperly provides an exceptional overview of theology and ethics from the process perspective. While Epperly is committed to process theology, he does not drift into the legalism that sometimes characterizes devotees of particular worlds of thought. ...

"After an introductory chapter tracing the emergence and contours of process theology, the book is structured along the lines of a classical systematic theology....

"Remarkably, this Guide for the Perplexed can be used with profit by individuals with almost no theological orientation.... Indeed, I recommended this book to a music teacher who is a member of the congregation in which my spouse is the minister. Upon finishing it, she declared, 'This book shows me the God in whom I always wanted to believe. I just did not know it was possible until now.'" Encounter, 73:2 - 2013, pp59-60.

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SOURCES: Monographs

1 - Forgery and Counterforgery: The Use of Literary Deceit in Early Christian Polemics, by Bart D. Ehrman (Oxford Univ Prs, 2012, hardcover, 624 pages) <www.ow.ly/qFSuo>

2 - Process Theology: A Guide for the Perplexed, by Bruce Epperly (B-T&T Clark, 2011, paperback, 192 pages) <www.ow.ly/qFP35>

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