Sunday, November 1, 2020

Spiritual Book Discussion, Scripture Unbound, What makes a text sacred?



 What makes a text sacred?

A person may think of a text as sacred to them individually. And while I certainly endorse a wide and inclusive view of what can be considered sacred, for the purposes of this book we will focus on the specific role of a text in the context of a religious community and, ultimately, on the potential role of touchstone texts for Unitarian Universalist communities. To that end, scripture in this book will refer to texts that are affirmed by a community for their spiritual authority and that the community finds normative for good living, calls on for ritual, and uses to guide spiritual growth and development.

Johnstone, Jonalu. Scripture Unbound: A Unitarian Universalist Approach (p. xi). Skinner House Books. Kindle Edition. 

What makes a text sacred? There are two things at least: Texts that the individual finds holy and special as if they exist in another than the ordinary material dimension, and texts that are held in reverence by a community of believers. 

Some might say the text is the authoritative word of God being given through chosen intermediaries. Some students take the text literally and some symbolically and metaphorically.

What texts do you consider sacred? What texts have special significance and meaning in your life? What texts have contributed to understanding and guidance in your life. Give an example or two.

1 comment:

  1. I consider A Course In Miracles a sacred text along with many others.

    ReplyDelete

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