Study Bible in context of its times

David Bugh wrote an excellent letter. I agree with most of what he says. I would like to clarify that I have read the entire King James Bible, studied a number of other translations, and studied texts of some other religions.

I have studied other books pertaining to religious belief. I currently attend a church. I have said that the Bible needs to be studied in entirety and with understanding of the culture within which is was written, which was polygamistic until the Middle Ages.

The Bible is not a textbook on Jewish culture, which evolved throughout the time during with the parts of the Bible were written. The Bible does provide insight, but more study is needed. Polygamy was common in the U.S. until the late 1800s, even among some Christians other than Mormons.

There are contradictions in the Bible and close examination of some parts reveal different meanings than the popular interpretations. Different churches disagree on interpretations.

It is many Christians who base their idea of the Bible on just a few selected parts. The important part is the message of Christ. As Jesus said, Christ is a part of God that has always existed long before him. Christ is about principle, not blind rules. God is far more vast and complex than the limited concepts of any religion.

Richard Lorimer Streamwood