David Winter, author of Believing the Bible, discusses this connection people make with their religion. He talks about sacred scriptures and how the stories that lie within them hold valuable lessons and words of wisdom; but what Winters wants his readers to understand is that those scriptures should not be taken literally or word for word. They should be read with open minds that will then help create general lessons and messages to follow. He encourages readers to question what they are reading and reflect on how those messages can be applied to their lives (19). Questioning scriptures makes it very hard for people to fall into conformity because they are choosing to not simply agree with what the scripture is saying, but instead having them search for hidden or obscure messages within the text. This skill can help people discover who they are and what they believe in because when reading other scriptures, it tests your beliefs or what you think to believe in. Reading those stories can either solidify your beliefs or make you realize that what you thought you believed in was not actually what you believed in. This creates an overall sense of identity because you can now know what you believe in and what you
David Winter, author of Believing the Bible, discusses this connection people make with their religion. He talks about sacred scriptures and how the stories that lie within them hold valuable lessons and words of wisdom; but what Winters wants his readers to understand is that those scriptures should not be taken literally or word for word. They should be read with open minds that will then help create general lessons and messages to follow. He encourages readers to question what they are reading and reflect on how those messages can be applied to their lives (19). Questioning scriptures makes it very hard for people to fall into conformity because they are choosing to not simply agree with what the scripture is saying, but instead having them search for hidden or obscure messages within the text. This skill can help people discover who they are and what they believe in because when reading other scriptures, it tests your beliefs or what you think to believe in. Reading those stories can either solidify your beliefs or make you realize that what you thought you believed in was not actually what you believed in. This creates an overall sense of identity because you can now know what you believe in and what you