Difficulties...

Since I am someone who always feels the need to be/hates to admit weaknesses, I sat, staring at this computer screen, for a half hour before I could even think of what to write. When I finally figured out what to say, I came to the conclusion that the actual reading of the Biblical texts was not a problem for me. I knew the stories well enough, so that even though the translations were different it did not affect the content for me. When I say that it did not affect the content I think it is easy to see where my difficulty in reading these pieces came from. I already have so many preconceived notions and beliefs about these texts that I really struggled to pull myself away from them and reread the chapters from a different viewpoint. I tried to focus on critically reading the content to gain a different perspective on the subjects, but it was like watching a movie you have seen a million times. You know it so well that you no longer focus on the minute details, you simply see what you expect to be there.
Because I have essentially been skimming the texts I don’t think that I have gotten as much out of the readings as some other people. I know Alex discussed in class how the readings have not changed her beliefs, but they have made her think about things in a new way. I have not even gotten that far yet. I really need to focus on actually reading the documents if I want to gain any insight to contribute to our discussions. So for now, I will maintain my beliefs, but, who knows, if I actually reread the documents with a critical eye, things could be different.