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  • From: "Read, James C" <K0434995 AT kingston.ac.uk>
  • To: "Jim West" <jwest AT highland.net>
  • Cc: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Doctorates or not (was Re: XSD)
  • Date: Sun, 4 Sep 2005 11:13:22 +0100


I'm sorry. I've tried to stay out of this discussion but I have to say that
this is
the single most arrogant, condescending and self righteous post I have ever
read. And
it is increasingly evident that the major reason valuable research done by
'no-names' will
never be accepted by the accadmic community is because the accademic
community is full of
pompous individuals like the composer of the message below. A similar
attitude to the one
shown 2,000 years ago when a bunch of unlettered fishermen went about a
ministry that would
make the hebrew scriptures known worldwide. Perhaps they wouldn't have
obtained their Ph.D's
either.

I studied Hebrew at St. Andrews university and scored perfect scores in both
Hebrew modules
and yet I did not graduate. Why??? Because the curriculum stipulated that I
was to study
other non linguistic modules which would have forced me to compromise my
faith. The choice was
simple:

1) Tell lies and graduate.
2) Hold to the truth and not graduate.

I am proud to say that my integrity is still in tact but I have no degree in
hebrew. I begged
and pleaded with the 'scholarly' powers that be that I be able to keep my
studies linguistically
based but no such exception was made.
I would dearly love to do research in hebrew and obtain a Ph.D but I am not
willing to call Yah
a liar in order to obtain it.

The parallel with the doctor was not a good one. I cannot count the number of
times I have heard of
people being prescribed the wrong medicine or having the wrong leg amputated.
My Aunty is paralised
because of an examination.
The parallel with lawyers and accountants was equally useless. If I had
listened to my accountant in
Italy I would have spent thousands of Euro's unnecessarily. I had to teach
him the loophole and show
it to him in his own documentation before he would do his job properly. And I
had to pay him for his
incompetence!!!
Privileged people tend to come from privileged backgrounds and that's all
there is to it.

-----Original Message-----
From: b-hebrew-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org on behalf of Jim West
Sent: Sat 9/3/2005 3:25 PM
To: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
Subject: [b-hebrew] Doctorates or not (was Re: XSD)

Dave wrote

>
>>Look at this forum. We have folks of every level of knowledge from the
>>newborn to the lifetime-fluent, and we all talk to each other, share ideas
>>and exchange information and topics. It really doesn't matter that X has a
>>Ph.D. and Y doesn't, everybody has an equal voice here.

I am always amazed at the disregard that people have for professionally
trained biblical scholars. They are a sort of "whipping boy" for all
those who imagine that one person's opinion is just as valid as another.
You cannot name one other field of professional studies where this
claim is made so regulary, frequently, or inaccurately.

No one would imagine going to their medical doctor and saying- "well
doc, that's just your opinion. I'm a self taught doctor and i think i
should write myself a prescription for valium whether you think i should
or not." But in biblical studies everyone who has ever skimmed a
grammar, read one or two books, and owns a bible, thinks that their
voice carries equal validity as the voice of a person who has invested
years and years in intense academic study of the field. It is, if i may
be blunt, retarded to make such a suggestion.

The next time someone says that "everyone's opinion is equally valid" i
hope they go to their lawyer, their doctor, their nurse, or any other
intensively trained professional and try the same garbage.

Its sickening to me that people who talk about loving the bible so much
are so lazy, disinterested, or arrogant that they wont make the effort
that others have in studying it and yet tell themselves, and others,
that they know as much as someone else does and they are proud that they
have no degree in it because that just proves their intelligence.

Bull *&(%

--
Jim West, ThD

Biblical Studies Resources - http://web.infoave.net/~jwest
Biblical Theology Weblog - http://biblical-studies.blogspot.com

Non ergo fidem confirmare potest ulla creatura -- Huldrych Zwingli
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