power of the reader

Today I went to a pre-lecture conversational dinner; we talked about the endless schism between evolution and creationism. This religion faculty was there talking about different interpretations of Bible, about how one Bible can produce many different response to science. With one text, some take the text literally and embody the creationism, while others take the text metaphorically and believe in evolution while reserving their faith. I thought this was interesting how Bible has many interpretations. The concept of hermeneutics helps us read and contextualize religious texts, especially, because religious texts are vague. We cannot take every single text in the Bible literally or all metaphorically. As the “readers,” what we think the author is trying to project may not be the true intention but simply our projection of our self opinions and values. That’s why I think that the “reader” holds a greater power than the “author.” The “author” may have written the text with certain idea and intentions, but the “readers” have the power to interpret the text and change the context based on their views. Hermeneutics allow people to read the same text and gain multiple answers.