SV: UNiversity and Church

[David Salmon]

> Narayan R.Joshi wrote:
>
> > Reference-Wendy on Geeta. What is the difference between An American
> > University and an American Christian Church? Churches routinely teach
> that
> > Hebroo was the mankind's first and original language
>

Lars Martin Fosse wrote in reply:
>
> This sounds like a very American phenomenon. I grew up in the Norwegian
> Bible belt, but no one ever claimed as far as I can remember that Hebrew
> was mankind's first language. (The Bible of course says so, but most
modern
> Christians realize that they are dealing with a myth and not with
history).
>
>
I don't believe the Bible does say so.  Please cite your source.

Nor have I ever heard it suggested in the American church circles in which I
have traveled or am familiar, which is a very wide range.  The Bible says
everyone spoke one language after the Flood until God "confuse[d] their
language so they will not understand each other," and "confused the language
of the whole world."  (Gen. 11:7, 9, NIV.)  It does not say that Hebrew was
the language existing since the Creation of Adam and Eve, nor that it
somehow survived until the "Hebrew" tribe came into being some considerable
period later.

No doubt some ignoramus would assume so, and has at one time or another, but
I fail to see why ignorance should be seen as a "very American" trait.
Kindly cite your source.  :-)   Actually, it--this language theory--sounds
Indian in origin.  I -have- heard it asserted by some (Pakistani) Muslims
that Arabic is God's language, and Michael Witzel recently reviewed a book
by Dr. Madhusudan Mishra which purports to show the development of the holy
Vedic language from primitive utterances in a Sarasvati-based Eden, "They
were godly people who spoke little words with profound meaning."  Or prehaps
the assumption that our gods are just like us is a more universal
phenomenon.

American universities are generally large educational complexes.  Some
American universities were originally founded by American church
organizations, but most such large or well-known universities have long
since severed such connections.  There are some church-connected colleges
and universities, especially of the medium and smaller sizes, and some of
them are noted for their scholarship as well as for their teaching.  (There
are also state-funded universities and self-funding universities.)
According to its website, the University of Chicago was founded by John D.
Rockefeller, the legendary capitalist, who called the University "the best
investment I ever made."  Doesn't sound like a church.

David