环球英语 — 279：Living Religiously

　　Voice 1
Thank you for joining us for today’s Spotlight¹. I’m Ryan Geertsma.
Voice 2
And I’m Marina Santee. Welcome to Spotlight. This program uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
Why does doubt often seem to follow faith and religion? Why do we question? People question the truth about science, politics, and many other things. But no matter what a person believes, everyone questions the truth about God some time during his or her life. Often these questions lead the person to explore matters of spirit and faith.
Voice 2
A.J. Jacobs is an American writer. He was raised in a Jewish home. But he says that he was not very religious. In fact, he says he was an agnostic - he believed that it is not possible to know if God exists or not. But his doubts caused him to begin a life experiment. He says,
Voice 3
“I always thought religion would just disappear. I was very wrong. So was I missing something important to being human? Or was half of the world fooled? I decided² to...try to experience the Bible myself and to find out what is good in it and what may not be as fitting to the twenty-first century.”
Voice 1
So Jacobs decided to spend one year obeying every single rule in the Christian³ Bible. The Christian Bible has two parts. The Old Testament⁴ records stories from before the life of Jesus Christ. The New Testament records the life of Christ. And it records the life of Christ’s followers⁵ after he returned to heaven. The Bible is a book of books. It is one book, but in it there are sixty-six [66] books, written over several centuries.
Voice 2
Jacobs began his year by writing down every rule he found in the Bible. This list had more than seven hundred [700] rules. He obeyed famous laws like the Ten Commandments and Jesus’ command to love your neighbour. But he also obeyed the many detailed⁶ laws from the Old Testament. Some of these laws explained how to punish particular sins. Others told believers exactly what to wear. And other laws told them what to eat and what not to eat. Jacobs decided that he would try to obey every law exactly as it was written.
Voice 1
For example, in the book of the Bible called Ecclesiastes it says “Let your clothes always be white.” So Jacobs did just that. All his clothes were white: white trousers, a white shirt, and a white coat.
Voice 2
Some of the laws were difficult for Jacobs to follow. In the book of Leviticus, God told the Israelite men not to cut the hair on their faces. It was not physically⁷ or socially easy for Jacobs to follow this law.
Voice 3
“The hair on my face became very uncomfortable. And I had to hear every joke about facial hair.”
Voice 1
Other laws he found difficult to obey made his life better. He was amazed at how often he used to say negative things about others. So as he tried not to gossip, he felt better about himself. In a similar way, he felt better about himself when he tried to stop lying.
Voice 2
At the end of the year, A.J. Jacobs wrote a book recording⁸ the experiences of his spiritual exploration. He called it, The Year of Living Biblically. For him, the year was informative⁹ and interesting. And he learned many surprising things. He became very interested in the laws that are not well known today. He studied them and tried to explain the purpose of the laws. And he explored how these uncommon¹⁰ laws could be followed in the twenty-first century.
Voice 1
He also decided that he liked the structure the rules provided. Usually we talk about having the freedom to choose, but Jacobs found freedom when he did not have to choose. He enjoyed having fewer choices. He also found that he respected traditions more. He decided that these traditions and rules can improve life as long as they do not hurt another person.
Voice 2
After the year was over, Jacobs discovered that his thoughts and beliefs began to follow his behaviour. His beliefs were influenced by the Bible too:
Voice 3
“I became more spiritual during my year. I was praying several times a day, and it gave me a sense of awe¹¹.”
Voice 1
He admits that during his year experiment he changed his belief about God many times. Sometimes he would read about violence and believe there was not a God. Other times he would spend a lot of time in prayer. Then he would be sure that there was a loving God that created the earth. And still other times, he remained agnostic and did not choose if a god existed or not. But later, as his Biblical behaviour stopped, so did his belief in God.
Voice 3
“I was not exercising my God muscle and that made it shrink.”
Voice 2
At the end of his experiment, A.J. Jacobs still chooses not to decide if a God exists. He has moments of awe and he respects the traditions and rules of the Bible. For this reason he says he is a reverent¹² agnostic.
Voice 1
But faith is more than just traditions and rules. Christians¹³ believe that there is more to faith than just following all the laws in the Bible. In fact, the Bible says that no-one can follow them all. It says “All people have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Christians believe that God wanted his followers to have a relationship with him. But when humans let sin enter the world, that relationship was broken. So God gave people books of law. The books were to teach his people how to live. But the law does not save people from their sins.
Voice 2
The Bible says it is Jesus Christ who saves people from their sins. It says, “This freedom from guilt¹⁴ and sin comes
- from God
- through faith in Jesus Christ
- to all who believe.”
Voice 1
Christians believe that Christ’s death and resurrection completes the laws of the Bible. The laws do not disappear. Instead, Christians continue to live by the moral laws God gives in the Bible. But it is faith in Jesus Christ that saves them and brings them back into a relationship with God. The Biblical laws help believers create a way of life that encourages a growing relationship with God. Even when a person has doubts about God, their behaviour will help them keep faith.
 

1 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

2 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

3 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

4 testament   

n.遗嘱；证明

参考例句：

• This is his last will and testament.这是他的遗愿和遗嘱。
• It is a testament to the power of political mythology.这说明，编造政治神话可以产生多大的威力。

5 followers   

追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件

参考例句：

• the followers of Mahatma Gandhi 圣雄甘地的拥护者
• The reformer soon gathered a band of followers round him. 改革者很快就获得一群追随者支持他。

6 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。

7 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。

8 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

9 informative   

adj.提供资料的，增进知识的

参考例句：

• The adverts are not very informative.这些广告并没有包含太多有用信息。
• This intriguing book is both thoughtful and informative.这本引人入胜的书既有思想性又富知识性。

10 uncommon   

adj.罕见的，非凡的，不平常的

参考例句：

• Such attitudes were not at all uncommon thirty years ago.这些看法在30年前很常见。
• Phil has uncommon intelligence.菲尔智力超群。

11 awe   

n.敬畏，惊惧；vt.使敬畏，使惊惧

参考例句：

• The sight filled us with awe.这景色使我们大为惊叹。
• The approaching tornado struck awe in our hearts.正在逼近的龙卷风使我们惊恐万分。

12 reverent   

adj.恭敬的，虔诚的

参考例句：

• He gave reverent attention to the teacher.他恭敬地听老师讲课。
• She said the word artist with a gentle,understanding,reverent smile.她说作家一词时面带高雅，理解和虔诚的微笑。

13 Christians   

n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。

14 guilt   

n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责

参考例句：

• She tried to cover up her guilt by lying.她企图用谎言掩饰自己的罪行。
• Don't lay a guilt trip on your child about schoolwork.别因为功课责备孩子而使他觉得很内疚。