# Bible stories... Fiction or the word of a God? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [July 23, 2014, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bible-stories-fiction-or-the-word-of-a-god/693829 "2014-07-23T10:50:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![potenski](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e79b87/32.png) [@potenski](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/potenski)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2014, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bible-stories-fiction-or-the-word-of-a-god/693829/1 "2014-07-23T10:50:55Z")
I have been writing parodies on the Bible. One on the ‘Creation’ , ‘Noah’s Ark’, ‘Virgin Mary’ and one on “Abraham’. Next victim Moses. While I was doing some research I suddenly realize that God appeared to a lotta of important people and spoke to them in great length. Then I started to think, was there somebody taking notes of all those conversations between God and whoever he was talking to. How did they know that one afternoon God said to Abraham “Abe listen up… I want you to circumsise yourself,” and what was his answered. Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, all those Biblical figures never wrote anything. So where does it all come from? Hearsay? We all know how accurate this can be. Where was the iPhone for chrissake? It’s beyond me that a mature person would not question and decipher those farfetched stories. Something else I should mention. In the last two thousand years God and his son did not show up anywhere on the planet, isn’t that interesting. And again maybe they did and it didn’t’ make the six o’clock news. Peace. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2014, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bible-stories-fiction-or-the-word-of-a-god/693829/2 "2014-07-23T10:58:46Z")
This is not a question About This Message Board. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2014, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bible-stories-fiction-or-the-word-of-a-god/693829/3 "2014-07-23T12:42:15Z")
Reported for forum change at least, Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2014, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bible-stories-fiction-or-the-word-of-a-god/693829/4 "2014-07-23T12:48:36Z")
Religion refuted: Moses didn’t have an iPhone. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2014, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bible-stories-fiction-or-the-word-of-a-god/693829/5 "2014-07-23T13:06:37Z")
Moved ATMB --\> Great Debates. ---
**Author:** ![Hector\_St\_Clare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5ac83/32.png) [@Hector\_St\_Clare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hector_St_Clare)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2014, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bible-stories-fiction-or-the-word-of-a-god/693829/6 "2014-07-23T13:21:36Z")
The bible isn’t a book, it’s a library. Genesis and John don’t necessarily have the same degree of literal truth. it’s perfectly possible for one to be fiction and the other not. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2014, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bible-stories-fiction-or-the-word-of-a-god/693829/7 "2014-07-23T13:44:49Z")
The OP never encountered anyone who claimed that God moved the authors’ hands? ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2014, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bible-stories-fiction-or-the-word-of-a-god/693829/8 "2014-07-23T13:50:43Z")
People of faith assume that God inspired the writers to write down what he wanted them to write, and that the various councils and kings over the centuries were also inspired by God to make the correct editing decisions. And they have faith that what looks like contradictions are somehow not contradictions. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2014, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bible-stories-fiction-or-the-word-of-a-god/693829/9 "2014-07-23T13:54:02Z")
Christ spoke in parables … which are stories … which are fiction … which are the true word of God. The OP title doesn’t make sense. ---
**Author:** ![UDS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecae2f/32.png) [@UDS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2014, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bible-stories-fiction-or-the-word-of-a-god/693829/10 "2014-07-23T14:05:32Z")
Why does the OP assume that fiction cannot be the word of God? Is he some kind of simplistic biblical literalist? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2014, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bible-stories-fiction-or-the-word-of-a-god/693829/11 "2014-07-23T14:05:50Z")
> [@watchwolf49](#): > > Christ spoke in parables … which are stories … which are fiction … which are the true word of God. The OP title doesn’t make sense. Of course, your first sentence isn’t much in the sense-making department, either. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2014, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bible-stories-fiction-or-the-word-of-a-god/693829/12 "2014-07-23T14:08:59Z")
> [@UDS](#): > > Why does the OP assume that fiction cannot be the word of God? Is he some kind of simplistic biblical literalist? Maybe he has no problem with the word of God being fiction? Why don’t y’all get together and decide on which parts are fiction and which parts aren’t so a proper discussion can be had? ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2014, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bible-stories-fiction-or-the-word-of-a-god/693829/13 "2014-07-23T14:10:12Z")
Non-standard punctuation … saves wear-and-tear on the comma key. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2014, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bible-stories-fiction-or-the-word-of-a-god/693829/14 "2014-07-23T14:11:21Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Maybe he has no problem with the word of God being fiction? Why don’t y’all get together and decide on which parts are fiction and which parts aren’t so a proper discussion can be had? Citation? ---
**Author:** ![UDS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecae2f/32.png) [@UDS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2014, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bible-stories-fiction-or-the-word-of-a-god/693829/15 "2014-07-23T14:21:22Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Maybe he has no problem with the word of God being fiction? Why don’t y’all get together and decide on which parts are fiction and which parts aren’t so a proper discussion can be had? Clearly he does have a problem with the word of God being fiction, but he doesn’t say _why_ he has a problem, and it’s certainly not obvious why he would. The God posited by Judaism and Christianity is omnipotent; he can do anything. Clearly, he can employ any literary genre as readily as any other in whatever literary works he inspires. So why not fiction? And there is a second problem with the OP’s approach. He has satisfied himself - I think reasonably - that the passages he mentions from the Old Testament, and many others, cannot be first-hand journalism. But he seems to assume that if they are not first-hand journalism, they must be fiction. Is he under the impression that these are the only two literary genres that exist? Or does he have some other reason, that he is not sharing with us, for thinking that if they are not journalism they must be fiction? ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2014, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bible-stories-fiction-or-the-word-of-a-god/693829/16 "2014-07-23T15:07:54Z")
What exactly does “inspired by God” mean, anyway? Suppose a writer wasn’t actually inspired by God, but thinks he was? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2014, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bible-stories-fiction-or-the-word-of-a-god/693829/17 "2014-07-23T15:12:57Z")
> [@UDS](#): > > Clearly he does have a problem with the word of God being fiction, but he doesn’t say _why_ he has a problem, and it’s certainly not obvious why he would. The God posited by Judaism and Christianity is omnipotent; he can do anything. Clearly, he can employ any literary genre as readily as any other in whatever literary works he inspires. So why not fiction? > > And there is a second problem with the OP’s approach. He has satisfied himself - I think reasonably - that the passages he mentions from the Old Testament, and many others, cannot be first-hand journalism. But he seems to assume that if they are not first-hand journalism, they must be fiction. Is he under the impression that these are the only two literary genres that exist? Or does he have some other reason, that he is not sharing with us, for thinking that if they are not journalism they must be fiction? Oh, I’ll admit that the OP was as ham-handed as Porky Pig with a fistful of bacon, but this might be a good time to point out the possibilities other than 1. First hand accounts, and 2. Fiction. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2014, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bible-stories-fiction-or-the-word-of-a-god/693829/18 "2014-07-23T16:44:49Z")
> [@watchwolf49](#): > > Citation? That the Bible is in my science fiction collection under God (house pseudonym) is my cite. Seriously, cite about what? ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2014, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bible-stories-fiction-or-the-word-of-a-god/693829/19 "2014-07-23T16:47:18Z")
> [@Ranger\_Jeff](#): > > What exactly does “inspired by God” mean, anyway? Suppose a writer wasn’t actually inspired by God, but thinks he was? Inspired by God in the way movies “inspired by a true story” are true? ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2014, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bible-stories-fiction-or-the-word-of-a-god/693829/20 "2014-07-23T18:36:54Z")
> [@Ranger\_Jeff](#): > > What exactly does “inspired by God” mean, anyway? Suppose a writer wasn’t actually inspired by God, but thinks he was? There’s no “suppose” about it, in many people’s view, including my own. I don’t think any gods exist, so they couldn’t have been. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bible-stories-fiction-or-the-word-of-a-god/693829.md?page=2)