jimbotheclown:
*The criteria that I can come up w/ at present are:
1.Must teach something.
2.Must not contradict the other books.
3.Must not curse the name of the Lord.
4.Must not be prophesy untruths.
Feel free to suggest others!*
More than enough to discard all the books of the bible:).
Many, yes. All? no.
Criterion #2 is the tough one. Virtually every book in the Bible can be said to contain something contradictory to at least one other book, especially as it pertains to a consistent moral/ethical message.
In a recent (2001, I think) book, “The Bible Unearthed,” two Israeli scholars, Israel Finkelstein and Neil Asher Silberman, present a compelling case that, with respect to most Biblical events recorded as occurring prior to the reign of King Josiah (almost the last king of Judah), not only is there insufficient evidence that the event occurred that way, but there is sufficent evidence that it didn’t. Most of the Old Testament is a pack of lies, pure and simple. There was a House of David, but it ruled only the area immediately around Jerusalem. There was no united kingdom of Israel and Judah, ever. There never was an Exodus from Egypt. And Father Abraham never came up out of Ur of the Chaldees. Most of these stories, apparently, were made up after the Assyrians conquered the northern kingdom of Israel and the Israelite priests and nobles fled south to Judah. They settled down in the court of King Josiah and then got started on a massive propaganda campaign to create a new national-religious myth. There’s even some question as to whether Israel or Judah really had a monotheistic religion before that time. Check out the March 2002 Harper’s Magazine – Daniel Lazare wrote an article about the book, “False Testament.”
Remember, we’re not talking about something like the creation account of Genesis, which could be squared with evolutionary theory by interpreting it as a poetic metaphor. We’re talking about historical events, involving human beings, that supposedly formed the Jewish religious world-view. And the most important of those events . . . did not happen.
So I guess the Bible couldn’t have been written by God, unless God is a liar.
jimbotheclown:
Many, yes. All? no.
58 out of 66 books listed here:
As a Christian, I want to say that the Bible is indeed “written” by God. However, the authors of the Bible (who were receiving the information from God) were men. As men they had certain prejudices, beliefs, ideas, and morals that they probably incorporated into their writings. My husband disagrees, but he is a man and as none of the books of the Bible were written by women, I’m inclined to think that men stick together (just kidding). God may have come to the authors of the Bible, but they were only men and as men, were probably prone to interpretations.
That’s just what I think though. I haven’t been proven either right or wrong. 
Maybe the Bible was not written by God, but by Satan.
This is how evil entraps good people: speak many truths (“Love your neighbor, Do unto others, etc.”), then when you have gained trust, throw in a little evil (“God will kill many to punish a few sinners, so you better punish them first, Killing on my behalf is justified and rewarded, etc”).
Many hate groups today use the same principles.
Susma:
If you feel that your thoughts are best relayed by your writing style, continue using it. Sometimes important thoughts are lost inside long paragraphs. Paragraphs that are too long and have too many points can be more difficult for me to follow on my computer screen.
That’s really interesting. You’re the second person I’ve heard say something like this. Someone from another board said practically the same thing. I can only say I find it very sad and I don’t agree with you.
Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! Isaiah 5:20
But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. 2 Peter 2:1-2
Prophecy is being fulfilled is all I can say. Calling the things of God to be from satan; and calling the things from satan to be from God.
Amazing, those are my thoughts exactly.
Unfortunately, many of these false prophets wrap themselves in the words of the Bible. This is indeed pernicious.
How does one know whether a false prophet has inserted a little evil into the Bible? How can a person even tell if they are taught never to question the Bible or they will burn in Hell? Isn’t this something a false prophet would teach?
Only evil is afraid of questions. Questions are how we find the truth.
I find it unbelievealbly sad when people use the Bible (Qur’ran, etc.) to sow fear, hate, mistrust and other ideas that go against God.
God is Good. God is All. God is Love. If something in the Bible implies otherwise, that part was not written by God!
Consider the amount of evil that has been done and justified by the Bible. Would God really write a book that could cause so much confusion or be used for so much evil?
Ronbo:
God is Good. God is All. God is Love.
What makes you think that?
God is love, but He’s more than that. Check here.
Just because people misuse the word of God doesn’t make it any less His word. But I also want to point out that many just don’t like what it has to say, so they accuse it of being misused or not really being His word. Everyone has to make their own choice about it.
P.S. It’s the devil causing all the confusion, not the word of God. People who have used it for evil are wrong. But it’s still God’s word in my view.
You are not the only one, dear.
But you will find on this board, christianity is tolerated as long as it is watered down.
But, I, for one, agree that the Bible is divinely inspired.
Hey, 2 people and God is a majority, you know!
**Summertime[/], H4E:
How do you know that the Bible is the word of God? What makes you think so? Just curious why you would arbitrarily choose one book out of so many which claim to be the word of the God. What is your reasoning for for deciding that the Bible is divine and that the Koran is not?
Hello, Summertime. Yes, I’m aware that it’s only tolerated in a watered down version. I won’t do that so I usually don’t post on this board a whole lot anymore. I check it out once in awhile and if I want to post I do. Yes, 2 people and God are a majority.
Diogenes, I highly doubt that I can come up with any answer that’ll satisfy you. You would probably say that since I was raised in church and taught the truth of the Bible from a young age, that that’s why I believe it’s the word of God. I didn’t really know the Lord back then. I do now and I still believe it’s the word of God. The Holy Spirit in me witnesses to it’s truth. It’s the only book that answers the sin problem. It has fulfilled prophecy. It’s the one that exalts Jesus Christ as God come in human flesh to pay the penalty for our sins. The Koran considers Him only to be a prophet. They aren’t in agreement. I found a few websites that may explain it better than I. I’m sure fault will be found with them also. Bottom line, though I can’t prove it to you or anyone, I know it’s the word of God. I know the Lord Jesus and He’s real and is just who the Bible says He is.
http://www.tmtestimony.org.uk/library/2000_1.htm
H4E: Yes, I’m aware that it’s only tolerated in a watered down version.
That’s kind of a conceited way of looking at it. No views, religious or otherwise, are very graciously tolerated around here when they include the assertion “I’m right and those who disagree with me are wrong, even though I’m incapable of proving that by any mutually accepted standard of judgement. I’m just right, and that’s all there is to it.”
I wouldn’t let you get away with such a shoddy and feeble line of argument concerning your claims about string theory, global warming, or any other subject, and there’s no reason why I should let you get away with it concerning your claims about the proper interpretation of Christianity.
Of course, you are free to believe whatever you like concerning the proper interpretation of Christianity (or about string theory or global warming, for all I care), even if you can’t adequately prove it to anybody who doesn’t already agree with you. But you shouldn’t pretend that your inability to prove your claims is somehow the fault of others for not “tolerating” your non-“watered down” version.
What we don’t tolerate around here is logically unsupported assertions, and your assertions about universal religious truth are as logically unsupported as they come.
Implicit in this question is whether society itself has declined, as a dynamic adjustment in debates within a public sphere,
may or may not be taken to define a healthy society’s debate.
Even in such a discussion of Word.
I try to pry open some nominalism of objective admission of where exposed thoughts stem from ....(what origins)IE)
“logically supported”
is that of the logic of
One teaching his disciples "flesh is flesh and inbreathed Word is breathed(spiritual) -different than carnal logic/understanding…and
…
"the (unspiritual)notbreathing can not discern breath(spiritual)…
Or
is it just a logic of theorized macro-evolved charged-proteins to frogs to dogs to the zoo and to you now having a thought , not by any logic of inbreathed Word?
I asked a science teacher , "Did ya ever ask for revealed knowledge, or believe to exercise some persuasion ~
that might just be beyond understanding as in human terms ?
Reply:
Never had a need.
Family mentioned such, Mom prayed alot…
I asked "Would you ask of ~, and ‘see’ , in a belief, and make a comparrison to know if there is such a love without expectation of returned favors, like a Gracious Eternal Love, so beyond mere brotherly and mated love would be?’
Rep-2:
I don’t see the need. No.
Q 3 :
What is science, Mr. Professor of science?
Not any reply.
We still talk each year ~~2x’s, politics, his trips to France, England and places of legal pot where in the town there a vast majority of the local teens, age-11 & up, are in a real public mess, he does admit…
What sin problem?
Such as?
Which is only meaningful if you already believe it. This is saying “I believe because I believe”.
Not entirely, no. How do you know the Koran isn’t right?