Christians - if its written in the Bible, must it be true?

armageddononline · Sep 22nd, 2003 1:37 AM

A lot of people quote the Bible as fact, assuming if it's written there it must be true. Why?

For thousands of years it was not even written down, just passed on by word of mouth. It has clearly contradicts our knowledge of science and history in parts, and seems to contradict itself.

Instead of arguing what I just said, what is the evidence for believing in the Bible? A lot of you are clearly very intelligent and have thought a lot about it, I'd just like to understand.

dutchie · Sep 22nd, 2003 3:03 AM

I can not understand that people have no trouble at all believing that Jonah was swallowed by a whale, stayed in its stomach for a number of days and was spit out again. I can not believe that people are serious when they state they do believe that the sun stood still during a battle led by Joshua..

There are phenomena depicted as being miracles in the Bible, while they're clearly natural things, explained by science much later. People still cling to the Bible, why I can not understand. Maybe it is because they need a strong foundation for their feeble belief?

armageddononline · Sep 22nd, 2003 12:10 PM

Don't get me wrong - I believe there was a guy called Jesus who noticed we'd all be happier if we were nice to each other.

It's some of the more absurd things, like Dutchie said, that I have a problem with.

lazserus · Sep 22nd, 2003 5:43 PM

Has anyone ever read the Dhammapada? It's almost formatted as a series of fortunes you'd find in a cookie. These are nothing more than philosophies that merely represent a road to peace and happiness. I think the bible was intended to be the same. The difference is, that the bible discusses too much about creation, the end and super natural events that seem to give a weightlessness to the entire philosophy. This is where I believe things are going wrong. Because of the mention of the unrealistic, the philosophies were stunted and lost.

Those who interpret the bible literally are those who you speak of. I don't think the bible should be taken literally, but as a message and a philosophy.

paul · Sep 23rd, 2003 12:51 AM

What science or history does it contradict? I'm unaware of any aside from scientific theories such as the origin of the universe and life as we know it, which is technically untestable to begin with. I personally think of evolution and abiogenisis as "psuedosciences." Science does have limits. Everything has limits. The theories of evolution and abiogenesis cross those limits IMHO.

Peace,

Paul

armageddononline · Sep 23rd, 2003 1:27 AM

What science or history does it contradict?

Evolution aside, there are lots of examples. Dutchie suggested Jonah in his whale. How about men who lose all their strength when their hair is chopped off?

dutchie · Sep 23rd, 2003 5:17 AM

Yeah, I had it done to me when I was 19. Felt no different.:|

EdgeCrusher666 · Sep 24th, 2003 8:02 AM

You see the bible itself is technically unstable in that it assumes throughout it that there is a god, that there is a satan, that jesus wasn't some ordinary jew who just looked different to the rest of them because he somehow had blue eyes or blonde hair in a world where most people had brown eyes and hair. Whenever an assumption is made (especially at the foundation of the theory) that the vaildation of a theory is weakend, this is something that holds true with the bible which is either a theory, a best selling fiction book or the truth.

evilwill88 · Sep 24th, 2003 9:09 AM

And there isn't much evidence to support it being the truth.

I would have to agree with Laz. If the bible is going to be taken seriously it should not be taken literally or it ends up discrediting itself with all the supernatural stories.

armageddononline · Sep 24th, 2003 11:48 AM

The Bible is an intelligent read if taken as a collection of metaphors and fables. If taken literally it's ridiculous.

fewfindit · Sep 24th, 2003 3:46 PM

A modern word for the way the bible is worded, is encryption
Isaiah
13&nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp But the word of the LORD was to them,
&nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp “Precept upon precept, precept upon precept,
&nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp Line upon line, line upon line,
&nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp Here a little, there a little,”

there is a key

and to him who knocks it will be opened.8o
0]

armageddononline · Sep 24th, 2003 4:14 PM

So at the moment it's impossible to understand the meaning of the Bible???

dutchie · Sep 25th, 2003 2:35 AM

This is the classic example of the arrogance of the fanatics.:|

lazserus · Sep 25th, 2003 11:49 AM

yes sir, it sure is.

VegasRonin · Sep 25th, 2003 9:03 PM

I was always advised that the Bible is 100% true. You just have to interpret or have the right person, interpret it for you. :rolleyes: Just because we can comprehend the written word, doesn't mean we can understand the Bible. There are people out there with SPECIAL literary comprehension abilities. Don't ya know? :p

dutchie · Oct 2nd, 2003 2:32 AM

It should be clear that no book of which the contence is clearly of religious nature can be accepted as being the indisputed truth. Only writings containing proven fact can be accepted as such - and then only when sufficient proof from different sources has been provided.

paul · Oct 2nd, 2003 12:22 PM

>It should be clear that no book of which the contence >is clearly of religious nature can be accepted as being >the indisputed truth. Only writings containing proven >fact can be accepted as such - and then only when >sufficient proof from different sources has been >provided.

The Bible is a book that has stood its ground through time. There is much archaeological evidence supporting the truth of the books contained in the Scriptures.

Peace,

Paul

evilwill88 · Oct 3rd, 2003 10:34 PM

But that doesn't mean that everything is says is true.

The book could be based on 1/2 truths.

Sagi_Zod · Aug 9th, 2004 2:53 PM

So the world is flat, we burn when we go too much to the south and we fall off at the end.

And thou shall show no mercy: an eye for an eye; a tooth for a tooth; a life for a life.
(Old testament)

Great.
You want to actually live in a world like that?
That's based on the bible?

***Doomer*** · Aug 9th, 2004 5:09 PM

When it comes to the bible, christians get crazy no matter how intelligent they are.

***dutchie*** · Nov 12th, 2004 3:10 AM

To what side are you referring, eh Micky?!?

***kanati*** · Nov 12th, 2004 11:37 PM

I can not believe that people are serious when they state they do believe that the sun stood still during a battle led by Joshua..

There is evidence of this event in other civilizations, notably the Chinese and in Central America at about this same time of Joshua's longest day.

The Chinese started observing the skies about 1600 bce and wrote of a day that lasted as two sometime shortly after they started keeping records. The event burnt up most of the vegetation throughout the land.

In Central America there is a legend of a night that lasted as two. It is also about the time of the demise of the Mayan civilization which ended when the people revolted against their priests. They worshipped a sun god coincidentally.

The truth can be stranger than fiction.

Kanati

**Keeblergiant** · Nov 13th, 2004 12:54 AM

There is evidence of this event in other civilizations, notably the Chinese and in Central America at about this same time of Joshua's longest day.

Yep, it's called a pole shift...it happens on the sun every 11 years.

***DontBeAfraid*** · Nov 13th, 2004 12:58 AM

The chinese recorded no such day and neither did central america.....

Even if these cultures had a fable of such an event, its an impossibility.... Guess what happens to everything on earth if it stops spinning.