The Bible
- Thread starter Proph 1
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juantoo3
....whys guy.... ʎʇıɹoɥʇnɐ uoıʇsǝnb
On the chance your question is sincere, allow me to ask what the point of any religious text is? There you will find your answer.
BlaznFattyz
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the bible is the word of God. it is not any text of any religion.
juantoo3
....whys guy.... ʎʇıɹoɥʇnɐ uoıʇsǝnb
Kindest Regards, BF!
Which makes it, de facto, the text of three religions: Christianity (Old and New Testaments), Judaism (Old Testament), and Islam (first few books). So yes, the Bible is a religious text. And the word of God.
You know, I never could understand why people would answer a question with another question. Do you think it makes you sound wise or something? I'm asking a serious question here, not rethorical. That said, my question was sincere! While I have my opinion on the matter, I was asking to see what you guys thought. And, since you didnt answer, what do you think? Whats your take on the Bible?juantoo3 said:
B
Bandit
Guest
ok. here is my take.
the bible is the true (non fiction) unadulterated written Word of God. Infallible & it will stand true & it will not fail to all generations.
the spirit, the Word, the water, the blood, the Father & the Holy Ghost agree with my spirit that the written Word is true.
now, if you would like to do that history & scholarly part, that is all good too, but nothing like the Truth hid in the hearts of men to come alive & to make them free & alive unto God.
you can say anything you want to about me & my personal beliefs, but don't touch my Bible or Jesus, because then I grow fangs & put on boxing gloves.
the bible is the true (non fiction) unadulterated written Word of God. Infallible & it will stand true & it will not fail to all generations.
the spirit, the Word, the water, the blood, the Father & the Holy Ghost agree with my spirit that the written Word is true.
now, if you would like to do that history & scholarly part, that is all good too, but nothing like the Truth hid in the hearts of men to come alive & to make them free & alive unto God.
you can say anything you want to about me & my personal beliefs, but don't touch my Bible or Jesus, because then I grow fangs & put on boxing gloves.
mynameisstephen
Well-Known Member
In 1889 a schoolteacher told a ten-year-old boy, "You will never amount to very much." That boy was Albert Einstein. In 1954 a music manager told a young singer, "You ought to go back to driving a truck." That singer was Elvis Presley. In 1962 a record company told a group of singers, "We don’t like your sound. Groups with guitars are definitely on their way out." They said that to the Beatles. Man is prone to make mistakes. Those who reject the Bible should take the time to look at the evidence before they come to a verdict.
1. It is unique in its continuity.
If just 10 people today were picked who were from the same place, born around the same time, spoke the same language, and made about the same amount of money, and were asked to write on just one controversial subject, they would have trouble agreeing with each other. But the Bible stands alone. It was written over a period of 1,600 years by more than 40 writers from all walks of life. Some were fishermen; some were politicians. Others were generals or kings, shepherds or historians. They were from three different continents, and wrote in three different languages. They wrote on hundreds of controversial subjects yet they wrote with agreement and harmony. They wrote in dungeons, in temples, on beaches, and on hillsides, during peacetime and during war. Yet their words sound like they came from the same source. So even though 10 people today couldn’t write on one controversial subject and agree, God picked 40 different people to write the Bible—and it stands the test of time.
2. It is unique in its circulation.
The invention of the printing press in 1450 made it possible to print books in large quantities. The first book printed was the Bible. Since then, the Bible has been read by more people and printed more times than any other book in history. By 1930, over one billion Bibles had been distributed by Bible societies around the world. By 1977, Bible societies alone were printing over 200 million Bibles each year, and this doesn’t include the rest of the Bible publishing companies. No one who is interested in knowing the truth can ignore such an important book.
3. It is unique in its translation.
The Bible has been translated into over 1,400 languages. No other book even comes close.
4. It is unique in its survival.
In ancient times, books were copied by hand onto manuscripts which were made from parchment and would decay over time. Ancient books are available today only because someone made copies of the originals to preserve them. For example, the original writings of Julius Caesar are no longer around. We know what he wrote only by the copies we have. Only 10 copies still exist, and they were made 1,000 years after he died. Only 600 copies of Homer’s The Iliad exist, made 1,300 years after the originals were written. No other book has as many copies of the ancient manuscripts as the Bible. In fact, there are over 24,000 copies of New Testament manuscripts, some written within 35 years of the writer’s death.
5. It is unique in withstanding attack.
No other book has been so attacked throughout history as the Bible. In A.D. 300 the Roman emperor Diocletian ordered every Bible burned because he thought that by destroying the Scriptures he could destroy Christianity. Anyone caught with a Bible would be executed. But just 25 years later, the Roman emperor Constantine ordered that 50 perfect copies of the Bible be made at government expense. The French philosopher Voltaire, a skeptic who destroyed the faith of many people, boasted that within 100 years of his death, the Bible would disappear from the face of the earth. Voltaire died in 1728, but the Bible lives on. The irony of history is that 50 years after his death, the Geneva Bible Society moved into his former house and used his printing presses to print thousands of Bibles.
The Bible has also survived criticism. No book has been more attacked for its accuracy. And yet archeologists are proving every year that the Bible’s detailed descriptions of historic events are correct.
1. It is unique in its continuity.
If just 10 people today were picked who were from the same place, born around the same time, spoke the same language, and made about the same amount of money, and were asked to write on just one controversial subject, they would have trouble agreeing with each other. But the Bible stands alone. It was written over a period of 1,600 years by more than 40 writers from all walks of life. Some were fishermen; some were politicians. Others were generals or kings, shepherds or historians. They were from three different continents, and wrote in three different languages. They wrote on hundreds of controversial subjects yet they wrote with agreement and harmony. They wrote in dungeons, in temples, on beaches, and on hillsides, during peacetime and during war. Yet their words sound like they came from the same source. So even though 10 people today couldn’t write on one controversial subject and agree, God picked 40 different people to write the Bible—and it stands the test of time.
2. It is unique in its circulation.
The invention of the printing press in 1450 made it possible to print books in large quantities. The first book printed was the Bible. Since then, the Bible has been read by more people and printed more times than any other book in history. By 1930, over one billion Bibles had been distributed by Bible societies around the world. By 1977, Bible societies alone were printing over 200 million Bibles each year, and this doesn’t include the rest of the Bible publishing companies. No one who is interested in knowing the truth can ignore such an important book.
3. It is unique in its translation.
The Bible has been translated into over 1,400 languages. No other book even comes close.
4. It is unique in its survival.
In ancient times, books were copied by hand onto manuscripts which were made from parchment and would decay over time. Ancient books are available today only because someone made copies of the originals to preserve them. For example, the original writings of Julius Caesar are no longer around. We know what he wrote only by the copies we have. Only 10 copies still exist, and they were made 1,000 years after he died. Only 600 copies of Homer’s The Iliad exist, made 1,300 years after the originals were written. No other book has as many copies of the ancient manuscripts as the Bible. In fact, there are over 24,000 copies of New Testament manuscripts, some written within 35 years of the writer’s death.
5. It is unique in withstanding attack.
No other book has been so attacked throughout history as the Bible. In A.D. 300 the Roman emperor Diocletian ordered every Bible burned because he thought that by destroying the Scriptures he could destroy Christianity. Anyone caught with a Bible would be executed. But just 25 years later, the Roman emperor Constantine ordered that 50 perfect copies of the Bible be made at government expense. The French philosopher Voltaire, a skeptic who destroyed the faith of many people, boasted that within 100 years of his death, the Bible would disappear from the face of the earth. Voltaire died in 1728, but the Bible lives on. The irony of history is that 50 years after his death, the Geneva Bible Society moved into his former house and used his printing presses to print thousands of Bibles.
The Bible has also survived criticism. No book has been more attacked for its accuracy. And yet archeologists are proving every year that the Bible’s detailed descriptions of historic events are correct.
i believe the point of the christian Bible, as i assume that is the 'bible' to which you refer, is to explain to man through examples and language he might understand, the nature of God, the nature of man, and the relationship between the two.Proph 1 said:
that is extremely simplified of course but i believe that is the most basic purpose of the Bible
and this is, as always, my humble opinion
prayers go out to all those in London who's world was torn apart by the recent attacks. and prayers for those who would act in such a way and let 'the cause' narrow their field of view enough to fully disregard the worth of another human life, that their spirits may be convicted and they may turn away from that course.
...to all...
M
mee
Guest
The bible is a gift from God, so the point of the bible according to my beliefs ,is that this book reveals things that we could never find out otherwise. for example it tells us about the creation of the starry heavens, the earth, and the first man and woman. the bible contains reliable princiiples to help us cope with lifes problems and it explains how God will fulfill his purpose and bring better conditions for the earth .wow what a gift(2 timothy 3;16-17)Proph 1 said:
this also happened in china within the last 50 years. chinese leaders made claims to the effect that absolutely no christians remained in china. people buried their Bibles and relied on memorized scripture to avoid torture and even death. there is a book entitled The Heavenly Man which is an extremely powerful testimony of one man showing the brutal attempts of the chinese government to eradicate the spread of christianity.mynameisstephen said:
i know this is off topic but this is such an interesting point about the Bible. the way that some people feel so threatened by the Bible and by people who believe in God, Jesus, the power of the Holy Spirit etc., continues to amaze me.
this is referring to mynameisstephen's comment that men are prone to making mistakes.I said:
this is a very popular question which gets asked to 'believers'. i would say the answer you will most often get will go something like this...
the writers of the christian Bible were inspired by God. The message it contains is the Truth, the direct Word of God, dictated by Him through the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit and written contextually in the worldly languages of the day. Those who have translated the Bible into the over 1,400 languages over the past couple of thousand years or so put together what they felt was most accurate word for word or meaning for meaning depending on the particular translation.
there are times when the Holy Spirit uses people to say certain things, whether written or spoken. i've had times when people have prayed with me about things that i never told them were going on in my life. the belief behind this is the same one that is believed of the writers of the Bible. these people did not know what was going on in my life, the Holy Spirit used them to speak to me. Like daniel interpreting king nebuchadnezzer's dreams. he did not only interpret the dream after the king had told it to him, as the king was testing everyone (magicians, shamans, etc.) and would not tell them the dream they were to interpret. daniel, unlike the rest, was able to discern the meaning of the dream only because he was given a vision from the Lord as to what the dream was, and took that to the king with his interpretation. the ability to interpret the dream he also attributed to God.
this was in the Old Testament, but i think is an excellent example for all works of God, be it writings guided by the Holy Spirit or miraculous healings in a hospital in Japan. paul's epistles were the same way. they were written as his interpretations of Jesus life and teachings, but with knowledge and insight provided by the Holy Spirit. (daniel and the dreams).
my belief anyway.
B
Bandit
Guest
i think what it means is the men who wrote have error, we who interpret have error, but what is written has no error thus making the author of the Bible to be God. God has no error.I said:
This is from Christian Answers.com
Can the Bible be infallible if it is written by fallible humans? And if not, how can we accept it as literal truth?
One standard explanation of the concept of "inspiration" is given by Ryrie:
God's superintendence of the human authors so that, using their own individual personalities, they composed and recorded without error His revelation to man in the words of the original autographs. (Charles Ryrie, A Survey of Bible Doctrine (Chicago: Moody Press, 1972), p. 38)
However, classic Christianity rests on the assurance that the Bible is completely accurate. It may contain statements that are (1) figures of speech; (2) non-technical descriptions; or (3) difficult to understand. But actual errors would fall into a different kind of category. If there are any errors in Scripture, no matter how small, the book can no longer be our standard of truth. I become the standard of truth, as I determine which Bible statements are right and which are wrong. And if I can't trust God to get the facts straight on things like dates and measurements (where I can check on Him), why should I expect Him to be more accurate in areas like sin and salvation (where I can't check on Him)?
http://www.christiananswers.net/q-acb/acb-t002.html
However, classic Christianity rests on the assurance that the Bible is completely accurate. It may contain statements that are (1) figures of speech; (2) non-technical descriptions; or (3) difficult to understand. But actual errors would fall into a different kind of category. If there are any errors in Scripture, no matter how small, the book can no longer be our standard of truth. I become the standard of truth, as I determine which Bible statements are right and which are wrong. And if I can't trust God to get the facts straight on things like dates and measurements (where I can check on Him), why should I expect Him to be more accurate in areas like sin and salvation (where I can't check on Him)?
http://www.christiananswers.net/q-acb/acb-t002.html
I don't have much of a problem with the readers, hardly any with the writers...its the damn editors that got me ticked!Bandit said:i think what it means is the men who wrote have error, we who interpret have error, but what is written has no error thus making the author of the Bible to be God. God has no error.
This is from Christian Answers.com
ahem, I'm calm now.
v/r
Q
Devadatta
Well-Known Member
Good question.Proph 1 said:
The belief-based view of the bible is that it’s the story of God and His covenant with the human race as filtered through the Hebrew people (old testament) or the body of Christ (new testament). The belief-based view relies on faith, though it deploys “reason” strategically as needed, especially to appeal to certain mentalities. (One of the most imposing monuments to this process is the Aristotelian-Thomistic system of the Catholic Church.)
Based on ordinary reason, the bible is an elaborate rationalization of power; the monotheism at its core is distinguished less by philosophical subtlety – many other religious philosophies are just as coherent and interesting – than by its ready assimilation to political and social ends. Many elites through the centuries have used the bible to justify their power; many in oppressed classes have equally used the bible as a basis to demand change or revolution.
A reason-based view of the bible – as a human document no more divine or mystical than any other – can also be based on faith, but on a faith that doesn’t require beliefs. One can, for example, read the bible as part of a beneficial spiritual practice without ascribing to any conventional dogma.
However you read the bible, the bottom line was laid out by Jesus: by their fruits you shall know them.