Yes, but not the ol' distorted NWT...
Do You "Believe" In The Bible At All?
by minimus 74 Replies latest jw friends
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trevor
Little Toe
Why must belief subsist wholey on "proven" facts?
Belief can be obtained through proof or faith.
The relationship you have with Christ, is based on a personal experience that you have had that has convinced you beyond doubt.
Much of the Bible, or any holy book, asked the reader to put faith in what is stated without any personal, evidence or proof.
What I question is what is meant by ‘believe’ the bible. Yes it is a subjective collection of compelling experiences from folk who have chosen to share their conclusions. But when they claim to have spoken with God and tell us that what they say is therefore gospel, it is wise to be a little cautious or analytical.
It is due to a lack of rational examination, that people are sucked into the Watchtower Society. Religion has exerted a powerful influence over peoples lives for thousands of years and in many cases robbed them of their right to live and let live.
I have no objection to personal belief and hold some of my own but I do advise people to be wary.
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CountryGuy
I think it's a nice book with nice stories to help give us a moral compass as we go through our lives.
I do not believe it is the unadulterated, straight from the Big Man Himself, Word of God.
CountryGuy
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Undecided
If I believed that alcohol and drugs was God then I would believe it was inspired by God. Take the book of Revelation as an example.
It has too many conflicting ways to live to please the God it supposedly comes from, like killing babys to forgiving all things.
Ken P.
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thecarpenter
I find myself at this point in the same camp as Arthur, lovelylilly and JH. Although I no longer accept many of the teachings of the Jehovah's Witnesses, I still have a fundamental belief in the bible and that God inspired men to write it. I don't feel that it is without error because the men who wrote it are imperfect but the spirit of what is being said is God inspired. I personally feel that people are better off following the scriptures (although imperfectly) than to totally reject it and many of it ethical principles.
Of course, I have a healthy respect for science and empirical methods and I intend to dig a little deeper into evolution, archaeology and geology in the coming years but I don't feel this will uproot my belief system, but rather to help clarify some things a little bit. Trevor make a good point of having a rational approach toward religion, it has been used to uproot lives. But for me, there is too much intelligent design for there not to be a God, in fact creation is awe inspiring.
Lovelylilly makes a nice point...
Lastly, I believe that it is not important to understand everything in the bible in order to believe it is God inspired or for it to have relevance in our lives and in our faith. Because love is more important than our head knowledge or understanding all scripture. And were we are lacking in understanding, love will cover us.
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LittleToe
Trevaor:Tis ok, I'm generally agreeing with you. I'm just teasing out one aspect of what you stated.
And herein lays a difference. I strike a difference between belief and religion, though I guess it very much depends what you wish to gain out of religion.
You don't need a holy book to practise religion, neither do you need religion for use of a holy book, nor do you need either to lead a "spiritual" life.
But we are fickle creatures and a little of each often brings us comfort in the knowledge that we don't walk the path alone...
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trevor
Little Toe
I once said to Terry - 'You have been badly shaken by discovering that what you were absolutely certain of as a Jehovah’s Witness was flawed. Unless you allow a little room for the genuineness of other peoples experiences and those you have yet to have, you risk being badly shaken again.'
I try to take my own advice and allow room for belief and change in myself and others. We all need a little comfort in life and I have my own illusions which I choose to keep for now.
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trevor
Post repeated
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trevor
Post repeated
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Kaput
Too many revisions, translations, copies over hundreds of years to ever remain the pure and unadulterated "word of God", if it ever was. Where is the "Master Copy", protected by cherubs with flaming swords? If God wanted to ensure its veracity, he would surely have done as much for "his word" as he did to keep Adam and Eve away from the tree of life. My 2 cents.