Qcmbr, my post is about that which lies beyond the relative truths of data and wise sayings. The search for something greater outside oneself is what keeps people on a path. Books and philosophies, however profound, cannot give you anything - the most they can do is point. Truth, such as I am describing, is not a thing that can be put under a microscope and turned this way and that. The truth that I am pointing to is that which is found in the stillness of the eye, the silence of the mind, and the fullness of the heart. Your experience of meditation leads in the direction of truth's abode. To seek it elsewhere first will lead you away from the realization of it.
Why is truth is so hard to find in Bible
by The Dragon 48 Replies latest watchtower bible
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roybatty
One, it was written by men. Two, it was written over many centuries and opinions and beliefs change. Just look at the western Europe and / or the U.S. just a hundred years ago and it's views on homosexuality, marriage, religion, crime & punishment, etc.
IMO it should come as no surprise that something Moses wrote in 1500 B.C.E. would have a differnt spin then something Mark wrote in first century C.E.
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Robdar
You can't find "truth" in the Bible because there is no cut and dried "truth". The Bible isn't meant to give us the "truth". It's meant to inspire us to find our own truth.
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poppers
Hi Robdar, how ya been?
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caligirl
I don't think the bible is supposed to provide all the answers to you. That would negate needing a brain.
The bible is a guidebook, not a rulebook. The only concrete glaringly clear message I ever gleaned from the bible is treat others as you want to be treated. It tells us that we have a responsibility to live our lives in such a way that we bring glory to God for all that we have and to take care of our families. It tells us that everyone has different talents, that we don't all fit into a mold.
It tells us to find our skill or niche and use it to help others as a way of glorifying God, whatever that may be. Beyond those things, I see a book of stories meant to give us some idea of ways to do good for others and expects us to use the gray matter between our ears to figure it out on our own.
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ElderBarry
Hi Dragon. I'm a newbie too. How about just surrendering to the fact that the Bible is simply one of the many "holy" books of the world? There are many, and have been many more in times past, and there will be many more in the future. Everyone has myopia when it comes to their own times and their own culture/religion. I have watched people laugh to scorn the holy books of other religions that speak of various heroes or divine beings doing all sorts of impossible things. These people recognize that the holy book of the other guy is simply a book of stories, and they have a good laugh at it with their adult mind and it's critical thinking abilities.
Yet when the same stories are told in their own holy book, the bible, they take it seriously as though all these fantastic tales really happened! This is cultural myopia of the first order.
Therer are some grand tales and beautiful stories in the Bible such as David and Goliath, the Tower Of Babel, The Flood, the Exodus from Egypt, Joseph and his brothers, and a lot more. The NT story of the Jesus God is beautiful too.
Yet there is a lot of insanity and ugliness and spiritual vomit in the bible too and one needs to use discernment. Keep the beautiful stuff but excise the vomit, and in all events recognise you're dealing with a book of stories. Yes, those stories are written on an historical backdrop, but thats all. Ax heads dont float, dead bodies dont get up and walk out of tombs and then fly away without an airplane. You get the idea. It's really soooo very simple but for some reason people make it complicated. EB -
aniron
It depends whether or not you want to see it.
Do you want it to fit your way of thinking?
If you believe what you like in Gospel, and reject what you don't like, then its not the Gospel you believe, but yourself.
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jwfacts
Very good question.
I used to wonder why the bible wasn't like the Live Forever Book, with a chapter devoted to each doctrine. Why didn't Ezra sit down and collate Book One - Creation, Book Two - The Sovereignty Issue, Book Three - the Soul, Book Four - The nature of God.
The WTS says it is so only those searching can find the truth. That is handy for them, as they can say "and look, only we are truly searching", but the reality is that those searching end up in all sorts of religions believing all sorts of things, based more on the circumstances of their own lives rather than based on what is truth.
Adam and Eve were unable to follow what is right, even though perfect and having God to teach them. Very few Jews followed Jesus, even when he was there personlly instructing them and doing miracles in front of them. Truth and righteousness are so difficult to follow, even if we know what it right, that it makes no sense to say a person will only be saved if they have found it in one single religion. -
apfergus
Your asking questions! That's the best way to start. The answers don't always come easy. In fact, a lot of the time they don't even come at all. If you'd like to keep looking for answers in the Bible I recomend checking out a 12th century Jewish philosopher by the name of Maimonides. He's best known for his extensive commentary on the Torah, but I enjoy his works explaining why he wrote his comentaries more than the comentaries themselves.
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parakeet
If you believe the Bible is inspired by God, then you will look for a lifetime and not find an absolute truth. Better minds than yours and mine have searched for centuries and not found it.
Conclusion? Either God did not think it worth his while to give mankind clear directions about life, death, and truth. Or the Bible was not written by God, but by men.
The second conclusion makes more sense and will save you years of fruitless seeking.