To me the bible is just a book. I can take things from it and use in my life. I've done this with other books I've read. If there are gems that resonate with me, I keep them close.
Having Faith in the Bible
by william draper 75 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
-
-
fukitol
...which without having such knowledge we would all be more like walking zombies in amanner of speaking , we would be lacking hope in something better , for surely something better is to come , how can we be sure ,
LMAO.
We have ourselves as our hope for the future. The potential for the human race is almost unlimited in what it can learn and achieve scientifically, medically, socially, you name it. Hey, even the Bible says God admitted there is nothing we can't achieve before he confused our languages at the tower of Babel (thanks God).
Look at all the ignorant, zombie-like Muslims still living like it is 600AD, sticking their ass up in the air 5 times a day. They are obeying thir ancient holy scripture, convinced there is no future hope without it.
-
Ucantnome
believe if we take an honest look at the Bible , we will see that it gives us the best answers to crucial matters ,
I was asked to swear on the bible this morning and it made me think of this thread I also read something on the BBC website http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-32303997 and thought about divorce and what I have understood the Bible to say about it one of my children done a dissertation on the subject. I think in discussing it with them the conclusion was, not a good idea. Makes me think of Matthew 24:13
-
Heaven
The issue is that the religious authorities of today trot this thing called the Bible out as some sort of inerrant, inspired word of God. Any Science book is far superior in factual knowledge than the Bible.
If you have to have 'faith' in an ancient compilation spanning 1000 years authored by Middle Eastern desert dwellers attempting to explain the unexplainable, and has since been proved falable, I think this just shows you have abandoned logic and reason for madness.
Pick what you like from it. But don't wave it around in public and definitely don't shove it down my throat or my kid's throat.
-
william draper
I wish I had time to reply to all , except those which are just insulting me and putting words here that I am not saying .
I will though reply as I have time , I am a little surprised in regards to the lack of support .
Does everbody truly hate the scriptures that much .
The one comment madethat the Bible deserves to be scrutized I AGREE WHOLE HEARTEDLY WITH .
SO let's look at some things , the one scripture that is said to be speaking of rape , it is not , read it again ; whereas another scripture may be speaking of rape , but nowhere does it prevent the woman from leaving the man . The law deals with what is the best solution for events , which may or may not be able to be ctonfirmed . The man may think twice about raping the women ,
DEUTERONOMY 22 says that if a man rapes a women he should die .
There are other things said also whether it happened in the city , where the women could cry out for help , or the field where she could not be heard ,look at this chapter with a reasonable mind , how does such really apply to that era , is there a lesson here about how people should live to avoid possible circumstances , but we know there is always a chance for bad to happen .
Lets look at the rape of Tamar found in 2nd Samuel 13 , how was this dealt with , the one that violated her was killed , be sure to read it all , if you don't you may think that many others were also killed , but there is a clarification that only Amnon was actually killed , for the rape of Tamar .
We must understand that besides what is written in the bible , there were other explanatory writings that went into more details , the customs of the people are not 100% fully revealed in what we find in the scriptures ,
There were other events not fully recorded in scripture in every detail
Look at rape in our day , in the military , and so forth , and men get by with murder , false accusations , locking up people in jails for decades unjustly . It does not appear that are laws in practice are any better .
Now on another note , the writing of Genesis , here we have Moses , or whoever you wish to believe , standing upon DRY GROUND , a thousand or 2 thousand years after creation speaking of the creation of this world , or even if it was 100, 000 years later let's not miss the point of what is said about our planet , before man walked upon it ; what science teaches is very much in line with what is said here in GENESIS 1 .
MOSES ALSO GIVES CREDIT TO SOMEONE THAT HE BELIEVES CREATED THIS WORLD
Therenare people today that do not have such wisdom , to understand what is also said in ROMANS ch 1.
Moses speaks about the creation of light , although it appears a bit confused , the writer is getting the basics correct , he is doing his best under inspiration to write it down right , He speaks of a light being created , no he is not speaking of the Sun , but something before that , just as science is telling us , something akin to the BIG BANG , something happened to bring light upon this world , and he has the sense to give credit to God for this , now a few verses later the writer is speaking about the creation of the Sun .
No where else do you find such wisdom .
Many spoke of the earth being flat , or supportedby Elephants , but in the scriptures we find what science also revealed years later , now of course a wise man could reason that the earth was round , but to say that it hung upon nothing , where else does one find such wisdom , God revealed it to certain ones to have such understanding . Many other wise men had no grasp of such knowledge .
-
cappytan
So Moses was a believer in the "God of the gaps" concept?
-
Giordano
Perhaps if you changed your image Mr. Draper........ it's a bit much.... it's like when I see your representation I immediately think....... no good can come from this.
Mankind will destroy this planet if left to our devices just as the scripture forewarned us .
Why should we bother to do that when God seems so willing, able and anxious to destroy this planet on his or her own? If there is one thing I have learned it is never trust a god to keep you safe. Harsh but true.
The Flood........ now Armageddon? In between asteroids falling from the heavens. I so find B.S. tiresome............... Bible Study to be clear.
-
OnTheWayOut
Some, like myself, have not "lost faith in the Bible," but have grown beyond faith in the Bible.
I think that belief that the Bible "gives us the best answers to crucial matters" is ignoring it's answers as far as women, slavery, exclusionism, etc.
If a man rapes a woman, pay 50 sheckels to her father and marry her.
The husband is to rule over his wife. Man was not created for woman but woman for man.
A man who refuses to impregnate his widowed sister-in-law is put to death.I could go on and on.
If we followed the letter of the Bible, then we really would be closer to your "walking zombies in a manner of speaking."
You could sell your daughter into permanent slavery to pay a debt.
You could beat your slave severely, as long as he doesn't die that very day, but the next day is okay.
If you can't find a wife, you could take the virgin daughter of your enemy in battle that you just killed and shave her head and imprison her for life, but call her your wife.Is there any other book that gives us a better understanding of where we came from , and what may be / is to be our future .
I won't bother with that except to say that man is much older than 6 or 7 thousand years old and that real progress with our future comes from excepting real science about how it all started. Otherwise, we could remain ignorant and not bother to understand our universe because "God" will tell us what we need. So don't bother to cure disease or invent better products for mankind.
-
Terry
If 'God' truly wished to communicate with mankind in a manner both convincing and immediately productive, He would make good on His bluff to cause the very stones to cry out.
I'd listen to a talking stone. I suspect everybody else would too.
To Wit:
Luke 19:40New King James Version (NKJV)
40 But He answered and said to them, “I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out.”
_______________________
Intellectual honesty compels you to start in a neutral frame of mind rather than assuming your presupposition into 'unassailable' status and inviting rebuttal.
Your premise gives you away. You didn't ask if a good life well-lived necessarily compelled mankind to look toward ancient books as the foundation of truth and understanding. Why would anyone choose that as the starting point? The truly great strides mankind has made in the last two centuries have been IN SPITE OF the 'wisdom' of the world's 'holy' books.
Equality for Women, Equality for people of color, child protection, banning smoking, awareness of the necessity of balanced diet and a regimen of exercise, public education, etc.---these strides toward improving society were secular in nature.
Today's great battle will focus on acceptance of homosexuals as our brothers and sisters without prejudice. A free society cannot function without human rights.
The Bible is the last refuge for narrow-minded bigotry disguised as piety and submission to the 'will of God'.
-
OnTheWayOut
Many spoke of the earth being flat , or supportedby Elephants , but in the scriptures we find what science also revealed years later , now of course a wise man could reason that the earth was round , but to say that it hung upon nothing , where else does one find such wisdom , God revealed it to certain ones to have such understanding . Many other wise men had no grasp of such knowledge .
I will just comment on this single example of re-inventing what the Bible says to sound more palatable to modern man who has a better understanding. The roundness of the earth described in the Bible was more in line with a flat coin with round edges. If God wanted to avoid so much trouble in the dark ages and wanted to help Man understand the universe, He could have seen to it that the Bible described the earth as a ball that goes around the sun (not the center of the universe) and that stars are not little tiny lights that orbit the earth but are other "suns" bigger than the earth, just far away.
You seem to do this with other points, just as the JW's do- try to say what the Bible doesn't say and re-invent what it meant to indicate that it was different from current beliefs. It was not radically different and left out so much.
