To turn the question on its head..
“Properly read, the Bible is the most potent force for atheism ever conceived.” - Isaac Asimov
Can one find God without studying the Bible?
by Dis-Member 41 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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The Quiet One
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EverApostate
So to Discuss on the topic itself. Can one find God after reading the Bible ? I mean a tangible form of god and not some imaginations based on some ancient writings.
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villagegirl
Even as today ancient Jews taught their children how to read the Law.
Ancient historians remark on this The Law..orders that they shall be taught to read,
and shall learn both the laws and the deeds of their forefathers,
in order that they may imitate the latter, and, bring grounded in the former,
may neither transgress nor have any excuse for being ignorant of them."
Every Jewish child must read the Torah in Hebrew even today and this has
been going on for thousands of years. Jesus was 12 in the Temple arguing
the law with adults, but the fact he had read the Law was not unusual.
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villagegirl
J esus, commented " Who of you when he builds a
tower does not first calculate the expense...."
This involved mathematicas and lists of materials
and building plans. Jews have always been
the most literate, because they base their whole
system of worship on the written Law and
debate its fine points in Temple. Reading Torah was required.
Scrolls were available to all in the Temple and rich people had their own.
Jesus went into the Temple and picked up the scroll of
Isaiah and began reading from it, this was common practice.
Jews also washed themselves, because it is required in the Law,
this also made them unusual in the ancient world and odd
to Europeans through and up until about the 19th century
when bathing caught on.
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confusedandalone
Well being logical...
The Native Americans had no bible - yet they had Gods
The Aborigines had no bible - yet they had Gods
etc....
Every civilization that was not in the middle east had GODs yet they had no access to the bible. So i guess the obvious answer would be yes.
Unless you are referring to the GOD of the Bible. If you have never had access to the bible there would be no way you could get to know him.
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prologos
so, if literacy, particularly of the ancient Hebrew writings helped spirituality, "god"-think,
what will the result of the scientific approach be and how will this come about?
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Bella15
OF COURSE YOU CAN!
"For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God."
Within the Christian faith - the oral found its way to the written word ... a collection of books like the bible it was necessary for future generations to also find the MESSIAH!!!!!
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DATA-DOG
This is a great question. It's impossible for me to answer in an un-biased way. I have to refer to the Bible to answer the question. It may be impossible for anyone to answer. If you found someone who had never heard of the Bible, how would they answer? What is their concept of a God? Once you explain to them the Biblical concept of God, you have made them biased as well. They would have to know your God to even begin to answer the question.
God only knows..LOL!! See what I mean??
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Dis-Member
So the next question is.. if we are having such a hard time finding and knowing God and Jesus.. should they not both reach out and make a special and personal effort to find and know us individually? It is so easily within their power to touch our hearts and convert us each forever?
Why does God not help us?
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InChristAlone
When asking questions like, "Is such-and-such necessary?", I tend to think of the thief on the cross. Is baptism necessary? Is reading the Bible necessary? Is a year of training and passing a test necessary? No, no, and no. However, for those who believe, reading the Bible can help you "know" God. In my opinion, "taking in accurate knowledge of..." is a HORRIBLE translation for this very reason.