Why believe in the Bible?

by simplesally 18 Replies latest watchtower bible

• 

  simplesally

  Now I know that a few of you would give me some sarcastic answers as to why to believe in it, or maybe I should say, have faith in the God who inspired it.

  But I want to know why a person SHOULD believe in it? I know that I want to, I want to believe in a God who cares for us, I want to believe that he will put an end to the misery that surrounds us, I want to believe in a hope for the future.

  I am not trying to be idealistic either. But is there solid evidence to believe in it. I have read a book by Josh McDowell and it gives some good reasons, but does anybody else have some?
• 

  Seeker4

  No.

  S4
• 

  SYN

  S4: Hehe!
  SimplySally: You want hope for the future? I'm trying really hard not to be sarcastic here, 'cause I can see that you're pretty sincere with your questions - why not support an organization like GreenPeace or another group of people who are trying to save our planet from the scourge of misused technology? Go help out at an animal shelter. DO SOMETHING constructive. Then again, the examples I've sited aren't going to give you much hope...the only hope for humanity now is in our own hearts.

  "If men were like their personal ads, they wouldn't need personal ads."
• 

  gumby

  Quote: "I am not trying to be idealistic either. But is there solid evidence to believe in it. I have read a book by Josh McDowell and it gives some good reasons, but does anybody else have some"?

  Well, I am where you are at in the ride.

  I too have "Evidence that demands a verdict" by Josh Mcdowell

  There is nothing wrong about questioning what you have mentioned.
  Actually there have been some really good arguments from various posters here, concerning this subject.

  I am in the process of finding out who decided which books, written about Jesus, would be part of the bible? Who decided?

  God would have to have told certain ones...."I want this mans book to be part of the bible"
  There were many others who wrote at that time but their writings were not to be part of the bible. Who decided this?...God?....Man?
  Was it a church council? Who were they? Could they be trusted since they were all imperfect?

  Is it true that bible stories are similar,or identical, to ancient legends and folklore older than the bible? Is this a coincidence?

  Why is the God of the old testament so different than Jesus?

  If any out there have info. on this, it would be appreciated.
• 

  simplesally

  I've often thought about "doing" something. I liked service because I thought I was doing just that. But I remember going to Old Folks homes with my mom, just to visit old people. I remember the smell, yuk, but oh how I remember the smiles and the old people touching my hair that Mom had combed, braided or put in bows.

  I want my daughter to be taught the gift of giving smiles, giving from her heart. I want her to learn to touch people's hearts and make them smile. I have been thinking about going to some retirement places and just asking the front desk, "Who needs a visitor today?"

  but..... on the question at hand,

  I do think that the OT was a foreshadowing of what was to come. I was talking to someone and I don't believe that EVERYTHING the WT says is lies. Its like Hitler, he could tell me I had a red dress on today, and he'd be telling the truth. So not everything they say is a lie. I just think they are pharisaical.

  I think some things in the bible are the product of man, ie the digital inspection of a woman.

  I guess I am where I was before I became a j-dub. Searching. Searching for truth and hope. But I do know I believe in God's existence and it makes me feel better to believe in the principles of the bible. But again, I want proof.
• 

  Larsguy

  Why believe the Bible?

  It's fulfilled prophecies is one reason. For us, the JIOR, who see all the details of the second coming happening precisely, we have lots of faith in the Bible. Everything has happened right on time as the Bible prophesied. But you have to have the right interpretation.

  For instance: The "great tribulation" is supposed to be over before the second coming! The WTS thinks it is a reference to Armageddon even though Matthew 24:29 says: "IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE TRIBULATION OF THOSE DAYS...." The correct interpretation is that the "flesh" that almost got extinguished was that of the Jews during the HOLOCAUST.

  The Bible prophesied the punishment of the Jews would "end" and they would return from exile and they did in 1947 which would also end the 1290 days. The Bible says: "Happy is the one in expectation of the 1335 days"; that is, 45 years later the Messiah would arrive.

  For the JIOR who witnessed the "sign of the son of man in the skies" had that fulfilled plus some other miracles of holy spirit.

  So if you're on the real inside of the spiritual organization, especially now, you have very high confidence in the Bible being a truly inspired book.

  But you know, peoplew want to play both sides of the fence. When the Bible, for instance says that Darius I died in his sixth year, then people turn away from the Bible and trust secular records claiming he ruled for 36 years, even the WTS! So it makes you doubt the Bible. Fortunately, for us JIOR enough secular research into historical records and astronomical texts have proven that the Persian history was revised and the Bible's chronology is specifically correct. So, again, our faith was confirmed.

  Case in point is the SK400 which first showed that Nebuchadnezzar's 7th year fell in 541BCE meaning Jerusalem must have fallen in 529BCE. That's where that date first came from! But the WTS and general reference is that the 70 years began the same year Jerusalem fell! Thus even though dating correctly the 1st of Cyrus in 455BCE back then were still dating the fall of Jerusalem 70 years earlier in 525BCE. But only with additional research because of this eclipse record was it discovered and later confirmed by Josephus that the 70 years did, indeed, begin 4 years after the fall of Jerusalem at the last deportation! Thus this ancient secular eclipse record, actually exposed a MISINTERPRETATION of the scriptures that drew into question the accuracy of the Bible.

  So, again, a lot of faith is based upon whether one fully trusts the Bible AND are able to get the right interpretation. That is not always easy and so many have a gap in their faith with the Bible. But for those who trusted all the way in the beginning, what they had has been added to and now they have no doubt the Bible is accurate and rely upon it to predict the upcoming future events.

  So I can understand why some have problems believing the Bible, and that's unfortunate. False teachings by the WTS and Christendom certainly don't help. But for some anointed ones who are inside the JIOR there is absolutely no issue about the Bible being true or inspired because we see so many things completely fulfilled, including the second advent of Christ which the requires to occur in 1992. But how can anyone without a lot of faith accept that? It's hard. But for those who figured it out before, they witnessed the second coming and their faith was rewarded.

  Thus I understand why some people feel left out by the Bible, but for others of us, this doubt does not apply, we are on an all-time Biblical high. It would be nice to share that with others, but without the initial faith in the truth of God's word, it's very hard to get to that point. You see, God gives more to those that already have a lot of faith. He adds miracles to the written word. But for those with little faith and doubts, that is taken from then and they will have even less faith in the Bible: "He that has nothing even what he has will be taken from him....he that has much, MORE will be granted." So that has come true.

  It's a very nice place to be...on the inside of the kingdom now happening "in your midst". I'm just glad I'm one of the people who originally trusted.

  Bottom line, for some of us, the spiritual ones, it's extremely easy to believe and trust the scriptures.

  L.G.
• 

  Mr Bean

  My points for support for the Bible.

  1. Because we do not have anything better.
  2. There are many evidences of out of body experiences, ghosts, predictions, miracles, stigmata.
  3. Whichever way we will look, logic points us to God or ET or UFO.
  Example: if evolution is not just theory, than must be somewhere a civilization on much more advance level than out Earth and tan civilization is able to create different, very advanced form of life.

  God, welcome!

  If evolution is a myth, welcome God again!

  Few points against the Bible.

  1. Whoever wrote the Bible had not slightest idea about technologies we are using today.
  2. Debates about Jesus being God or just an angel or archangel Michael, or He is part of the trinity or not etc, etc. These debates are going for almost 2000 years and looks like we need another 2000 years to solve these problems.
  3. Prophecies of the Bible are not accurate. Looks like some so called fulfillments are just guesses not better or worse than Scallion's or Sollogs. Revelation has some hope especially lately.

  4. More I know the Bible, less I trust her as being directed by God and inspired by God. When I start to chase who wrote, copied and translated this part or other, is getting harder and harder to believe in God's inspiration and compilation which parts are inspired and which not.

  5. It appears clearly that God and Christ are two totally different personalities. God is violent and demanding. Even cruel. Christ is patient, mild, perfect human, trying very hard to fix his fathers mistakes.

  As anyone can see, I'm in mess here and now I know less that ever before I’ve started! ;-P

  I’m sorry but I’m not buying the best invention of Christianity about trust without examining. Why should I trust the Bible and ignore Koran or Scallion or Nostradamus?

  Christ sentence “Blessed who didn’t see but believed” seems to be an invention of smart clergy, not Christ’s. It could be said also this way: “Blessed are naive ones…”

  I love an idea of loving God and Christ. That’s why I’ve devoted my best 20 years of hard work for the WTS. If I would have some evidence, I would do it again.

  Peace…
• 

  SixofNine

  The above post pretty much says it all. If after careful inspection, a person still believes the bible is loaded with fulfilled prophecy, that person is mentally ill. Sorry, when I started this, Larguy's post was above mine

  So far, I've not found evidence for even one bible prophecy coming true. I do see evidence that the bible was written largely by people with some of the same problems as the person who wrote the above post.

  The crazy thing is that we ever accepted it at all. You could move (build) mountains with the bodies of the people slain and abused by the insane dogmatic unfriendly racially-biased ramblings in that book (or as gumby pointed out, collection of books).

  But what you can't do, is truely benifit yourself by it, save for one concept spoken of by Jesus (a composite human/god?), but borrowed from much earlier spiritual writings, the reciprocity concept, "do unto others as you would have them do to you". Which, btw, precludes door to door witnessing but encourages visits to old folks homes .
• 

  SYN

  LarsGuy: No offense intended, but the vague, mystical stuff of which you speak is something I have yet to experience. I guess I'll just never be "annointed". I must be helluva doomed! Goshdarnit to HECK! So, the Second Coming was in 1992, eh? Why wasn't it on CNN or something? HMMM...

  So if you're on the real inside of the spiritual organization, especially now, you have very high confidence in the Bible being a truly inspired book.
  Sorry, I'm out of EVERY organization, spiritual or not.

  The Bible prophesied the punishment of the Jews would "end" and they would return from exile and they did in 1947 which would also end the 1290 days.
  Well, there was this other thing that happened in 1947, in New Mexico, but we won't go into that here, as most people of your type that I've met have a rather violent opposition to my hopes of life not from Earth!

  But for those who trusted all the way in the beginning,
  Or, who were brainwashed more efficiently than others,

  Thus I understand why some people feel left out by the Bible, but for others of us, this doubt does not apply, we are on an all-time Biblical high.
  Oh, you're 'high', all right!

  but without the initial faith in the truth of God's word, it's very hard to get to that point.
  LOL. "God"? Oh boy...now you've gotten me started...pick a "God", be it Satan/Jesus/Jehovah/Old Testament Secular Christian "God" (see Jehovah)/The Holy Spirit...damn, I'm confussed (sic) already!

  You see, God gives more to those that already have a lot of faith.
  Sounds like what the Elders told me in my Disassiociation hearing, i.e., that I hadn't done enough Field Service, therefore God was displeased with me, therefore I couldn't do ANY MORE field service, therefore I was DEAD. Wonderful, eh?

  It's a very nice place to be...on the inside of the kingdom now happening "in your midst".
  Nah, I'm a Buddhist! No Kingdom in my midst!

  Bottom line, for some of us, the spiritual ones, it's extremely easy to believe and trust the scriptures.
  Do I detect elitism? You sound just like one of the people on the Governing Body...

  "If men were like their personal ads, they wouldn't need personal ads."
• 

  hannibal

  SYN,
  
  "DO I DETECT ELITISM"

  Nice one, the way you broke down larsguys post

  and inserted your elementry third grade comments

  reak every bit as a egotistical, and have to resort

  nonoriginal, old, stereotype namecalling that comes

  from a person that is ever bit an "ELITIST"

  "IF YOU CANT CHANGE YOUR MIND ARE YOU SURE YOU HAVE ONE?"