How Much of the Bible Must Be Historical to Believe?

[Haykakan]

Re: How Much of the Bible Must Be Historical to Believe?

I am not against the bible but i am sure it is not filled with words from a supreme being. The bible was written by many authors and i believe it was a guide for people at that time about how they should live their lives. Perhaps it served its purpose at the time or perhaps not but either way it is hopelessly outdated regardless of which version you choose to believe. The bible should be studied for what it is -a guide to life for people who lived thousends of years ago. Just because someone said that these are the words of god-does not make it so. As for your comment "they know of God" it appears to me that people who believe in god or gods are very particular about the type of god they and others must believe in to the point that they will kill others who believe in another kind of god-gods..Thus saying that they know of god is meaningless because those of other faiths call those gods bs or false so to them their god is true and yours is false. So then does it matter if they believe in the true god or not?

They know of GOD...why are you so against the Bible just curious?

[Siggie]

Re: How Much of the Bible Must Be Historical to Believe?

Don't the other gospels that have turned up also show that the bible is an edited work?

E.g. The fragments found in Egypt a couple years ago...?

http://www.ox.ac.uk/media/news_stories/2011/110726.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxyrhynchus_Papyri#Theological_manuscripts

They know of GOD...why are you so against the Bible just curious?

I also know of the Flaying Spaghetti Monster. So what?

[Mos]

Re: How Much of the Bible Must Be Historical to Believe?

I see the Bible as the word of God. The message he gives to us through Jesus Christ should be learned and followed. It creates a way of life. It creates a system of values with which to think about the world, to make decisions, to interact with others, to love, and so forth. The system of values that was created by Christianity was revolutionary for humanity.

[MrHyeSev]

Re: How Much of the Bible Must Be Historical to Believe?

Totally agree with Mos

I see the Bible as the word of God. The message he gives to us through Jesus Christ should be learned and followed. It creates a way of life. It creates a system of values with which to think about the world, to make decisions, to interact with others, to love, and so forth. The system of values that was created by Christianity was revolutionary for humanity.

[Siggie]

Re: How Much of the Bible Must Be Historical to Believe?

I see the Bible as the word of God. The message he gives to us through Jesus Christ should be learned and followed. It creates a way of life. It creates a system of values with which to think about the world, to make decisions, to interact with others, to love, and so forth. The system of values that was created by Christianity was revolutionary for humanity.

Indeed. As I pointed out earlier, some of the highlights of that value system include prescriptions for how to treat rape victims, homosexuals, nonbelievers, and slaves.

[KanadaHye]

Re: How Much of the Bible Must Be Historical to Believe?

Don't the other gospels that have turned up also show that the bible is an edited work?

E.g. The fragments found in Egypt a couple years ago...?

http://www.ox.ac.uk/media/news_stories/2011/110726.html

I also know of the Flaying Spaghetti Monster. So what?

The Flying Spaghetti Monsters are mentioned in old Testament. They were one of the original races that got wiped out due to lack of faith in God.

[Mos]

Re: How Much of the Bible Must Be Historical to Believe?

Indeed. As I pointed out earlier, some of the highlights of that value system include prescriptions for how to treat rape victims, homosexuals, nonbelievers, and slaves.

You do know that the most important and fundamental concept in the Bible and Christianity is Love. From that comes also the important concept of forgiveness. Humans are inherently flawed. And for this reason, many people have done bad things in the name of Christianity, but those acts should not dirty the fundamental concepts of Christianity that talk about love and forgiveness. Focus on the fundamental teaching of Jesus, not what some flawed individuals have done or not done in the name of Christianity.

[Siggie]

Re: How Much of the Bible Must Be Historical to Believe?

You do know that the most important and fundamental concept in the Bible and Christianity is Love. From that comes also the important concept of forgiveness. Humans are inherently flawed. And for this reason, many people have done bad things in the name of Christianity, but those acts should not dirty the fundamental concepts of Christianity that talk about love and forgiveness. Focus on the fundamental teaching of Jesus, not what some flawed individuals have done or not done in the name of Christianity.

I'm focusing on what the book says. Which limited reading of the bible has you walking away only with love and forgiveness? For every such message there are like 10 more of vengeance, hate, intolerance, etc.

[Haykakan]

Re: How Much of the Bible Must Be Historical to Believe?

This is typical of religious folks. Lets credit god and religion with all the good things and lets blame all the bad things on man and the devil. If you credit man for the bad things then why not credit him with the good things to. Religion makes man out to be a idiot that is incapable of anything on its own and that is what people who use religion want but that is far from the truth. Why use a doublestandard against your own kind? Just stand up and take credit for the bad and the good instead of making up bs stories.

You do know that the most important and fundamental concept in the Bible and Christianity is Love. From that comes also the important concept of forgiveness. Humans are inherently flawed. And for this reason, many people have done bad things in the name of Christianity, but those acts should not dirty the fundamental concepts of Christianity that talk about love and forgiveness. Focus on the fundamental teaching of Jesus, not what some flawed individuals have done or not done in the name of Christianity.

[KanadaHye]

Re: How Much of the Bible Must Be Historical to Believe?

This is typical of religious folks. Lets credit god and religion with all the good things and lets blame all the bad things on man and the devil. If you credit man for the bad things then why not credit him with the good things to. Religion makes man out to be a idiot that is incapable of anything on its own and that is what people who use religion want but that is far from the truth. Why use a doublestandard against your own kind? Just stand up and take credit for the bad and the good instead of making up bs stories.

Good and bad are objective judgements depending on point of view. What we generally view as "good" are things that benefit the majority while things that we consider "bad" are those that hurt the majority. In other words, good and bad aren't absolutes.