If one part of the bible is wrong do we toss out the whole thing?

[Lorgar-Aurelian]

Lets say the Exodus didn't happen, or Genesis is entirely made up. Not a single instance in these books happened. Do we toss out the whole thing? can there still be spiritual truth in a book full of myths?

Or maybe say it turns out the Jesus of the bible never existed, is there still worth in following his teachings?

I mean could you still be a Christian if most of this didn't happen, or a jew.

 

[Ingledsva]

Lets say the Exodus didn't happen, or Genesis is entirely made up. Not a single instance in these books happened. Do we toss out the whole thing? can there still be spiritual truth in a book full of myths?

Or maybe say it turns out the Jesus of the bible never existed, is there still worth in following his teachings?

There is always going to be gain from reading the religious and philosophical ideas of the world.

The problem is then turning the mythic into an "infallible" religion, - and trying to force it onto others.

*

 

[Alison Wonderland]

There is always going to be gain from reading the religious and philosophical ideas of the world.

The problem is then turning the mythic into an "infallible" religion, - and trying to force it onto others.

*

This.

The bible's sacred claims aren't real. But that doesn't disqualify it as an article of literature.

 

[ADigitalArtist]

Depends on how you value the book. If you believe that it must either be a wholly perfect work of god, or a lie, then yeah, you would throw it out. But even people like Thomas Jefferson, who threw out the vast majority of the bible, still found value in Jesus testimony minus the supernatural aspects of it.
Personally I don't think Jesus' testimony is that great either, so my value in the bible is more about its narrative and cultural historic value than spiritual or even philosophic value.

 

[Skwim]

This.

The bible's sacred claims aren't real. But that doesn't disqualify it as an article of literature.

Just like Alice in Wonderland

.

 

[Fire_Monkey]

Lets say the Exodus didn't happen, or Genesis is entirely made up. Not a single instance in these books happened. Do we toss out the whole thing? can there still be spiritual truth in a book full of myths?

Or maybe say it turns out the Jesus of the bible never existed, is there still worth in following his teachings?

Actually, the Exodus never did happen! And Genesis was made up. That book was written when the Jews were once again enslaved. This time by the Babylonian. They were afraid their old customs and mythos were being eroded. One of those old practices in danger of bring forgotten was the sanctity of the Sabbath. So that's why the whole six days creation and God rested on the Seventh, fable.

But no....We don't have to throw away the Bible. So long as we know it is far from being the word of God. And far from being inerrant. And that it is a collection of Hebrew myths and allegorical takes that was never meant to be compiled into one book. That it was compiled by dozens of authors over the span of almost fifteen centuries. That it was written by and for an ancient itinerent Bronze Age peoples whom most of which were uneducated, primitive, and illiterate.

As long as we keep the Bible in it's correct place. As do I in my own home......On a dusty shelf with other fictional works. Right next to my Greek Mythology and my 1001 Arabian Nights.

Hope this helps.

 

[Geoff-Allen]

Interesting question ...

If the Bible WERE the infallible word of a supreme being then you would expect it to be awe-inspiring and full of revelations & insights that are far beyond mere humans 2 come up with.

Clearly that aint the case.

It does contain quite a bit of wisdom if you are prepared to disregard the unsavoury aspects. If we all lived according to the Golden Rule that would absolutely transform life on this planet!

Cheers!

 

[George-ananda]

If one part of the bible is wrong do we toss out the whole thing?

No, it is too complicated for an all or nothing appraisal.

 

[siti]

It does contain quite a bit of wisdom if you are prepared to disregard the unsavoury aspects. If we all lived according to the Golden Rule that would absolutely transform life on this planet!

I think its far more important than that. Regardless of whether you think there really is a "God" as such, there certainly was a God for the people who wrote the Bible and that God was an expression of their collective, evolving bronze age culture and morality - in all its horrendous splendor. That IS who God was to them - and, it seems, who God still IS for many to this day. But if you look carefully enough, what you see is an increasingly complex, evolving and growing God, struggling against all the odds to balance the conflicting interests of the whole versus the individual parts of their society as well as how to protect them against the competing interests of the other "Gods" - the collective and individual interests of the other human societies that surrounded them. You have to understand it if you have any interest in either accepting or refuting the idea of such a God. The question for Christians (especially of the literalist/fundamentalist variety), having examined the evolution of God from the Pentateuch through the Psalms and the Prophets to the New Testament, is "did 'God' really stop growing up 2000 years ago?". If we can read the Bible and answer that question sensibly, see how far God had come by the beginning of the Christian era and how far "He" might have progressed since then, then the Bible may have genuine value, if not, then we might be better advised to chuck it out altogether along with the entire notion of deity. I prefer the first option, but I doubt that either the ancient Hebrews or the early Christians would recognize anything about the "God" that would emerge from such a process and it would almost certainly be considered heretical by the majority of Bible-believing Christians today.

 

[Evangelicalhumanist]

The Bible is just one of literally millions of works by human beings attempting to understand and talk about our perceptions of life. We are unique (we think) among animals in that we can reflect, that we know we will die, that we can infer the existence of other minds (actually, there's evidence other animals can do that now). All of those religious, philosophical, mythical, pseudo-historical and every other genre of human writing is in the same boat. The Bible is -- and I mean this most sincerely, now -- neither better nor worse than many of them. But none of them, not one, is unvarnished "truth" or a complete explanation of the nature of us.

At the end of the day, I think, we all owe it to ourselves to read and understand as much of the literature that has come down to us, and then try -- each of us, on our own -- to come to grips with "what it means to me."

I think the world might, actually, be a little better if each of us did that -- which is to say, if each of us was a "philosopher," asking ourselves the perennial questions: "who are we, where do we come from, where are we going" (Gaugin), and "what does it mean to live a good life?"

 

[MHz]

Lets say the Exodus didn't happen, or Genesis is entirely made up. Not a single instance in these books happened. Do we toss out the whole thing? can there still be spiritual truth in a book full of myths?

Or maybe say it turns out the Jesus of the bible never existed, is there still worth in following his teachings?

I mean could you still be a Christian if most of this didn't happen, or a jew.

Of course not. Now if you think 40 Scribes that wrote the Bible over many centuries did that all on their own then you have more faith in men's abilities than is warranted.

May I suggest that if your version of the stories the OT covers is 'impossible' then perhaps it is your understanding that is wrong rather than God doesn't know how to write a book. I'm going with men's explanations are flawed.

 

[Lorgar-Aurelian]

Of course not. Now if you think 40 Scribes that wrote the Bible over many centuries did that all on their own then you have more faith in men's abilities than is warranted.

May I suggest that if your version of the stories the OT covers is 'impossible' then perhaps it is your understanding that is wrong rather than God doesn't know how to write a book. I'm going with men's explanations are flawed.

IT's not my version of the OT mind you and honestly it's not that relevant to what is being asked.

 

[omega2xx]

Lets say the Exodus didn't happen, or Genesis is entirely made up. Not a single instance in these books happened. Do we toss out the whole thing? can there still be spiritual truth in a book full of myths?

Or maybe say it turns out the Jesus of the bible never existed, is there still worth in following his teachings?

I mean could you still be a Christian if most of this didn't happen, or a jew.

Without Christ and His death and resurrection, Christianity would be meaningless.

many Christian doctrines give assurances of life after death. Without these assurances what wold be the point of putting your faith in any religion?

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

Actually, the Exodus never did happen! And Genesis was made up.

What are your three favorite books on Syro-Palestinian Archaeology?

 

[MHz]

IT's not my version of the OT mind you and honestly it's not that relevant to what is being asked.

You seem to have adopted them over the Bible's version. (correct version rather than the ones full of errors)
Surely you can come up with some examples of where you think the Bible is flawed.

 

[Fire_Monkey]

What are your three favorite books on Syro-Palestinian Archaeology?

I am not interested in that topic. It sounds tedious. But if you are alluding to the idea I am wrong about the Exodus being fictional. Read this............

The Biblical Exodus Story Is Fiction | The Huffington Post

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

I am not interested in that topic. It sounds tedious. But if you are alluding to the idea I am wrong about the Exodus being fictional. Read this............

The Biblical Exodus Story Is Fiction | The Huffington Post

 

[Rival]

That link is pretty funny.
Jews in general reject the NT so they toss out about 1/3 of the book and then try and claim they actually know what the book means. You going to hire a trucker who only completed 2/3of his training course?? You get what you pay for.
I have yet to talk to one Jew or Rabbi who can explain what Isaiah:65 is about yet when the NT is taken into account the meaning is crystal clear.

Joseph was a slave when he arrived in Egypt and even though he was welcomed by the Egyptian elite and joined by all his relatives who stayed in Egypt for more than 430 years they would still be considered to be slaves according to the Bible.

The water parting in the exodus was at the Bittern Lakes rather than it being a supernatural event at the Red Sea. Rather than relying on others to do your thinking for you perhaps you should seek another avenue as it doesn't seem to be helping you very much.

Would you like to ask a Jew on RF about Isaiah 65? I double dare you.

Christians added their testament, just like the Mormons added theirs to yours. I guess you are missing 1/4 of your book, because you reject the Mormon Scriptures.

I wish Christians would shut up and stop telling Jews what is and what isn't about their own Scriptures, and what they do and don't believe and know regarding them.

 

[MHz]

Would you like to ask a Jew on RF about Isaiah 65? I double dare you.

Really?? The challenge is already out there and you seem to be trying to defend the Jews so why not take on that task yourself instead of leaving it to others? Let's even start with this,what group of people in the Bible are killed by Christ's sword yet remain aware of what is going on around them.

Christians added their testament, just like the Mormons added theirs to yours. I guess you are missing 1/4 of your book, because you reject the Mormon Scriptures.

God used Jewish Scribes for the whole Bible,why not just stay with that. God even told Daniel that some things were being kept from him so that even he didn't know what was going to happen after the brass kingdom ended and the iron/clay began until Christ put an end to it.

Da:12:4:
But thou,
O Daniel,
shut up the words,
and seal the book,
even to the time of the end:
many shall run to and fro,
and knowledge shall be increased.

Da:12:13:
But go thou thy way till the end be:
for thou shalt rest,
and stand in thy lot at the end of the days.

I wish Christians would shut up and stop telling Jews what is and what isn't about their own Scriptures, and what they do and don't believe and know regarding them.

You view of how smart they are about God is inflated past what their actual ability is.
How many Jews or Christians can admit that the author of the Gospel of John and Revelations is Mary of Bethany, aka the Beloved Disciple. Unless you knowledge level is way above that I would be too quick to judge just what information god has graciously allowed me to get from His book.

Perhaps the Jews should just quit pretending they have a better handle on God and the world in general than the Gentiles who are the ones being referenced in the verses below. You know, from the Jewish only OT.

Zec:13:8:
And it shall come to pass,
that in all the land,
saith the LORD,
two parts therein shall be cut off and die;
but the third shall be left therein.
Zec:13:9:
And I will bring the third part through the fire,
and will refine them as silver is refined,
and will try them as gold is tried:
they shall call on my name,
and I will hear them:
I will say,
It is my people:
and they shall say,
The LORD is my God.

Be my guest in finding some Jew or Rabbi that can show the same level of information about the Bible than I can.

(I'm a little testy as my Grandson died needlessly a few days ago, that doesn't alter anything I claim so feel free to test it as n=much as you can)

 

[Rival]

Really?? The challenge is already out there and you seem to be trying to defend the Jews so why not take on that task yourself instead of leaving it to others? Let's even start with this,what group of people in the Bible are killed by Christ's sword yet remain aware of what is going on around them.

No-one was killed by Jesus' sword, unless you are somehow speaking in metaphor; or, as you appear to, subscribe to a strange and uncommon form of Christianity.

What part of Isaiah 65 would you like explained?

God used Jewish Scribes for the whole Bible,why not just stay with that. God even told Daniel that some things were being kept from him so that even he didn't know what was going to happen after the brass kingdom ended and the iron/clay began until Christ put an end to it.

Da:12:4:
But thou,
O Daniel,
shut up the words,
and seal the book,
even to the time of the end:
many shall run to and fro,
and knowledge shall be increased.

Da:12:13:
But go thou thy way till the end be:
for thou shalt rest,
and stand in thy lot at the end of the days.

But most scholars and Christians believe that Luke was a goy. Luke, as you know, wrote the 3rd gospel and Acts. Also if, as you believe, G-d can somehow break an eternal covenant (His covenant with the Jews) and create another (Christianity) then I'm pretty sure He could have non-Jews scribe a book, just as He apparently had with Luke. Also, the author of Hebrews us unknown and, despite many Christians' claims, we have just as much evidence for who actually wrote the other gospels and epistles: none. So they could have been Jews or goyim, no-one knows.

You view of how smart they are about God is inflated past what their actual ability is.
How many Jews or Christians can admit that the author of the Gospel of John and Revelations is Mary of Bethany, aka the Beloved Disciple. Unless you knowledge level is way above that I would be too quick to judge just what information god has graciously allowed me to get from His book.

Perhaps the Jews should just quit pretending they have a better handle on God and the world in general than the Gentiles who are the ones being referenced in the verses below. You know, from the Jewish only OT.

Zec:13:8:
And it shall come to pass,
that in all the land,
saith the LORD,
two parts therein shall be cut off and die;
but the third shall be left therein.
Zec:13:9:
And I will bring the third part through the fire,
and will refine them as silver is refined,
and will try them as gold is tried:
they shall call on my name,
and I will hear them:
I will say,
It is my people:
and they shall say,
The LORD is my God.

Be my guest in finding some Jew or Rabbi that can show the same level of information about the Bible than I can.

This passage is referencing the Jewish people. Zechariah 13 is a passage about idolatry in The Land of Israel and G-d is speaking about how the idols will be cut down and He will be worshipped only.

'In that day a fountain shall be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanness. “It shall be in that day,” says the L-rd of hosts, “that I will cut off the names of the idols from the land, and they shall no longer be remembered. I will also cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to depart from the land."'

Many Jews actually speak Hebrew and spent years studying in Yeshivos. Also, neither they nor I care who is responsible for the authorship of the Christian Testament.