is bible really true?

[gayvin]

why do christians believe everything the bible says?

how come they never stop to think "hmm what if someone made up these stories?"

wouldnt it be possible that the stories in the bible were all made up?

who was actually alive to see god create light when he said "let there be light?"
and than wrote the book genesis

why do we find so much clues and artifacts from the past such as dinosaur fossils..but only find so little about things dealing with jesus to actually proove that jesus existed

do all christians really believe theres such thing as god just because the bible says so?

this question never occured to me until i asked a friend of mine "why dont you believe in god?"...his response was "why do you believe that there is a god?...because thats what the bible tells u?"

 

[Jaymes]

That, sir, is called generalizing and assuming.

 

[Feathers in Hair]

Not all Christians believe that everything in the Bible is true. I'm sure they stop to think about it all the time, but it's the spirituality, not the word, for most of them that is appealling. (Or at least that's what it was to me when I was a Christian.)

Also, there are a number of people that believe in diety for other reasons than "the Bible told you". Not everyone who is a theist is a Christian.

 

[Halcyon]

That's quite a list of questions you have there.

I'm not a Pauline Christian, which means i don't believe in the validity of large portions of the bible, but i think i've got a pretty good idea how Pauline Chistians think, and since no-one else has answered the questions, i'll have a go.

why do christians believe everything the bible says?

Not all do, only certain Christian sects believe in the infallibility of the bible. Those who do believe in the literal truth of the bible do so because they believe it to be the word of god himself, given to man through his prophets. They believe god wouldn't lie to us... so there you have it.

how come they never stop to think "hmm what if someone made up these stories?"

I'm sure sometimes they do, its called a crisis of faith. The idea is to get past such doubts and have faith in god and his word.

wouldnt it be possible that the stories in the bible were all made up?

Anything is possible, personally i think pretty much all of it is made up - however i also think it does a good job of getting the beliefs of the religion across to the followers, which i believe is the purpose of all myth. Again, Christians have faith in god that the stories are not made up, why would god need to make up stories?

who was actually alive to see god create light when he said "let there be light?"
and than wrote the book genesis

Which version? Lol, i won't start on that again.
God relayed the story of genesis though his prophets millenia after the events happened, its a first hand account because it came straight from the mouth of god.

why do we find so much clues and artifacts from the past such as dinosaur fossils..but only find so little about things dealing with jesus to actually proove that jesus existed

Jesus was one man, one very poor carpenter. What did you expect him to leave behind? Heck, even his body went missing.

do all christians really believe theres such thing as god just because the bible says so?

I imagine some do, yes. Many Chrisitans are obviously raised in Christian households, the concept of the biblical god is drummed into them from day one.
However, there are many converts to Christianity, just as there are to Judaism and Islam, there are people who believe in god, then go in search of him, often via the bible.

this question never occured to me until i asked a friend of mine "why dont you believe in god?"...his response was "why do you believe that there is a god?...because thats what the bible tells u?"

If it never occured to you before then you must have had a strong faith, seems to me you're going through your own crisis of faith - its your time to decide whether Christianity is the path for you. People at such a crossroads will often either lose their faith altogether, or have their faith greatly strengthened.

 

[Merlin]

"why do you believe that there is a god?...because thats what the bible tells u?"

You also have to consider what would be the alternative? If you choose not to believe in God, do you believe in nothing, or something else?

As one of the earlier respondents has already said, you are also ignoring the hundreds of millions of Moslems and Hindus etc. They manage to believe in God (or gods) without referencing the Christian Bible.

It would be interesting to know what your motivation is for starting this thread? Are you looking for somebody to give you some 'magic answer' that will solve your faith problem for the rest of your life? Wouldn't that be nice! You will not get that. Anybody who is prepared to respond will just tell you why they believe what it is that they believe. They will tell you that it is fact, but in reality it is just their personal belief.

There is a huge amount of the Bible that must be invented (much of Genesis, Exodus etc). There is a huge amount which will not be invented but which will have been embellished for all of the best reasons (like lots of the Gospel of Matthew). And there will be some parts which are likely to be absolutely true. Now, the $64,000 question - which bits are which?

I would leave you with one thought. You don't have to be nailed down to any one of the individual religions or sects within religions. I believe that many of them have forgotten that we are supposed to worship God, not the route we have been given to get to Him. They often give the impression that the messenger is more important than the message.

You will eventually settle for whatever faith (or non faith) you find most comfortable. Happy searching.

 

[Bennettresearch]

Not all Christians believe that everything in the Bible is true. I'm sure they stop to think about it all the time, but it's the spirituality, not the word, for most of them that is appealling. (Or at least that's what it was to me when I was a Christian.)

Also, there are a number of people that believe in diety for other reasons than "the Bible told you". Not everyone who is a theist is a Christian.

Well said Feathers.

This thread attempts to sterotype Christians as the superstitious blind faith believers in many of the myths in the Bible. I would like to agree with the statements to the affect that belief in God does not stem from the Bible. Many different religions have different viewpoints on the subject.

 

[Aqualung]

What a strange generalisation! I didn't just one day pick up the Bible, read it cover to cover, and think, "Wow! This must be true!" I had to study it and think about it and turn it around in my head a lot to actually understand what it's saying and figure out if it's true.

 

[Merlin]

What a strange generalisation! I didn't just one day pick up the Bible, read it cover to cover, and think, "Wow! This must be true!" I had to study it and think about it and turn it around in my head a lot to actually understand what it's saying and figure out if it's true.

Nobody can just 'read the Bible' to prove it is true. You need to have faith before you start or you would believe nothing.

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

how come they never stop to think "hmm what if someone made up these stories?"

How come you never stop to think "hmm, what if I'm painting with too broad a brush?"

 

[fromthe heart]

What a strange generalisation! I didn't just one day pick up the Bible, read it cover to cover, and think, "Wow! This must be true!" I had to study it and think about it and turn it around in my head a lot to actually understand what it's saying and figure out if it's true.

You said it well...I don't understand why Christians are generalized to just accept that easily...we are of a doubting nature to begin with as a human race...but when you decide what you believe as a person it should be respected and not assumed that we are some gullable lot that don't know squat. Not even all the ministers kids stick with their faith during their teens and early 20 years...they want to loose the bonds of the faith so to speak but nearly everyone I've ever known that was raised as Biblical as possible were the best ones to get into trouble...BIG kinda trouble...not all of course but some. I have never understood why it's so hard to understand...Christians are people too..we just try harder to be what we feel is expected of us for example sake...some of us fall flat on our faces but we get back up and ask God to forgive our sinful ways and try again...as long as we are trying to be the best we can be where is the fault?

I personally always felt different than the other kids...I WAS different. I'd always felt this higher power that to me I could Not explain...it's like trying to pull metal from a magnet...you feel the force of something deep inside...you can't always explain yourself about it but you know you can trust it from learning that by trusting it it actually works. To pray unselfishly and almost have instant answer to prayers...You have to feel there is this wonderful power that makes you feel like this little ant and it makes you feel as if you can move that rubber tree plant....I don't know how else to describe the wonder in God...I'm sure the words are in the Bible from someone who feels it too but it can be hard to explain to someone who has hardened their heart because of some so called Christian that soured them and they have decided to place all Christians in the same lot. Do you know what it's like to be a 4 year old girl and sit in a tree and look toward the heavens and just sing a made up song just to try to grab hold of that warmth you feel in the presence of something BIGGER than you....I used to make up songs and sing for hours...I don't know why!!! Perhaps someone out there could explain why a 4 year old child who never even heard of God would be sitting in the woods up in a tree making up soft songs to look up and sing??? What would you think if you were going for a stroll and saw this little girl up in a tree doing that...would you tell her she's really off her nut or would you maybe wonder why too? ANYONE??? So come on let me have it because I'm not ever going to believe that powerful higher being isn't there and later that year someone took that little girl to church and she learned His name was GOD!!!

 

[Dentonz]

I've never met anyone who has read the Bible cover to cover that doesn't believe it.

 

[Jaymes]

I'd suggest you get out more, Dentonz. I know we've several atheist and agnostic members here that have read it front to back. Probably more of other faiths as well; I only know the atheist and agnostic ones.

 

[Merlin]

You said it well...I don't understand why Christians are generalized to just accept that easily...we are of a doubting nature to begin with as a human race...but when you decide what you believe as a person it should be respected and not assumed that we are some gullable lot that don't know squat. Not even all the ministers kids stick with their faith during their teens and early 20 years...they want to loose the bonds of the faith so to speak but nearly everyone I've ever known that was raised as Biblical as possible were the best ones to get into trouble...BIG kinda trouble...not all of course but some. I have never understood why it's so hard to understand...Christians are people too..we just try harder to be what we feel is expected of us for example sake...some of us fall flat on our faces but we get back up and ask God to forgive our sinful ways and try again...as long as we are trying to be the best we can be where is the fault?

I personally always felt different than the other kids...I WAS different. I'd always felt this higher power that to me I could Not explain...it's like trying to pull metal from a magnet...you feel the force of something deep inside...you can't always explain yourself about it but you know you can trust it from learning that by trusting it it actually works. To pray unselfishly and almost have instant answer to prayers...You have to feel there is this wonderful power that makes you feel like this little ant and it makes you feel as if you can move that rubber tree plant....I don't know how else to describe the wonder in God...I'm sure the words are in the Bible from someone who feels it too but it can be hard to explain to someone who has hardened their heart because of some so called Christian that soured them and they have decided to place all Christians in the same lot. Do you know what it's like to be a 4 year old girl and sit in a tree and look toward the heavens and just sing a made up song just to try to grab hold of that warmth you feel in the presence of something BIGGER than you....I used to make up songs and sing for hours...I don't know why!!! Perhaps someone out there could explain why a 4 year old child who never even heard of God would be sitting in the woods up in a tree making up soft songs to look up and sing??? What would you think if you were going for a stroll and saw this little girl up in a tree doing that...would you tell her she's really off her nut or would you maybe wonder why too? ANYONE??? So come on let me have it because I'm not ever going to believe that powerful higher being isn't there and later that year someone took that little girl to church and she learned His name was GOD!!!

I thought the question was whether the Bible was believable, not whether there was a God. Do you think the Bible is totally believable?

 

[Merlin]

I've never met anyone who has read the Bible cover to cover that doesn't believe it.

Worlds being created instantaneously; people constructed from a rib; a talking snake; plus a smattering of disappearing giants, magic whales, burning bushes, tablets of stone, voices from the sky, daemons, angels, virgin birth, water to wine, dead to living, resurrection, ghostly reappearances, everlasting fishes and bread, and a whole host of other miracles. Throw in a lot of inconsistencies, and you have a book that you read once and you are hooked.

Is that what you are saying?

 

[Merlin]

I'd suggest you get out more, Dentonz. I know we've several atheist and agnostic members here that have read it front to back. Probably more of other faiths as well; I only know the atheist and agnostic ones.

The Bible is not meant to be read front to back, any more than is (for example) an encyclopaedia

The Bible is to be read in small sections. It also will be read on different levels as you grow up spiritually. Children read all the magic stories, and sadly some adults never progressed beyond that. Eventually you will get to the point where you will be able to find the key or keys.

Just like an encyclopaedia, the majority of the Bible is of no use to you. But the bits that are ................... well that's entirely another story.

 

[michel]

why do christians believe everything the bible says?

How do you know that we do?

how come they never stop to think "hmm what if someone made up these stories?"
wouldnt it be possible that the stories in the bible were all made up?

Halcyon made the good comment of 'a crisis of faith'

who was actually alive to see god create light when he said "let there be light?"
and than wrote the book genesis

Not sure; not important.

why do we find so much clues and artifacts from the past such as dinosaur fossils..but only find so little about things dealing with jesus to actually proove that jesus existed

Because life is never that easy; besides dinosaur fossils are a damn sight more lasting than sa, Jesus' fountain pen, or his diary.

do all christians really believe theres such thing as god just because the bible says so?

Some may do, but I know God exists; he is in my heat and mind, and I communicate with him every day - sometimes, he even shows me that he heas heard me - though not necessarilly in the way I expected of him.

this question never occured to me until i asked a friend of mine "why dont you believe in god?"...his response was "why do you believe that there is a god?...because thats what the bible tells u?"

Well, you saw my answer - Try to 'talk' to him, and see what happens; he's all too ready to listen to us, but he isn't going to make the first move.......it's up to you to introduce yourself.....

 

[Snowbear]

I know we've several atheist and agnostic members here that have read it front to back.

I agree. I know more atheists than Christians who have read the Bible front to back

 

[Dentonz]

Worlds being created instantaneously; people constructed from a rib; a talking snake; plus a smattering of disappearing giants, magic whales, burning bushes, tablets of stone, voices from the sky, daemons, angels, virgin birth, water to wine, dead to living, resurrection, ghostly reappearances, everlasting fishes and bread, and a whole host of other miracles. Throw in a lot of inconsistencies, and you have a book that you read once and you are hooked.

Is that what you are saying?

What's your point? God spoke and all was created from nothing. Man in all his infinite wisdom, has yet to create anything from nothing. Anything that man has designed or engineered has been "created" from something that was already there. That was a little of the point but back to the Bible. It was written over a few thousand years by many different authors who never met each other and compiled many years after that by other people, yet here we are a couple thousand years later trying to find a single contridiction in the content of the Word. Yes, I'm asking you to go ahead and find me one valid contridiction in the Bible that can not be explained in the Bible.

 

[Scott1]

Yes, I'm asking you to go ahead and find me one valid contridiction in the Bible that can not be explained in the Bible.

:jiggy: Go get 'em Dentonz!:jiggy:

 

[Merlin]

What's your point? God spoke and all was created from nothing. Man in all his infinite wisdom, has yet to create anything from nothing. Anything that man has designed or engineered has been "created" from something that was already there. That was a little of the point but back to the Bible. It was written over a few thousand years by many different authors who never met each other and compiled many years after that by other people, yet here we are a couple thousand years later trying to find a single contridiction in the content of the Word. Yes, I'm asking you to go ahead and find me one valid contridiction in the Bible that can not be explained in the Bible.

The question was that, after one read through, you would believe everything.

I will come back to you on the contradictions later (An eye for an eye - turn the other cheek come to mind).
What about the other points.