Why the bible may NOT the Inspired Word of God

[InfinityUnlocked]

Why the Bible may NOT be the Inspired Word of God...

So God creates everything from the universe to the smallest particle currently known to science... space, nature, humans, other beings, animals, organisms... all created with a definite mastery and beauty. After all is said and done (created) we're given a book of books that are intended to be a sort of how to manual in terms of living and eventually moving on into the greater realms of afterlife.

Doesn't it seem that if God had wrote or directly "inspired" the bibles authorship, it would be absolute in its terms? That regardless of who read it, where or when, it would be 100% clear to the "seeker" of truth? Instead we have a hodgepodge of information, misinformation, inaccuracies, vagueness and confusion... that's still being debated 2000 years later. This doesn't make sense to me or to a lot of other people that actually think, instead of babbling in blind faith.

Further, one would certainly expect that whatever was necessary to communicate critical information regarding eternal life or death would be done in a way that no one could manipulate the information (humans, devils, whatever). But that's obviously not the case and points towards the bible being nothing more than a book of lit from our near ancient past.

If anyone else caught the show "Secret America" on Discovery, the last part where they discuss exactly how little we really know about the American flag... nearly nothing... no one knows for sure who really created it, why, what the colors really represent, etc. If the American flag being only a couple hundred years old is surrounded by great mysteries, how can anyone proclaim with honesty that they know the bible to be factual and directly inspired by God? Where's the proof? There's more proof that it isn't (by far) than the notion that it is God inspired.

 

[CarlinKnew]

I think you may be on to something here.

 

[Enoch07]

Well as pretty much proven in another thread. A written word cannot always properly convey thoughts and ideas. Sometimes it is hard to produce an idea of something onto paper. While the physical authors of the Bible are divinely inspired by God, they are still human and suffer from human error, and this flaw that the written word is not as powerful as thought.


You are searching for absolutes from a culture of beings (us humans) that are not perfect, therefore obtaining all absolutes from our fellow man is virtually impossible. That is why we turn to God for divine inspiration ourselves. Speaking as a Christian that is. Some will find truth, some will not. But even the ones who do will always have a hard time converting that truth to paper, because of the written word flaw.

 

[themadhair]

You are searching for absolutes from a culture of beings (us humans) that are not perfect, therefore obtaining all absolutes from our fellow man is virtually impossible. That is why we turn to God for divine inspiration ourselves.

And a few posts later you will quote the bible as a source of unambiguous wisdom….

 

[sojourner]

Why the Bible may NOT be the Inspired Word of God...

So God creates everything from the universe to the smallest particle currently known to science... space, nature, humans, other beings, animals, organisms... all created with a definite mastery and beauty. After all is said and done (created) we're given a book of books that are intended to be a sort of how to manual in terms of living and eventually moving on into the greater realms of afterlife.

Doesn't it seem that if God had wrote or directly "inspired" the bibles authorship, it would be absolute in its terms? That regardless of who read it, where or when, it would be 100% clear to the "seeker" of truth? Instead we have a hodgepodge of information, misinformation, inaccuracies, vagueness and confusion... that's still being debated 2000 years later. This doesn't make sense to me or to a lot of other people that actually think, instead of babbling in blind faith.

Further, one would certainly expect that whatever was necessary to communicate critical information regarding eternal life or death would be done in a way that no one could manipulate the information (humans, devils, whatever). But that's obviously not the case and points towards the bible being nothing more than a book of lit from our near ancient past.

If anyone else caught the show "Secret America" on Discovery, the last part where they discuss exactly how little we really know about the American flag... nearly nothing... no one knows for sure who really created it, why, what the colors really represent, etc. If the American flag being only a couple hundred years old is surrounded by great mysteries, how can anyone proclaim with honesty that they know the bible to be factual and directly inspired by God? Where's the proof? There's more proof that it isn't (by far) than the notion that it is God inspired.

Several problems: First of all, the Bible was never intended to be a "how to" book. It is a collection of stuff from the Tradition.
Second, since it's a collection of a human tradition, why would God need to "make it absolute?" It was never intended to be absolute.
Third, the writings were clearly understood by the intended audiences. We were not the intended audience.
Fourth, the Bible was not meant to "communicate critical information." That's coming from the perspective of a print culture.
Lastly, people who "actually think" understand all this to begin with, and don't waste our time by posting threads with petty jabs.

 

[Enoch07]

And a few posts later you will quote the bible as a source of unambiguous wisdom….

Well yeah. That is because I ask God to guide me through the Bible. Not necessarily saying that I know everything. I certainly am not perfect, or have a perfect understanding of the Bible. But I feel I have a good understanding of most of the Bible because God walks me through it to help me understand things. While I may see the truth in >insert scripture here<, sometimes I will have a hard time conveying that truth to you here on the forums because of the written word flaw. That is why it is important for each individual to understand the Bible with God as opposed to trying to do it solo, so that they may uncover truth for themselves.

 

[sojourner]

Well yeah. That is because I ask God to guide me through the Bible. Not necessarily saying that I know everything. I certainly am not perfect, or have a perfect understanding of the Bible. But I feel I have a good understanding of most of the Bible because God walks me through it to help me understand things. While I may see the truth in >insert scripture here<, sometimes I will have a hard time conveying that truth to you here on the forums because of the written word flaw. That is why it is important for each individual to understand the Bible with God as opposed to trying to do it solo, so that they may uncover truth for themselves.

Except that the Bible was written for communities, not individuals.

 

[Dirty Penguin]

Several problems: First of all, the Bible was never intended to be a "how to" book. It is a collection of stuff from the Tradition.
Second, since it's a collection of a human tradition, why would God need to "make it absolute?" It was never intended to be absolute.
Third, the writings were clearly understood by the intended audiences. We were not the intended audience.
Fourth, the Bible was not meant to "communicate critical information." That's coming from the perspective of a print culture.
Lastly, people who "actually think" understand all this to begin with, and don't waste our time by posting threads with petty jabs.

Question....

You know normally I am critical of most of what people say the bible is or isn't, who said what and who didn't.......but here's my question...

You say the bible wasn't "intended" to be a how to book and I agree but weren't certain scrolls intended to be a howto?

Leviticus comes to mind but you can correct me if I'm wrong. Isn't it a scroll of do and don't?

 

[Enoch07]

Except that the Bible was written for communities, not individuals.

That is just your opinion, and you are in the minority. Most Christians will agree that the Bible is written for any and everyone.

 

[themadhair]

That is just your opinion, and you are in the minority. Most Christians will agree that the Bible is written for any and everyone.

Largest denomination is the RC's and I think they side with sojourner on this.

 

[InfinityUnlocked]

Several problems: First of all, the Bible was never intended to be a "how to" book. It is a collection of stuff from the Tradition - (Great definition).
Second, since it's a collection of a human tradition, why would God need to "make it absolute?" It was never intended to be absolute.
Third, the writings were clearly understood by the intended audiences. We were not the intended audience.
Fourth, the Bible was not meant to "communicate critical information." That's coming from the perspective of a print culture.
Lastly, people who "actually think" understand all this to begin with, and don't waste our time by posting threads with petty jabs.

If the bible is not absolute, or at the very least, coherent then why are so many christians basing their arguments on this acclaimed "inspired word of God"? Lastly, you must be one of those that base your belief on the contents of the bible, otherwise you wouldn't have felt personally attacked as your comment, "petty jabs" indicate. Like everyone else, feel free to comment on any topic you wish, or not comment... no one forced you to read the thread, of which you must not have done or you would have attempted to answer instead of posing a defensive posture.

 

[InfinityUnlocked]

Well yeah. That is because I ask God to guide me through the Bible. Not necessarily saying that I know everything. I certainly am not perfect, or have a perfect understanding of the Bible. But I feel I have a good understanding of most of the Bible because God walks me through it to help me understand things. While I may see the truth in >insert scripture here<, sometimes I will have a hard time conveying that truth to you here on the forums because of the written word flaw. That is why it is important for each individual to understand the Bible with God as opposed to trying to do it solo, so that they may uncover truth for themselves.

Surely God knew before hand that because of the "written word flaw" many people would fight, argue and kill each other over who was right and who was wrong in defining the word... this is my point... the bible is flawed... not something I would expect to see come from a Creator that managed to build all of everything we know and see, as well as the infinity of things we yet don't know that we don't know about. Say that 3 times fast.

 

[InfinityUnlocked]

Question....

You know normally I am critical of most of what people say the bible is or isn't, who said what and who didn't.......but here's my question...

You say the bible wasn't "intended" to be a how to book and I agree but weren't certain scrolls intended to be a howto?

Leviticus comes to mind but you can correct me if I'm wrong. Isn't it a scroll of do and don't?

Christians certainly see it as a how to in terms of "how to get to heaven"... yes, it's a how-to book... just confusing which is why these arguments have lasted for 2000 years.

 

[Enoch07]

InfinityUnlocked Quote:
Surely God knew before hand that because of the "written word flaw" many people would fight, argue and kill each other over who was right and who was wrong in defining the word... this is my point... the bible is flawed... not something I would expect to see come from a Creator that managed to build all of everything we know and see, as well as the infinity of things we yet don't know that we don't know about. Say that 3 times fast.

Yes...God knew this. That is why it is important for each person to study the Bible with Gods inspiration. Its called a personal relationship with God. Everyone should have it. Anyone that listens to a man, even if it is the Pope, as opposed to learning the truth themselves are making a huge mistake. The Pope is a man, just like anyone else, he is subject to the same error and flaws that we are. You can still participate with a church, thats np, but you are expected to know the truth for yourself, as opposed to listening to what other people claim is truth.

 

[theonepaladin]

Man misinterprets the Holy Word of God with their primitive nature. Also, you'd have to consider that the word "inspired" is used loosely. Alot of the Hebrew scripture was written from tradition.

-Paladin

 

[InfinityUnlocked]

InfinityUnlocked Quote:
Surely God knew before hand that because of the "written word flaw" many people would fight, argue and kill each other over who was right and who was wrong in defining the word... this is my point... the bible is flawed... not something I would expect to see come from a Creator that managed to build all of everything we know and see, as well as the infinity of things we yet don't know that we don't know about. Say that 3 times fast.

Yes...God knew this. That is why it is important for each person to study the Bible with Gods inspiration. Its called a personal relationship with God. Everyone should have it. Anyone that listens to a man, even if it is the Pope, as opposed to learning the truth themselves are making a huge mistake. The Pope is a man, just like anyone else, he is subject to the same error and flaws that we are. You can still participate with a church, thats np, but you are expected to know the truth for yourself, as opposed to listening to what other people claim is truth.

If he knew as you say, then was he not capable of doing any better or was the killing and confusion just collateral damage for not being omnipotent enough to write coherently so everyone would understand what he wants.

Either way you are saying God is fallible... which I disagree... it's the people that keep confusing the bible as "the source of all truth regarding God" Many people & even children from other cultures would argue that with ease. Maybe if christians stopped acting and talking like they have the copyright on the real God, then other people from other beliefs would be more tolerant of them.

Bottom line... if you believe there is a hell prepared for sinners, you believe in a God that's ready, willing and able to both create you and destroy you, all before you even become a single cell in your mothers womb. THAT would not be a God I'd want to worship. And this is why I think christianity is wrong, wrong, wrong... The concept of hell is for sadistic-minded people that enjoy the idea of other people of other faiths being tormented. The rest of the followers seem to be more like shadow pigeons... like I "was".

 

[McBell]

Except that the Bible was written for communities, not individuals.

That is just your opinion, and you are in the minority. Most Christians will agree that the Bible is written for any and everyone.

Largest denomination is the RC's and I think they side with sojourner on this.

That would mean that Sojourner's opinion is actually in the majority which would mean that by Enoch07's implication, Sojourner is right...

Wow.
This is fun.

 

[Enoch07]

If he knew as you say, then was he not capable of doing any better or was the killing and confusion just collateral damage for not being omnipotent enough to write coherently so everyone would understand what he wants.

Either way you are saying God is fallible... which I disagree... it's the people that keep confusing the bible as "the source of all truth regarding God" Many people & even children from other cultures would argue that with ease. Maybe if christians stopped acting and talking like they have the copyright on the real God, then other people from other beliefs would be more tolerant of them.

Bottom line... if you believe there is a hell prepared for sinners, you believe in a God that's ready, willing and able to both create you and destroy you, all before you even become a single cell in your mothers womb. THAT would not be a God I'd want to worship. And this is why I think christianity is wrong, wrong, wrong... The concept of hell is for sadistic-minded people that enjoy the idea of other people of other faiths being tormented. The rest of the followers seem to be more like shadow pigeons... like I "was".

The fallibility lies in the hands of humans who where inspired by God, then put it into written word, not to mention the various translations over time. Not Gods inspiration itself. Like I said the written word can never compare to the power of thought. That is why it is up to each individual to discover truth on their own, using the Bible and a bit of help from God.

What killing and confusion are you talking about anyways?

I have no problems with sinners going to hell. If you do the crime be prepared to pay the consequences.

Whoever said other faiths are automatically damned to hell? Your understanding of Christianity is elementary at best. Granted not everyone will pass judgment and be allowed into the Kingdom, but it is God's discretion (and only God's) who enters and who does not.

Of course different cultures and religions are going to disagree. They believe their own religion and god(s) are the only true path as well. That is only natural. So why you have a problem with just Christians doing it, evades me.

 

[Enoch07]

Except that the Bible was written for communities, not individuals.

That is just your opinion, and you are in the minority. Most Christians will agree that the Bible is written for any and everyone.

Largest denomination is the RC's and I think they side with sojourner on this.

Since when is "i think" fact? Oh wait its not. According to Wikipedia Catholics make up 22% of the U.S. Population. Protestants make up 55%. Most protestants believe that the Bible is made for everyone. Was originally just gonna let these comments go by, but since Mestemia feels the need to embarrass himself I just had to.

 

[themadhair]

Since when is "i think" fact? Oh wait its not.

Was raised catholic.

According to Wikipedia Catholics make up 22% of the U.S. Population. Protestants make up 55%. Most protestants believe that the Bible is made for everyone. Was originally just gonna let these comments go by, but since Mestemia feels the need to embarrass himself I just had to.

Because we all know that the US is the total sum of the world.

I think you self-embarrassed yourself on both counts here Enoch07.