Why the bible?

[Phred]

Bet me.

I would but there's no way to tell who wins.

Mohammad is a false prophet, and was so-called by Christians of the past, who paid for that with their lives.

Oh don't go there AV... so many have lost their lives because of these beliefs.

After the Scriptures were completed in 96 AD, there was no need for God to call any further prophets.

Things in that sentence you cannot prove? Scriptures being completed in 96AD. God calling anyone, ever. Prophets being prophetical. Ever. God even existing. It's about what can and cannot be evidenced. You exist in a world of belief that you keep trying to push forward as PROVEN. It is not.

2 Peter 1:19a We have also a more sure word of prophecy;

That "more sure word" is the Bible.

Peter is saying that the Bible completes all prophetic utterances.

So you believe.

When a Mohammad, or a Joseph Smith, or anyone presents himself as a prophet, he is exposing himself to Christians as a liar.

So you believe.

 

[Phred]

And what about Muslim converts to Christianity?

How do you explain those?

What about the Christian converts to any other religion. How do you explain those?

 

[Syd the Human]

The bible has actual events that were fulfilled. Many true things. When ever I open my bible to a random page, it always has a verse or chapter relating to my life. The bible speaks to me and gives me the energy that I need.

God Bless

What events? Do you mean events that lined up with history? That does not actually validate the Bible itself, seeing as people would naturally write about the events they witnessed or heard from others.

Many things that the Bible talks about such as: pain, suffering, death, loss, fear, poverty etc. are things that have always affected humanity. To address these topics are not really new, they just provide a sort of answer to help people cope.

If it gives you energy and makes you a good person, go for it.

 

[Phred]

The bible has actual events that were fulfilled. Many true things. When ever I open my bible to a random page, it always has a verse or chapter relating to my life. The bible speaks to me and gives me the energy that I need.

God Bless

I'm sure it does. But it does so because of you, not because of it.

 

[ForJesusChrist]

What do you mean 'because of you, not because of it'?

 

[Phred]

What do you mean 'because of you, not because of it'?

Open any book to a random page and you will find something that relates to your life. Not because the book is miraculous or because there's a deity controlling which page it opens to but because YOU associate things in your mind. We, as humans, are amazing pattern-finding engines. It's why we see the Virgin Mary in rust spots on the side of water towers. It's why we seek to find meaning behind random occurrences. You open a James Bond novel to any page and read a bit and you will find that something there relates to your life. IF YOU WANT IT TO.

And with the Bible... you WANT IT TO.

 

[ForJesusChrist]

Open any book to a random page and you will find something that relates to your life. Not because the book is miraculous or because there's a deity controlling which page it opens to but because YOU associate things in your mind. We, as humans, are amazing pattern-finding engines. It's why we see the Virgin Mary in rust spots on the side of water towers. It's why we seek to find meaning behind random occurrences. You open a James Bond novel to any page and read a bit and you will find that something there relates to your life. IF YOU WANT IT TO.

And with the Bible... you WANT IT TO.

You can believe all that stuff.

IF YOU WANT TO.

God Bless

 

[Phred]

You can believe all that stuff.

IF YOU WANT TO.

God Bless

What you believe has no basis. HOW does your deity control what page the book opens to? With what energy expenditure? Of all the words on the page that the book opens up to how are your eyes directed to the correct ones? How do you infer the correct meaning? All of these things require some sort of interference. Some sort of cosmic finger reaching into your body, your mind, your general area and causing something to happen. Yet we never, ever register an expenditure of energy. Of any kind. It's almost as if there was nothing there at all...

 

[keith99]

Yea. I mean, the odds are that if you'd been raised Muslim you'd think the Bible was the errant one.

You really know little of Islam. The Bible is a holy book to the Muslims and is not considered to be in error.

The interpretation of Christians of it is however.

 

[keith99]

What you believe has no basis. HOW does your deity control what page the book opens to? With what energy expenditure? Of all the words on the page that the book opens up to how are your eyes directed to the correct ones? How do you infer the correct meaning? All of these things require some sort of interference. Some sort of cosmic finger reaching into your body, your mind, your general area and causing something to happen. Yet we never, ever register an expenditure of energy. Of any kind. It's almost as if there was nothing there at all...

Actually there is a rather mundane explanation. Books fall open to the pages that are opened often.

That is why I can find the page for Apple City Baby Back Ribs so easily in my copy of Smoke and Spice.

So these devout Christians get their confirmation that their favorite passages are a guide to their life.

I know better, I know where my cookbook opens to is not a guide for what I should do but rather a history of what I have eaten.

 

[DogmaHunter]

And what about Muslim converts to Christianity?

How do you explain those?

The same way we explain christians who convert to islam.
Or, better put, the same way we explain 'insert religious follower' who converts to 'insert other religion'.

As exceptions to the rule. The vast majority of people stick to the religion they are brought up with.

 

[DogmaHunter]

Very very simple. Ask a question and compare the answers. Pick one which you like better.

Great. So if I ask someone why we don't go floating into space instead of falling back to earth when we jump, and he tells me that we are caught in the undetectable rubber that is emitted by the earth which makes us always fall back to earth... it's ok to believe that if I happen to "like" that exlanation?

Do you perhaps have a more reliable methodology? This one doesn't seem that efficient.

Tell you what, think about why it would be silly of me to believe the rubber story (which can't be falsified btw...) . Then think about why I should be believing Newton en Einstein's gravity story instead.

Then apply those rules to both of these religious books.

I look forward to when you report your results.

 

[AV1611VET]

The same way you explain Christians who convert to Islam?

Oh, okay.

So either they were never saved in the first place, or they were deceived by the devil?

 

[AV1611VET]

What about the Christian converts to any other religion. How do you explain those?

They either weren't saved in the first place, or they were deceived by the devil, or both.

 

[selfinflikted]

What about the Christian converts to any other religion. How do you explain those?

Phred, your point can TAKE A HIKE!

 

[selfinflikted]

You really know little of Islam. The Bible is a holy book to the Muslims and is not considered to be in error.

The interpretation of Christians of it is however.

I know next to nothing about Islam, but that's completely beside my point.

 

[Phred]

They either weren't saved in the first place, or they were deceived by the devil, or both.

The "devil"? How do you know that YOU aren't deceived by this devil critter?

 

[selfinflikted]

Oh, okay.

So either they were never saved in the first place, or they were deceived by the devil?

Yes. Of course.

 

[AV1611VET]

The interpretation of Christians of it is however.

I won't argue there.

Christians have no cause to be rooting around in the Koran.

Unless, of course, they were called into that particular ministry.

 

[DogmaHunter]

The bible has actual events that were fulfilled. Many true things.

The quran has scientific miracles.
There's even an entire website about it.
Category: The Scientific Miracles of the Holy Quran - The Religion of Islam

It off course has prophecy and all that shenannigans as well.

When ever I open my bible to a random page, it always has a verse or chapter relating to my life.

Your emotions aren't relevant.

The bible speaks to me and gives me the energy that I need.

I hope that you mean that figuratively. Otherwise you might be in need of medication for the whole "I hear my book talking to me" thing.

Anyhow, all joking aside, all you have shown me is more confirmation bias.
What you stated here were your beliefs. I know what your beliefs are. What I want to know is why you hold them.

Muslims make the exact same claims as you do, but about a different book with a different religion attached to it.

I don't see christians present any different kind of evidence or arguments that I get from muslims. To me, the arguments of both seem either completely fallacious or horribly insufficient to warrant belief.

So I'm asking you for a rational reason to believe one over the other.
I fear it is in vain.