Give people on a remote island a bible and what would they believe?

Hentenza

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I agree we should study and even question the teacher in a private setting (respecting the authority). A teacher can indeed learn from a student. But when it comes to scripture, if it's a new idea, it's been examined before. The ancient way works the best.

There are some good ways in the ancient ways and there are some bad ways in the ancient ways.
 
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A New Day

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Paul was the perfect example of someone left alone with a bible and a blank interpretation. :thumbsup:

Paul wrote with the inspiration of the Holy Spirit like the other writers of the bible.

2 Corinthians 13:3 since you seek a proof of Christ speaking in me, who is not weak toward you, but mighty in you.
2 Corinthians 13:10 Therefore I write these things being absent, lest being present I should use sharpness, according to the authority which the Lord has given me for edification and not for destruction.

May God bless you
 
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Lollerskates

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If we found a remote island and gave the people on the island a bible with no religious denominational influence, what would they probably believe following the just bible in context.

THEY WOULD:
- know God created everything
- know not to worship other Gods
- know the story of creation, how sin entered the world, why God made laws, and what happened to those who didn't keep Gods laws through out the OT
- keep the Sabbath & keep the biblical Holy Days
- follow the dietary laws of the bible
- know tithing was food and not money and it was a OT law

- believe in the immaculate conception
- see the law is to point out their sin and shows a need for a savior
- confess with their mouth and believe Jesus is Lord to be saved
- know they are saved by grace as a free gift from God
- believe in Baptism and why they should be baptized
- know that the only way to the father is through Jesus only
- know Jesus died on the cross for their sins and rose from the grave on the 3rd day and ascended to heaven 40 days later to be at the right hand of his Father
- take up an offering on Sundays to help the needy and might come together to meet on a Sunday too
- believe Jesus is the Son of God and not God himself and the Holy Spirit is from God
- know Jesus is coming back again for his followers and we will give and account at the judgement seat of Christ before we go into the millennial reign with Christ and afterwards we enter eternity with him and God
- know that those who reject Christ will die in the lake of fire

-They would not have 30-40,000 different beliefs about the bible without denominational influences

I understand your point, and I agree with your "would knows..." But, are we talking about a pure revamp: as in, they dont know much of anything about the "perfection" of "democracy, capitalism, republics, and wars on abstraction," or are we talking about dropping someone from that world on a remote Island?

Ideally, I would agree with you, but I think realistically the only thing that would be learned would be:

1) How to control a population
2) How a population learns to love to be controlled
3) How to think for one's self and learn (and accept) the Word
4) How to think for one's self and learn (and reject) the Word.

I would predict the former two will experience an symbiotic comfort, while the latter two would experience a dystopia and constant psychological, mental and intellectual strife. This will be heightened because 1) and 2) are symbiotic, 3) and 4) most likely will not be, and while 3) and 4) skirmish with each other, they will also have to fight the unity of 1) and 2).
 
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SaphireOwl

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How would they get that nonsense from the Bible?



Ah, you must be Catholic. Only a Catholic would believe it's OK to keep repeating a false claim that's been debunked many, many times.

That's a good example of that "Catholic taqiyya" I was talking about in another post.

Perhaps you are not aware but attacking someone's denominational faith is quite against the rules here.

That being said, Mary was a girl when she conceived Jesus. Whether one defines "virgin" as unwed, or pure, not having known a man sexually, the fact remains Mary was a very young girl when the angel chose her to deliver Christ to the world.
 
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Lollerskates

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The English word "virgin" translates to "damsel," which connotes virginity and purity (because of her youth and/or "inexperience".) The "virginity" part was/is culturally implies, which is why the English translations have Mary as never having sex. Also, it was understood in Hebrew culture that (besides courtship, ceremonies, etc.) marriage implied one had sex (hence, the woman at the well having multiple husbands she didn't know about.) This culture of "marriage = sex" was preserved at least by the royalty, some lower class - until recently. In some extremely conservative areas, it is still the case: if you have sex, you are married and have to have a ceremony, or you are not married until you consummate the marriage with sex. Shotgun weddings are an example of this preservation of conservative culture biblically speaking.
 
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SAAN

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That's what you would believe because that is what your denomination taught you.

If there were two people on the Island they would believe two different things.

Jesus didn't give us a book, he gave us a Church.

He wants us to be one as he and the Father are one. That is only possible if there is a single Church with a central guiding authority.

Yep and it lasted for a short while until a certain church came along and changed history, and not in a good way either.

Jesus taught from the scriptures like all the apostles did, so they clearly had something to go by back then.
 
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SAAN

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Oh, you mean they would believe exactly like you?

Unlikely.

I even suspect that they would change their views over time.

Why anyone expects any individual or groups of imperfect people to come to identical conclusions on every matter is quite unreasonable and has actually proven nearly impossible.

We can read examples where nearly everyone who came out of Egypt failed at the law and were destroyed because of unbelief...and yet there are people who think they can improve those odds.

Strange to say the least.

s

Im not saying to believe like me. Im saying when you read the bible in context with out all the denominational influences thing ties together better without the need for 40,000 different beliefs.
 
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SAAN

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How would they get that nonsense from the Bible?



Ah, you must be Catholic. Only a Catholic would believe it's OK to keep repeating a false claim that's been debunked many, many times.

That's a good example of that "Catholic taqiyya" I was talking about in another post.

Because it is in Matthew and Luke.

And you clearly have never read any of by posts before if you think me of all people are catholic. Please research before you form such ridiculous opinions.

Yes, in context the virgin birth makes no sense at times as to why God would preserve a line of men for 3000 yrs and at the last minute go with a virgin birth, but the bible says we are to have faith, so if its in 2 different books of the bible, I will go by faith and believe it.
 
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squint

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Im not saying to believe like me. Im saying when you read the bible in context with out all the denominational influences thing ties together better without the need for 40,000 different beliefs.

You ever look at a wheat field and recognize that no two grains are exactly alike. We all have unique individual reflections, even though we may have many similarities.

That's what theology is really like.

There isn't 40,000 different reflections. Each person is individually subjective, so there are in fact countless billions of reflections.

That's what God is really like with His creation.

I've learned to appreciate that.

People may say they reflect the same but in reality it's impossible.
 
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MoreCoffee

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They'd discover that paper burns well and is good for starting fires ;)

You are presuming that they'd know how to read, that they'd have a written language, and that somebody translated the bible into their language. All those assumptions imply a fairly stable and advanced culture which would very likely have developed its own religions. The idea is, in short, kind of silly.

If we found a remote island and gave the people on the island a bible with no religious denominational influence, what would they probably believe following the just bible in context.

THEY WOULD:
- know God created everything
- know not to worship other Gods
- know the story of creation, how sin entered the world, why God made laws, and what happened to those who didn't keep Gods laws through out the OT
- keep the Sabbath & keep the biblical Holy Days
- follow the dietary laws of the bible
- know tithing was food and not money and it was a OT law

- believe in the immaculate conception
- see the law is to point out their sin and shows a need for a savior
- confess with their mouth and believe Jesus is Lord to be saved
- know they are saved by grace as a free gift from God
- believe in Baptism and why they should be baptized
- know that the only way to the father is through Jesus only
- know Jesus died on the cross for their sins and rose from the grave on the 3rd day and ascended to heaven 40 days later to be at the right hand of his Father
- take up an offering on Sundays to help the needy and might come together to meet on a Sunday too
- believe Jesus is the Son of God and not God himself and the Holy Spirit is from God
- know Jesus is coming back again for his followers and we will give and account at the judgement seat of Christ before we go into the millennial reign with Christ and afterwards we enter eternity with him and God
- know that those who reject Christ will die in the lake of fire

-They would not have 30-40,000 different beliefs about the bible without denominational influences
 
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South Bound

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yogosans14 said:
That scripture NO where implies Mary was born sinless.

Not only does it not say she was born sinless, if he had only kept reading down to v 47, he would have seen that she acknowledged her need for a Savior.

The Catholic argument is that Mary must have been sinless, because Jesus couldn't have been born to a sinful host, but following that line of logic, why wasn't Mary's mother sinless? After all, if Jesus' host had to be sinless, why not Jesus' host's host? And what about Mary's mother's mother?

And why would it matter if she was a sinner, anyway, since Romans tells us that sin is passed down through the father, not through the mother.

But, like I said, I think he's confusing the Immaculate conception with the virgin birth.

Because it is in Matthew and Luke.

What verse in Matthew and Luke?

And you clearly have never read any of by posts before if you think me of all people are catholic. Please research before you form such ridiculous opinions.

Sorry. I must have gotten that idea when you started promoting Catholic doctrines and arguing with Catholic strawmen.

Yes, in context the virgin birth makes no sense at times as to why God would preserve a line of men for 3000 yrs and at the last minute go with a virgin birth, but the bible says we are to have faith, so if its in 2 different books of the bible, I will go by faith and believe it.

Fine. Nobody's arguing against the Virgin Birth. You said the Immaculate Conception, not the Virgin Birth.

catholichomeschooler said:
Jesus didn't give us a book, he gave us a Church.

2 Tim 3:16 says that Jesus gave us the scriptures that became the book.

He wants us to be one as he and the Father are one. That is only possible if there is a single Church with a central guiding authority.

So, if Jesus wants us to be one, what are Catholics doing to be one with us? What doctrines are you willing to compromise on in order to be one with us?

((Note to Hammster: I AM IN NO WAY STATING THAT CATHOLICS ARE NOT CHRISTIANS, ONLY THAT THERE IS A SCHISM BETWEEN CATHOLICS AND PROTESTANTS AND THAT CATHOLICS AND PROTESTANTS HOLD COMPETING DOCTRINES. ))
 
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ebia

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MoreCoffee said:
They'd discover that paper burns well and is good for starting fires ;) You are presuming that they'd know how to read, that they'd have a written language, and that somebody translated the bible into their language. All those assumptions imply a fairly stable and advanced culture which would very likely have developed its own religions. The idea is, in short, kind of silly.
It also assumes that if you could give the bible to a community that had no context and that if they did arrive at a consensus understanding that that would be the correct understanding.

The reality is that no part of the bible was never written for such a situation. It part assumes that it's talking to a people who have been involved in the story so far.
 
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GoingByzantine

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They'd discover that paper burns well and is good for starting fires ;)

You are presuming that they'd know how to read, that they'd have a written language, and that somebody translated the bible into their language. All those assumptions imply a fairly stable and advanced culture which would very likely have developed its own religions. The idea is, in short, kind of silly.

:amen:
 
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Standing Up

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-snip-
The Catholic argument is that Mary must have been sinless, because Jesus couldn't have been born to a sinful host, but following that line of logic, why wasn't Mary's mother sinless? After all, if Jesus' host had to be sinless, why not Jesus' host's host? And what about Mary's mother's mother? -snip-

The short answer is the world used to think that the baby got its blood from the mother. So, Mary had to have pure blood from her conception, by a divine act, but her mother didn't have to have it.

Today we know that assumption is not true. The baby does not get its blood from the mother, but makes its own blood.

So, Mary's immaculate conception is based on bad science; it makes the theology bad (it's an RC de fide dogma of Tradition per the teaching Magisterium, the unbelief, nay even this post, condemns the one to hell in Magisterium theology). A bible-based alone theology says the belief has zip to do with salvation.

PS. Maybe if one of the islanders was a doctor who could convince, they'd all agree on this point.
 
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seeingeyes

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You ever look at a wheat field and recognize that no two grains are exactly alike. We all have unique individual reflections, even though we may have many similarities.

That's what theology is really like.

There isn't 40,000 different reflections. Each person is individually subjective, so there are in fact countless billions of reflections.

That's what God is really like with His creation.

I've learned to appreciate that.

People may say they reflect the same but in reality it's impossible.

This is so true. God's order is very different than man's order. Man rips everything down to the dirt and then rebuilds with plumb lines and ninety degree angles. God sends dandelions up though the cracks.
 
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Rhamiel

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