How can you trust the Bible?

[Athiest001]

Hi I’m an Atheist who respects beliefs of many. I think that people should have faith in "God" if they so will. But my question is why should beliefs come from and be understood from the bible.

Having basic knowledge and historical skills I know the Bible is of secondary evidence being from a time hundreds of years after the times it talks about, although it has some historical accuracy being fact how can you trust the rest as not just a depiction of old beliefs? Why does nature do this? How can we understand?

So my main point is why the Bible has to be a centre piece for a religion being of archaic profession with a take on society at a different time and not necessarily to do with “God”.

 

[seashale76]

Hi I’m an Atheist who respects beliefs of many. I think that people should have faith in "God" if they so will. But my question is why should beliefs come from and be understood from the bible.

Having basic knowledge and historical skills I know the Bible is of secondary evidence being from a time hundreds of years after the times it talks about, although it has some historical accuracy being fact how can you trust the rest as not just a depiction of old beliefs? Why does nature do this? How can we understand?

So my main point is why the Bible has to be a centre piece for a religion being of archaic profession with a take on society at a different time and not necessarily to do with “God”.

The Holy Scriptures point to Christ and are an important part of Holy Tradition. The Church pre-existed the New Testament as we know it and the Holy Scriptures can only be interpreted by the Church. As Christ is the head of the Church, it is understood that the Holy Spirit guides the Church in right belief, etc. Anyone who is getting their biblical interpretations outside of this context is very likely to be off base.

 

[unkern]

The bible was put together in seperate books , from various different authors from various different times, in fact we still have some copies of the original written pieces, of course over history alot of the originals were hard to preserve.

Most of the new testement was written shortly after Jesus's death (which even other religions will attest happened) I believe they finished writing the first new testement books about 30 years after his death, which is too early too have been legend.

The bible does not just have some historical accuracy, Theve found all of it to be historically accurate, These were real places and real events. Thats why Jesus showed himself to 500+ men when ressurected, for eye witness testimony.

God is in all of nature, and his story can even be read among the stars. There are old beliefs that relate, but nothing showing that there are any events or sites just mysticism.

Jesus was against religion, he believed in truth. Real christianity is not religion but our history. The entire book is related to God.

Please explain what you find archaic?

 

[OldWiseGuy]

Hi I’m an Atheist who respects beliefs of many. I think that people should have faith in "God" if they so will. But my question is why should beliefs come from and be understood from the bible.

Having basic knowledge and historical skills I know the Bible is of secondary evidence being from a time hundreds of years after the times it talks about, although it has some historical accuracy being fact how can you trust the rest as not just a depiction of old beliefs? Why does nature do this? How can we understand?

So my main point is why the Bible has to be a centre piece for a religion being of archaic profession with a take on society at a different time and not necessarily to do with “God”.

The bible is unique in that one has to believe it before he or she can understand it. Belief is a requisite for understanding. Of course this requires faith, and faith must be granted by God to the individual. It just isn't possible for the unbeliever to understand the truths of God (which are difficult for even the devout believer to comprehend).

owg

 

[Emmy]

Dear Athiest 001. The Bible is God talking to Man. There are always men and women, who will think of " reasons" why that must be an overstatement. The truth is, Athiest, thousands of believers will testify, that the Bible is God - inspired, the Bible does talk to men and women, the Bible changes lives, and heals hearts and minds. Yet until you try and find out for yourself, you will never know for sure. And until you are ready to read, and believe God`s Word with a sincere heart, you will always find reasons to distrust the Bible. But who knows? God works in mysterious ways. I say this humbly and with love, and send greetings. Emmy, sister in Christ.

 

[Athiest001]

My main reasons for asking this is that firstly although the bible can help the modern Christian isn't it from the past and does it really have a say in nowaday goings on.

My main point is that the Bibile was not witeen by prophets but Priests etc and this does condemn it as being more lies than truth in the sense thats its message is good, but is it the voice of God?

I'm not insulting faith is God but just the role the Bible plays as it isn't really a holy book written by prophets but more of a religious book written to cash on on faith. I have seen many conflicting views most of it sees the Bible being written at later time not for religion but level of control over man.

 

[Emmy]

Dear Athiest 001. I don`t know, what you think should happen to prove, whether one can trust the Bible, as God`s Word to Man. Perhaps this does help? Many, many thousands of men and women can, and will testify, that the Bible can be trusted, and those men and women cannot all be wrong. There also is God Himself, He does not hide from us, and you will also find the truth of that, " Ask and you will be answered, seek and you will find." What can you lose, Athiest? If I might point out though, humbly and with love, God will Not be mocked, but if you are sincere, and want to know for sure, God will see your heart, He will know every thought and wish you have. Greetings from Emmy, sister in Christ.

 

[ebia]

Non-Christians (except the OP) should NOT be posting in this thread. This is not a debate forum. Go read the Forum Specific Guidelines please Jimmus and fiasps.

 

[ebia]

Hi I’m an Atheist who respects beliefs of many. I think that people should have faith in "God" if they so will. But my question is why should beliefs come from and be understood from the bible.

Most people don't start by saying - "OK, I know nothing of God, but I'll believe the bible, read it, and see what I find". Trust in the bible, trust in Jesus, and trust in his Church (in some localised or generalised form) usually grow up together.

Having basic knowledge and historical skills I know the Bible is of secondary evidence being from a time hundreds of years after the times it talks about,

Most of the bible doesn't need to be very historically accurate. Much of it isn't history at all. The bit that does need to be precisely accurate (the New Testament) is all written within less than 2000 years of the accounts it describes and the earliest datable reference to Jesus Resurrection (the cornerstone of the whole thing) in 1 Thesselonians around 20 years after the event it describes. By the standards of the time the resurrection is amongst the best attested events of the 1st century and its impossible to satisfactorarly explain how the gospels took the shape they did if they are not substantially accurate in general and on the resurrection in particular.

 

[Sketcher]

My main reasons for asking this is that firstly although the bible can help the modern Christian isn't it from the past and does it really have a say in nowaday goings on.

Yes, certain truths are timeless.

My main point is that the Bibile was not witeen by prophets but Priests etc and this does condemn it as being more lies than truth in the sense thats its message is good, but is it the voice of God?

Its original authors were without doubt prophets. Priests happened to copy it. But more to the point, if it is a "noble lie," then it is a "noble lie" that God would have us believe, since He is in control of His own word.

I'm not insulting faith is God but just the role the Bible plays as it isn't really a holy book written by prophets but more of a religious book written to cash on on faith. I have seen many conflicting views most of it sees the Bible being written at later time not for religion but level of control over man.

It can be exploited to cash in on faith, with double-digit translations in the same language, but that doesn't make it less of a holy book. Furthermore, the New Testament was written mere decades after the death of Christ, while the Roman Empire was busy persecuting the faith. So it would not have been written to control the masses. As for the Old Testament, the prophets were mistreated and they constantly ran afoul of wicked kings - yet their works endured anyway. And the Pentateuch, even though it has the Law, a function of which was to get the people to act a certain way, didn't do all that good a job. So if you're writing a book to control people, it does not make sense to include what has demonstrably failed. No, the Pentateuch has a lot more value to it than that.

 

[salida]

How do I know the Bible is true? It is the most true book in the world and has overwhelming evidence that supports more it even though having a spiritual experience with Jesus is the first reason to believe. There are several characteristics of the Bible that demonstrate it could only be written by God. The first one is that it has hundreds of detailed prophesies that have come true and more are being fulfilled today. Also, a book called The Evidence That Demands a Verdict by Josh McDowell (it would stand up in court concerning biblical evidence) and Examine the Evidence by Muncaster (a former athiest) is a great start for the evidence. True science supports the Bible also.

Biblical Evidence (Scratching the Surface Only)

Internal Evidences
Prophesies that are confirmed within Bible

- Life of Christ
The Tribe of Judah, Gen 49:10 - Luke 3:23-28
(Genesis was written 4004 BC to 1689 BC)
(Luke's time period is 60-70 AD)

Royal Line of David, Jer 23:5 -Matt 1:1
(Jeremiah 760 to 698 BC)/(Matthew 60-70 AD)

Born of a Virgin, Isaiah 7:14/Matt 1:18-23
(Isaiah 760 to 698 BC)/(60-70 AD)

**I can list at least 20 more of these.
-Rise of Empires
In the book of Daniel, Chapter 2 - four kingdoms are described in the interpretation of the dream of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon: Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greek - Daniel 8:21, 10:20) and a fourth great kingdom to follow - part iron and clay - which is the Roman Empire - during this empire Christ came and the church was established - Daniel 2:44.

-Historical Accuracy
The Bible is loaded with historical statements concerning events hundreds of years ago, yet has not been proven incorrect on any.
(Bible compared to other ancient documents):
New Testament - starts at 25 years - between original and first surviving copies
Homer - starts at 500 years
Demosthenes - at 1400 years
Plato - at 1200 years
Caesar - at 1000 years

Number of Manuscript Copies
New Testament - 5,686
Homer - 643
Demosthenes - 200
Plato - 7
Caesar - 10

Consistency
Written by at least 40 men over a period of time exceeding 1400 years, and has no internal inconsistencies.

Claim of Inspiration
It claims to be spoken by God, 2 Tim 3:16-17). No other religious book makes such claims.

External Evidences
(Prophesies Outside the Bible)
These cities were prophesied to be destroyed and never be built again.
Nineveh - Nahum 1:10, 3:7,15, Zephaniah 2:13-14
Babylon - Isaiah 13:1-22)
Tyre (Ezekiel 26:1-28)

Bible before Science
He hangs the earth on nothing - Job 26:7
(Job was written at least 1000 years ago - some scholars think it could be even 3000 years ago)
Note: Man only knew this for 350 years
Earth is a sphere, Isaiah 40:22
Air has weight, Job 28:25
Gravity - Job 26:7, Job 38:31-33
Winds blow in cyclones, Eccl 1:6

Documents that Prove Bible is True
Gilgamesh Epic, The Sumerian King List, Mari Tablets, Babylonian Chronicles

Archealogoical Finds
Excavations of Ur, Location of Zoar, Ziggurats and the foundation of Tower of Babel

 

[DerSchweik]

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[Jayangel81]

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[WarEagle]

My main reasons for asking this is that firstly although the bible can help the modern Christian isn't it from the past and does it really have a say in nowaday goings on.

I can't think of one thing that we deal with in modern society that the Bible doesn't address.

Men still sin and still face God's wrath if they don't repent. They still need a Savior. Christ is still the only acceptable sacrifice for man's sin.

Those things haven't changed.

My main point is that the Bibile was not witeen by prophets but Priests etc and this does condemn it as being more lies than truth in the sense thats its message is good, but is it the voice of God?

First of all, what lies are in the Bible?

Second, we do know that it was written by prophets and priests.

Third, yes, it does demonstrate itself to be the word of God.

I'm not insulting faith is God but just the role the Bible plays as it isn't really a holy book written by prophets but more of a religious book written to cash on on faith.

In what way? How does it "cash in on faith" when most of the people in it and many of it's authors either died in relative obscurity or were martyred for their faith?

I have seen many conflicting views most of it sees the Bible being written at later time not for religion but level of control over man.

True, men have misused the Bible to gain control of other men, but that's the fault of the men who misused the Bible, not the Bible.

 

[taoteching]

The whole point of the bible is trust. You MUST trust the bible - that's the big test. If you doubt, simple, you'll end up in hell. If you can place all you trust, with out question, in the bible - then the path to heaven awaits. That's the whole point! Can't you see that by asking questions who are not properly serving god and jesus. We are all servents of jesus - all of us. And, as servents, we are, no we must! We must not question the bible. That's how i know every word, every letter in the bible is true!

 

[phoenixgw]

Hi I’m an Atheist who respects beliefs of many. I think that people should have faith in "God" if they so will. But my question is why should beliefs come from and be understood from the bible.

Having basic knowledge and historical skills I know the Bible is of secondary evidence being from a time hundreds of years after the times it talks about, although it has some historical accuracy being fact how can you trust the rest as not just a depiction of old beliefs? Why does nature do this? How can we understand?

So my main point is why the Bible has to be a centre piece for a religion being of archaic profession with a take on society at a different time and not necessarily to do with “God”.

A. The pages recorded in the Bible is His Story, as in the story of Jesus Christ; that is why the Bible must be the centerpiece of the Christian faith.

At first glance, the Bible seems to have the cohesion of the backside of a tapestry. There's some history, a collection of laws, some songs and poems, wisdom literature, chronicles of Israel's history, prophecies, the Jesus story told 4 times, the missionary journeys and church letters, and a revelation book that seems to bring more confusion and strife than enlightenment.

As one spends time reading the Bible, you begin to realize that the Bible is reading you. At that point, you can put it down or keep reading. One of the joys of Bible reading is when one gets a glimpse of the other side of the 'tapestry.' We discover the perfection that God is weaving out of humanity's imperfections.

The greatest joy one can derive from reading the Bible is discovering Jesus. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are four witnesses pointing at a star. When you see the star, you won't need the fingers anymore.

 

[WarEagle]

The whole point of the bible is trust. You MUST trust the bible - that's the big test. If you doubt, simple, you'll end up in hell. If you can place all you trust, with out question, in the bible - then the path to heaven awaits. That's the whole point! Can't you see that by asking questions who are not properly serving god and jesus. We are all servents of jesus - all of us. And, as servents, we are, no we must! We must not question the bible. That's how i know every word, every letter in the bible is true!

This does not represent orthodox Christianity.

 

[unkern]

If were never to doubt the bible we would never find out if its is true or not, It would be like being catholic, do whatever the pope says and dont question it. No one questions how all of a sudden a MAN has the power to change the word

 

[hlaltimus]

How can you trust the Bible? How can you trust your life to the integrity of a new jetliner? I could plod over miles of technical studies and test results compiled by our nation's foremost aeronautical engineers, but as far as I'm concerned the ultimate test is: "Does it fly?" When a new design is proven in the air to be just as stable as it was predicted to be while still upon the ground, the later evidence doesn't nullify the first but rather compliments and confirms it. There are internal witnesses set up within the very pages of the Holy Bible to attest to it's Divine Authorship that you are, it seems, unlikely of ever accepting as being credible at this point. OK...Skip over, (for the time being that is!) the Bible's internal witnesses and look for awhile upon the Holy Bible's external witnesses much the same as a novice would be more convinced of a plane's worthiness by seeing it actually fly rather than by witnessing a manufacturing plant test. In this case the external witness of the Holy Bible's validity are unmistakingly manifest in the countless lives that have been forever changed and saved by application of that very special and solitary book's content of message. Time would fail us to itemize the sheer number of utterly hopeless, miserable, dejected and sin plagued men and women that have found these words from Acts 3:19,20, (and others like them,) the grand turning point in their lives from something dismally bad to something far, far better, more radiant and hopeful:

"Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before."

When a man who has loved wickedness as though it were a professional matter all of his miserable and blackened life, is then suddenly and dynamically transformed into one of the very holiest people that you have ever known after believing in the gospel...That is a miracle. The forever changed lives of countless "Sinners turned Saints" is much like the flight test that you can see and believe in that attests backwards towards the technical tests that you could not either see or understand at the time, but which now lend credance to their verity.

The Holy Bible has worked far too many otherwise unaccountable miracles in the lives of people that we can see to be brushed aside as, "Just another good book." It's the Real McCoy sent to us by God, from cover to cover.

 

[LamorakDesGalis]

So my main point is why the Bible has to be a centre piece for a religion being of archaic profession with a take on society at a different time and not necessarily to do with “God”.

Sure there are cultural and historical differences between us today and the times of the ancient writers who wrote books of the Bible. However that does not mean they cannot communicate their ideas to us. Cultural and historical differences can be identified and explained for better understanding. Also the Bible has much to say about our human condition (even to atheists). The book of Ecclesiastes is a favorite among some secular humanists.

Also one cannot underestimate the impact that the Bible has had on Western history. In philosophy Plato and Aristotle's writings are ancient, yet their thoughts have dominated western philosophy for many centuries.

Also if one reads Scripture, one encounters specific truth claims pretty quickly. The Bible itself claims to record what God has said in many places, especially in the Old Testament. There are numerous statements along the lines of "This is what the Sovereign LORD says:..."


LDG