If God wrote a book, what would it look like?

[essentialsaltes]

It's a cookbook. IT'S A COOKBOOK!

 

[NightHawkeye]

If God wrote a book, what would it look like?

He already DID. It's called the Bible.

A universal handbook for living.

 

[Achilles6129]

Please prove your point.

Sure, when I can get access to a computer I'll quote the passages that support what I'm saying.

 

[SnowyMacie]

This question is for both those who believe the Bible is the word of God and those that don't: if the Creator of the universe wrote a book, what would it look like? What are your criteria? I'll name five:

1) Clothing is irrelevant

• Since the Creator can see through everyone's clothing, somewhere in the book it will be indicated that clothing is irrelevant and that the Creator doesn't care whether or not you wear clothing

Exodus 28, Leviticus 6, among others. There some instances where clothing is really important.

2) Family is irrelevant

• Since the Creator created everyone and values everyone equally the book will indicate that family, at least as understood by natural human beings, is an irrelevant and, indeed, evil, concept.

Except the entire book of Numbers, the genealogy of Christ, Abraham, etc. Family is actually a really important thing in scripture.

5) Radical concept of morality

• Since the Creator created everything and everyone and can see things that no-one else can (i.e., through clothing), the book will suggest a concept of morality that is far different from the morality that a natural human being is familiar with. The reason for this is because the Creator obviously has a radically different perspective than a natural human being

I wouldn't call it radical in the sense of being different, but radical in the sense of how extreme it is about certain things. The Bible states that God has written his law on the hearts of man, so our idea of morality really isn't that different.

 

[SnowyMacie]

In your view, do you think some Christians have turned the Bible into an idol?

I don't you didn't ask me, but yes, I think some Christians have turned the Bible into an idol or some kind of fourth part of the trinity. I remember reading a church website onetime that said the word Bible more than God and Jesus combined.

The Bible itself tells you to take it more seriously than anything else in life, in many places.

Where exactly would that be? The Bible wasn't even formed for hundreds of years after it was written.

 

[ViaCrucis]

The Bible itself tells you to take it more seriously than anything else in life, in many places.

Well, no. No it doesn't. However the Church has historically taken Scripture seriously, it is taken seriously. In fact taking Scripture seriously would mean not engaging in idolatry of the Bible--so I don't understand your statement as a response to my post.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[Chriliman]

God can communicate through His creation as well as through our creations. The Bible was created by men who feared God and these men were created by God, therefore the Bible was inspired by God. God communicated through men that listened to Him because they feared Him.

After Adam and Eve sinned, they feared God and so did the rest of humanity after that. Only the foolish do not fear God. The Bible was definitely not written by fools. It demands respect and that is obvious considering it's the best selling book of all time according to Guinness World Records, with over 5 billion copies sold and distributed! 5 BILLION!!

However, the Bible should not replace seeking God Himself. Salvation is not found within scripture, its only found through belief in Jesus Christ. God saves, the Bible does not.

 

[quatona]

I would strongly suggest that the Bible fulfills all five of these criteria and that this is powerful evidence that indeed it is the word of God.

Thoughts?

Invalid reverse conclusion - just to name the most blatant and obvious of the fallacies conducted in your post.

 

[Achilles6129]

OK so here are the relevant Biblical passages that support my points in the OP:

1) Clothing irrelevant

"25 And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed." Gen. 2:25 (NASB)

"In the year that the commander came to Ashdod, when Sargon the king of Assyria sent him and he fought against Ashdod and captured it, 2 at that time the Lord spoke through Isaiah the son of Amoz, saying, “Go and loosen the sackcloth from your hips and take your shoes off your feet.” And he did so, going naked and barefoot. 3 And the Lord said, “Even as My servant Isaiah has gone naked and barefoot three years as a sign and token against Egypt and Cush, 4 so the king of Assyria will lead away the captives of Egypt and the exiles of Cush, young and old, naked and barefoot with buttocks uncovered, to the shame of Egypt." Isa. 20:1-4 (NASB)

"20 But when David returned to bless his household, Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David and said, “How the king of Israel distinguished himself today! He uncovered himself today in the eyes of his servants’ maids as one of the foolish ones shamelessly uncovers himself!” 21 So David said to Michal, “It was before the Lord, who chose me above your father and above all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of the Lord, over Israel; therefore I will celebrate before the Lord." 2 Sam. 6:20-21 (NASB)

2) Family irrelevant

There are many passages on this topic, but I'll quote just a few:

"9 Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven." Mt. 23:9 (NASB)

"26 “If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple." Lk. 14:26 (NASB)

"34 “Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; 36 and a man’s enemies will be the members of his household. 37 “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me." Mt. 10:34-37 (NASB)

"29 Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel’s sake, 30 but that he will receive a hundred times as much now in the present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life." Mk. 10:29-30 (NASB)

3) Fulfilled prophecy

There are many instances here, but I'll mention only one example. Daniel predicts (in Dan. 9:26) that the city of Jerusalem and the sanctuary will be destroyed after the Messiah is cut off. The Messiah was cut off in 33 AD and the city/sanctuary were destroyed in 70 AD.

4) Literary complexity

Again, many examples, so I'll mention only one. God's name is used 35 times in Gen. 1:1-2:3. From Gen. 2:4-4:26 names for God are used again 35 times. The number is significant because it is divisible by 7 which is, of course, God's number. There are many other examples of literary complexity in Scripture using numbers and literary devices (such as chiasm) that indicate someone highly intelligent wrote Scripture.

5) Radical morality

I don't think I really have to mention any examples here - we all know the Bible has a radically different type of morality.

 

[Achilles6129]

Exodus 28, Leviticus 6, among others. There some instances where clothing is really important.

Already addressed. Of course there are instances where clothing is important (for symbolic reasons, in these passages). It doesn't matter because the point was that there were indications that it was ultimately irrelevant, which is exactly what we'd expect from the Creator. He doesn't care about clothing (because he can see through it), which is why Adam/Eve were created naked and then told to multiply.

Except the entire book of Numbers, the genealogy of Christ, Abraham, etc. Family is actually a really important thing in scripture.

I don't think you understand. I'm talking about the human concept of family where the family unit is valued more than anyone else in the world. This idea is repudiated all over Scripture, by Christ, the apostles, etc. Lot also repudiates the concept of family when he offers his daughters to the Sodomites. The reason Lot offers them his daughters is because he considers the men to whom he's shown hospitality for the night to be his sons (Lot values everyone equally).

I wouldn't call it radical in the sense of being different, but radical in the sense of how extreme it is about certain things. The Bible states that God has written his law on the hearts of man, so our idea of morality really isn't that different.

Scripture says that man's heart is evil from his youth. I think you're mistaken about God's law being inside of a natural human heart.

 

[Achilles6129]

Where exactly would that be? The Bible wasn't even formed for hundreds of years after it was written.

All over the place:

"How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,
Nor stand in the path of sinners,
Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!
2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he meditates day and night." Ps. 1:1-2 (NASB)

"8 This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success." Josh. 1:8 (NASB)

"6 These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up." Deut. 6:6-7 (NASB)

"3 He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord." Deut. 8:3 (NASB)

"18 I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book; 19 and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and i]">[i]from the holy city, which are written in this book." Rev. 22:18-19 (NASB)

 

[Davian]

...
4) Literary complexity

Again, many examples, so I'll mention only one. God's name is used 35 times in Gen. 1:1-2:3. From Gen. 2:4-4:26 names for God are used again 35 times. The number is significant because it is divisible by 7 which is, of course, God's number. There are many other examples of literary complexity in Scripture using numbers and literary devices (such as chiasm) that indicate someone highly intelligent wrote Scripture.

Bible codes?

 

[FrumiousBandersnatch]

It's a cookbook. IT'S A COOKBOOK!

Called "How To Serve Man"

 

[Achilles6129]

Bible codes?

Not Bible codes at all. There are many instances in Scripture of words being mentioned deliberately a certain number of times (usually divisible by 7).

 

[I-believe]

So, any criteria for what a book written by God would look like?

then,did you read the book?after reading,any feeling ?

 

[Davian]

Not Bible codes at all.

Really? Did you think you discovered this yourself?

"Holy books are claimed to have numerical patterns that indicate its divine origin. These include Bible code, the Qur'an and the Torah code which supposedly contain hidden messages and special numbers hidden in the text. Skeptics question if these patterns are just chance occurrences, rather than meaningful messages. Mainstream mathematicians and statisticians reject the concept of Biblical codes."

http://wiki.ironchariots.org/index.php?title=Argument_from_scriptural_codes

There are many instances in Scripture of words being mentioned deliberately

Which begs the question, how do you know this was done deliberately?

a certain number of times (usually divisible by 7).

Do you apply confirmation bias as a means of determining how this is meaningful?

Are you aware of the assassinations foretold in Herman Melville's Moby Dick?

https://cs.anu.edu.au/~bdm/codes/moby.html

 

[jayem]

The Bible, just like the Koran, or the Bhagavad gita, or the Upanishads, or the Book of Mormon is a purely human creation. It's no more supernatural in origin than the Harry Potter books.

 

[Achilles6129]

I know that the words are used a certain number of times deliberately because I've studied enough examples (usually involving the number 7) to know that it was done deliberately. Another good example are the 7 beatitudes of Revelation, a book infused with the number 7.

 

[Achilles6129]

As far as the example in Genesis was concerned, we know that the first section of Genesis runs from 1:1-2:3 because 2:4 opens with a new title and for the first time the name YHWH is used. We know that the next section runs to 4:26 because again a new heading (in 5:1) is used. In both sections the names for God are used 35 times apiece.

 

[Esiar]

Well, an argument can be made here which incorporates biblical inspiration as well as the brute facts of the biblical corpus:

If God inspired scriptures then God would have inspired them in the genre most esteemed at the time of their genesis. This would imply that God would inspire mythical texts.

Why would it have to be the most popular genre?