The Word of God

[Nakosis]

Since many Christians accept the Bible as the Word of God, it is the base line of truth for them. All other claims are judged by it.

It is difficult therefore to use the Bible to discredit the Bible. Your are trying to use the truth to discredit the truth and if you don't understand the truth of that it's because you have not been born again/regenerated and aren't capable of accepting the truth of the Bible.

So to question the truth of the Bible is to admit not having been born again. Kind of a no win scenario for believers.

So it seems to me a waste of time trying to use the Bible to discredit the Bible among people who accept it as God's Word.

So a question for people who don't accept the Bible as the word of God. What was it that caused you to question the truth of that?

What really caused me to doubt much of the Bible is this book...

The Bible Unearthed - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Although that I suppose is not the first moment I began to doubt. What really caused a issue for me is when the pastor of the church I went to told the story of having two elderly women who came to his sermon. He suggested to them after mass to find a different church because this really wasn't the Church for them. He told us that he was looking for young people that had the energy to do the Lords work. That disturbed me.

Then we were asked to go to all the bookstores in towns and ask for a book that was written by one of the leaders of that denomination so it would motivate the bookstore to order it and keep a lot of copies of the self. It seemed too much like lying to me. For me it hit me that the leaders of my church weren't trust worthy.

That's when I began to question the validity of Christianity. I mean the people you learn from you have to find them trustworthy don't you?

Their honesty has to surpass one's own. Then I started to read the Bible to find a way to justify belief.

The other thing is for me to look up to someone/something "God" I would expect their morality to surpass my own. With Jesus, maybe. With the God of the OT... I can't justify the morality of the OT God. I don't even know if it is so much the God of the OT as much as it is the manner Christians fit him into the context of their theology.

So my question is for non-Christians, what was it that really cause you to doubt their claim that the Bible was the Word of God.

[Iti oj]

Originally Posted by Nakosis

Since many Christians accept the Bible as the Word of God, it is the base line of truth for them. All other claims are judged by it.

It is difficult therefore to use the Bible to discredit the Bible. Your are trying to use the truth to discredit the truth and if you don't understand the truth of that it's because you have not been born again/regenerated and aren't capable of accepting the truth of the Bible.

So to question the truth of the Bible is to admit not having been born again. Kind of a no win scenario for believers.

So it seems to me a waste of time trying to use the Bible to discredit the Bible among people who accept it as God's Word.

So a question for people who don't accept the Bible as the word of God. What was it that caused you to question the truth of that?

What really caused me to doubt much of the Bible is this book...

The Bible Unearthed - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Although that I suppose is not the first moment I began to doubt. What really caused a issue for me is when the pastor of the church I went to told the story of having two elderly women who came to his sermon. He suggested to them after mass to find a different church because this really wasn't the Church for them. He told us that he was looking for young people that had the energy to do the Lords work. That disturbed me.

Then we were asked to go to all the bookstores in towns and ask for a book that was written by one of the leaders of that denomination so it would motivate the bookstore to order it and keep a lot of copies of the self. It seemed too much like lying to me. For me it hit me that the leaders of my church weren't trust worthy.

That's when I began to question the validity of Christianity. I mean the people you learn from you have to find them trustworthy don't you?

Their honesty has to surpass one's own. Then I started to read the Bible to find a way to justify belief.

The other thing is for me to look up to someone/something "God" I would expect their morality to surpass my own. With Jesus, maybe. With the God of the OT... I can't justify the morality of the OT God. I don't even know if it is so much the God of the OT as much as it is the manner Christians fit him into the context of their theology.

So my question is for non-Christians, what was it that really cause you to doubt their claim that the Bible was the Word of God.

The Bible

[Skwim]

Originally Posted by Iti oj

So my question is for non-Christians, what was it that really cause you to doubt their claim that the Bible was the Word of God.

My introduction to the other side of Christianity and its bible was a book by Bertrand Russell; Why I am not a Christian. Among many other things, Russell pointed how the book was cobbled together, in some case determining the inclusion of various writings by mere vote. It also went into the many contradictions and questionable moral aspects it presented. And, of course, there are the many borrowings from other religions, including legends and myths, which are presented, or at least taught, as truths. Lastly is its basic premise: God made us bad, but if we placate him he won't hold it against us. So what gets me is that people actually buy into its message, and will die in defense of it. But

[Quintessence]

I don't think I ever really doubted that the Bible was the "word of God" and that wasn't a reason why I fell away from Christianity as a young child. Looking at that question from my current theological perspective, the Bible is the word of some particular god-concept. Whether or not it is the word of some specific Christian god-concept is not my business to say, because it isn't my theology. The Bible was clearly written and compiled by humans, but people can and do have direct relationships with the divine. Did the writers of the Bible have such a connection with their chosen god-concept? I don't know. I suppose you could say I'm agnostic on the question. In other respects, it is an irrelevant question for me since the divine is everywhere. All words, deeds, and things are of the gods. The Bible is the word of gods, so is the breath of the winds, the rays of the sun, and the rustling of the leaves.

[Sir Doom]

Originally Posted by Nakosis

So my question is for non-Christians, what was it that really cause you to doubt their claim that the Bible was the Word of God.

I suggested to my Sunday school teacher that evolution might just be the way 'god did it'. I was young and had no idea that it was such a controversy. I thought the solution I presented made perfect sense (and still do if there is a god). It was not received well. The details are unimportant but suffice to say the treatment that followed ultimately led to my doubt of the entire thing. If something that seemed so sensible could be dismissed as blasphemy, what else had been dismissed? All downhill from there.

I still have a great respect for the book, it isn't a terrible guide to living a good life. It just doesn't fit me. Thus, it can't be the word of god, because there is no way god would have left people that think like me out.

[Iti oj]

Originally Posted by Skwim

My introduction to the other side of Christianity and its bible was a book by Bertrand Russell; Why I am not a Christian. Among many other things, Russell pointed how the book was cobbled together, in some case determining the inclusion of various writings by mere vote. It also went into the many contradictions and questionable moral aspects it presented. And, of course, there are the many borrowings from other religions, including legends and myths, which are presented, or at least taught, as truths. Lastly is its basic premise: God made us bad, but if we placate him he won't hold it against us. So what gets me is that people actually buy into its message, and will die in defense of it. But

Lol bad quote

[Skwim]

Originally Posted by Iti oj

Lol bad quote

Errrr . . . . what quote?

[Iti oj]

Originally Posted by Iti oj

Lol bad quote

Originally Posted by Skwim

Errrr . . . . what quote?

You quoted me but with the op words

[idav]

Originally Posted by Nakosis

So my question is for non-Christians, what was it that really cause you to doubt their claim that the Bible was the Word of God.

I'm not exactly non-christian but don't know that I can trust the books picked in the canon over other interpretations of who Jesus was. I prefer the words of Christ over most the bible. I've come to the conclusion that most who Jesus was is lost but the words of Christ definitely show an enlightened being regardless of who wrote it. Any opinions coming from the writers or apostles are debatable.

[Nakosis]

Originally Posted by Quintessence

I don't think I ever really doubted that the Bible was the "word of God" and that wasn't a reason why I fell away from Christianity as a young child. Looking at that question from my current theological perspective, the Bible is the word of some particular god-concept. Whether or not it is the word of some specific Christian god-concept is not my business to say, because it isn't my theology. The Bible was clearly written and compiled by humans, but people can and do have direct relationships with the divine. Did the writers of the Bible have such a connection with their chosen god-concept? I don't know. I suppose you could say I'm agnostic on the question. In other respects, it is an irrelevant question for me since the divine is everywhere. All words, deeds, and things are of the gods. The Bible is the word of gods, so is the breath of the winds, the rays of the sun, and the rustling of the leaves.

I might understand that. If in accepting that God is omnipresent. The Bible maybe peoples personal experiences and understanding of God. However it shouldn't necessarily dictate everyone's experience. It has no greater but then no less authority then anyone else's experience. Fine to use as a reference but shouldn't be used to judge the validity of someone else's experience.

I guess there isn't really a problem if we can get away from people using the Bible to invalidate the experiences of others.