Why I think a lot of the Bible is False

[Heneni]

There is a lot of the bible that is true. You wont find adam and eve's remains, but you will find adam and eve's mistakes in all of us.

you wont find noah's ark, but you will find that we feel the same need as god to 'clean out the neighbourhood'

you wont find Peter, the disciple who believed he loved Jesus more than all the others, at the local pub, but you can find many husbands and wives that proclaim their undying love for each other, but when the crunch comes, they desert each other.

The bible is actually profoundly relevant, and the human stories in it is universal. How can our own experiences be false, if it so closely resembles that which is written in the bible. Hence, is the bible really false?

Also..we dont mind reading bed time stories to our kids. For example the story of cinderella. Its a lovely story, completely fictional, yet all little girls at some point looks out for the prince.

[Autodidact]

Originally Posted by Heneni

There is a lot of the bible that is true. You wont find adam and eve's remains, but you will find adam and eve's mistakes in all of us.

Unless there were no such people.

you wont find noah's ark, but you will find that we feel the same need as god to 'clean out the neighbourhood'

Preferably not by slaughtering everyone in it.

you wont find Peter, the disciple who believed he loved Jesus more than all the others, at the local pub, but you can find many husbands and wives that proclaim their undying love for each other, but when the crunch comes, they desert each other.

The bible is actually profoundly relevant, and the human stories in it is universal. How can our own experiences be false, if it so closely resembles that which is written in the bible. Hence, is the bible really false?

Yes, it is. I find that my life, for the most part, does not encompass a lot of animal sacrifice, petty purity taboos, endless war and genocide, and other Bible highlights.

[MysticSang'ha]

Originally Posted by Jayell

We believe all humans are born sinners, which is true. You don't have to teach a child to be bad, he/she just is. It's natural; on the other hand we have to taught good behavior. For the most part christians are not baby killers, believe or not we are actaully against abortion.

Hang on a second......I'm trying to follow this:

For the most part, Christians are not baby killers?

[Riverwolf]

Originally Posted by Autodidact

Unless there were no such people.

So you never, ever, ever, ever, once disobeyed your parents?

Originally Posted by Autodidact

Preferably not by slaughtering everyone in it.

You've never cleaned that which was unclean? You murder innocent microbes when you do that, you know.

Originally Posted by Autodidact

Yes, it is. I find that my life, for the most part, does not encompass a lot of animal sacrifice, petty purity taboos, endless war and genocide, and other Bible highlights.

Is that all you can glean from the Bible? I used to think so as well, until I realized that harboring such thoughts leads to the exact kind of hatred that causes people to want to kill each other. I consider the Book of Joshua to be one of the most gruesome books ever written, but I just ignore it. But if you would rather an easy way to learn what the Bible was talking about, read Tao Te Ching. And learn to dig, why don't you? After all, beauty is on the inside, right? The ugliest person in the world might have the greatest heart.

Besides, if the Bible were never written, you would not feel as you do about death. Have you killed the person who insulted you yet? If you haven't, you're not worth anything until you do...

[Autodidact]

Originally Posted by Riverwolf

So you never, ever, ever, ever, once disobeyed your parents?

Sorry, I wasn't clear. I was referring to Adam and Eve.

You've never cleaned that which was unclean? You murder innocent microbes when you do that, you know.

Please tell me you're not claiming that doing the dishes is the moral equivalent of genocide.

Is that all you can glean from the Bible?

No, but it's a substantial part.

I used to think so as well, until I realized that harboring such thoughts leads to the exact kind of hatred that causes people to want to kill each other. I consider the Book of Joshua to be one of the most gruesome books ever written, but I just ignore it.

So do a lot of Christians, including those who claim to base their lives on the Bible.

But if you would rather an easy way to learn what the Bible was talking about, read Tao Te Ching. And learn to dig, why don't you? After all, beauty is on the inside, right? The ugliest person in the world might have the greatest heart.

I agree that the Tao Te Ching is a beautiful and profound book, especially the Gia Fu translation. I disagree that the Bible is about the same thing as the Bible. The Bible is about many things, but not:
The Tao is an empty vessel; it is used, but never filled.
Oh, unfathomable source of ten thousand things!
Blunt the sharpness,
Untangle the knot,
Soften the glare,
Merge with dust.
Oh, hidden deep but ever present!
I do not know from whence it comes.
It is the forefather of the gods.

Besides, if the Bible were never written, you would not feel as you do about death. Have you killed the person who insulted you yet? If you haven't, you're not worth anything until you do...

What the heck? Are you really saying any of this?

[Riverwolf]

Originally Posted by Autodidact

Sorry, I wasn't clear. I was referring to Adam and Eve.

Adam and Eve disobeyed their parent.

Originally Posted by Autodidact

Please tell me you're not claiming that doing the dishes is the moral equivalent of genocide.

Taking life is taking life. The cold fact is, we need to kill in order to survive. Killing needlessly is the moral wrong. And trust me, what Joshua did was kill needlessly.

Originally Posted by Autodidact

No, but it's a substantial part. So do a lot of Christians, including those who claim to base their lives on the Bible. I agree that the Tao Te Ching is a beautiful and profound book, especially the Gia Fu translation. I disagree that the Bible is about the same thing as the Bible. The Bible is about many things, but not:
The Tao is an empty vessel; it is used, but never filled.
Oh, unfathomable source of ten thousand things!
Blunt the sharpness,
Untangle the knot,
Soften the glare,
Merge with dust.
Oh, hidden deep but ever present!
I do not know from whence it comes.
It is the forefather of the gods.

And that's what God was supposed to be... until someone painted him in the liken of an old Caucasian.

Originally Posted by Autodidact

What the heck? Are you really saying any of this?

That's what Greek culture, my secondary ancestry, was like. There was no overseeing law, but there were guidelines. Believe me, it wasn't pretty. If someone so much as spat on you, it was your right to avenge yourself and kill that person. In fact, if you didn't, you'd become even more disgraced because you chose not to defend your honor, and others would feel safe spitting on you, and doing things even worse, possibly stripping you of everything you owned and leaving you for dead.

If you think Yeh'vah was a bad God, just look at what Zeus did, or even Chronos. And don't forget Ares. He'd charge into any battlefield, not caring whose side he's on as long as there's lots of blood, but when he gets a small scratch, he goes crying home to daddy. Or even Eros. Trust me, Eros isn't an affectionate cupid in any way; he shoots his arrows of desire into people, not to spread love or peace, but so he can laugh and jest at the two people as they make loveless love, not really knowing why. Aphrodite provoked a terrible war just so that some foreign prince would call her beautiful.

Believe me, to the Greeks, all existence was nothing but a game being played by the gods, and we're the pieces. And they had a huge influence on history and modern culture. Without the Ten Commandments, nothing would have stopped that kind of view from influencing us.

[Jayell]

Originally Posted by Autodidact

And that is one of the things that is so evil about Christianity. That is just a horrible, dangerous and false belief. I can't express how wrong and destructive I think this belief is.

It's destructive to think that we are not evil by nature and that God is just going to overlook our sinful lives.