• Welcome to Religious Forums, a friendly forum to discuss all religions in a friendly surrounding.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to the following site features:
    • Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
    • Our modern chat room. No add-ons or extensions required, just login and start chatting!
    • Access to private conversations with other members.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon!

Why Study The Bible?

David T

Well-Known Member
Premium Member
Bible skeptics often ask believers why read the Bible, why not read the other religious texts? It's a valid question. We should read as many other sacred texts as we can, I myself have read many, even published them on various websites over the years. But why is the Bible important? For a variety of reasons. I have talked to several serious students of history who were atheists and very knowledgeable on the Bible due to it's historical value. Though they don't believe in the supernatural aspect of it they respect tremendously it's historical significance. Secular histories, after all, not only can't compare to the Bible due to sheer volume of manuscripts available in comparison to secular histories, but also the Bible writers were much more honest and straight forward about their shortcomings and failures.

The unique thing about the Bible is that it also gives us some insight on what was going on before the Earth itself was created. For example, it says that the creator existed before time, and that the very first act of creation was the son of Jehovah God, the creator. Since he was the first created being and the only part of creation which was exclusively created by Jehovah he is called the first born only begotten son. His name was Michael. Everything thereafter was created by Jehovah through Michael as master worker. First the heavens, then the myriads of spirit creatures, then the earth and it's inhabitants, concluding with mankind.

What a remarkable work the Bible is!
It certainly is interesting how we interpret but our perceptions of ourself and the world around us deeply influences those interpretations.

I read an article last year in scientific American. It was a whole issue dedicated to the Brin and the cosmos. It opened by stating "the two deepest mysteries in science today is the human brain and the cosmos" .. Paraphrased "the two things we understand the least today in science is ourselves and the world around us"

I would say inadvertently accurate. I would also say that in ancient times nature was seen differently and we understood ourselves better. I mean way way back. Today it's generally all super intellectualizing in context to inferior emotions. Or so it's believed by Freudians.. I am jungian he is way whackier. In an accedemic sense.
 

Jayhawker Soule

-- untitled --
Premium Member
I asked him:

"Do you think that it is a collection of morality tales or do you think that some of those events actually happened? "

And he responded:

"That depends upon the text. I don't think it is a collection of morality tales."

His answer was a bit vague and that is why I am trying to get him to flesh it out. I won't to know to what degree he thinks that the most obvious myths of the Bible occurred.

You will not be surprised to know that I would have had issues with your question as well primarily because the implied categories of accurate history and morality tales are entirely insufficient.

As I have in the past, I would recommend that folks consider Calderon's We Enter the Talmud Barefoot.
 

David T

Well-Known Member
Premium Member
You do realize the Bible doesn't corner the market in respect to ancient writings.

There's nothing special or different historically compared to others that makes it stand out any more or less significantly.
That's actually not true. But I think you are reacting to a something other than what was said and that's a bias that forms in religion itself. It's not special like that certainly but none the less it is special in historical context for sure.
 

Cacotopia

Let's go full Trottle
Bible is full of atrocious godly behaviors, good to study to not do 90% of the stuff in there to be a decent human being.
 

David T

Well-Known Member
Premium Member
Like those literalists who think that there really is a god?
Or the literalists who randomly promote random and nature as an object determined by "abstraction laws" is guiding it? Yep both are loopy. It's the great agreement disagreement!!!!
 

shunyadragon

shunyadragon
Premium Member
Bible skeptics often ask believers why read the Bible, why not read the other religious texts? It's a valid question. We should read as many other sacred texts as we can, I myself have read many, even published them on various websites over the years. But why is the Bible important? For a variety of reasons. I have talked to several serious students of history who were atheists and very knowledgeable on the Bible due to it's historical value. Though they don't believe in the supernatural aspect of it they respect tremendously it's historical significance. Secular histories, after all, not only can't compare to the Bible due to sheer volume of manuscripts available in comparison to secular histories, but also the Bible writers were much more honest and straight forward about their shortcomings and failures.

I study the Bible and the other religious scriptures to understand their cultural perspective on the belief in God(s) and the relationship with creation and humanity.

The unique thing about the Bible is that it also gives us some insight on what was going on before the Earth itself was created. For example, it says that the creator existed before time, and that the very first act of creation was the son of Jehovah God, the creator. Since he was the first created being and the only part of creation which was exclusively created by Jehovah he is called the first born only begotten son. His name was Michael. Everything thereafter was created by Jehovah through Michael as master worker. First the heavens, then the myriads of spirit creatures, then the earth and it's inhabitants, concluding with mankind.

What a remarkable work the Bible is!

I do not believe that the Bible 'gives us insight on what was going on before the Earth itself was created.' It provides a perspective of what some cultures in the Middle East believed thousands of years ago on the origins of the universe, earth, life and humanity. It is in no way factual based on objective verifiable evidence.
 

shunyadragon

shunyadragon
Premium Member
Bible is full of atrocious godly behaviors, good to study to not do 90% of the stuff in there to be a decent human being.

Like the history of humanity these are very human atrocious behaviors justified by referencing a greater authority.
 

PureX

Veteran Member
I needed to study the Bible with some intelligent people for a while to get over the resentments it had created in me, being pushed at me as a child. I needed to gain a more clear and realistic understanding of what it is, and what it's for, so I could dispel all the toxic nonsense I had been told about it as a child.

I think this is an excellent reason to study it, which is why I did.
 

Subduction Zone

Veteran Member
You will not be surprised to know that I would have had issues with your question as well primarily because the implied categories of accurate history and morality tales are entirely insufficient.

As I have in the past, I would recommend that folks consider Calderon's We Enter the Talmud Barefoot.

Actually I am bit surprised since my post was very carefully worded to avoid prejudice. Any rational person knows that Genesis has been shown to be morality tales at best. There never were only two people, the morality of the Garden of Eden story are appalling as well. There never was a Noah's Ark, tower of Babel, etc..
 

Jayhawker Soule

-- untitled --
Premium Member
Any rational person knows that Genesis has been shown to be morality tales at best.
So you adjudge all those who see in Genesis primitive attempts at cosmology, polemics against polytheism, founders' tales, etiological narratives, folk history, socio-political tracks, and ethical codes as irrational?
 

sealchan

Well-Known Member
Bible skeptics often ask believers why read the Bible, why not read the other religious texts? It's a valid question. We should read as many other sacred texts as we can, I myself have read many, even published them on various websites over the years. But why is the Bible important? For a variety of reasons. I have talked to several serious students of history who were atheists and very knowledgeable on the Bible due to it's historical value. Though they don't believe in the supernatural aspect of it they respect tremendously it's historical significance. Secular histories, after all, not only can't compare to the Bible due to sheer volume of manuscripts available in comparison to secular histories, but also the Bible writers were much more honest and straight forward about their shortcomings and failures.

The unique thing about the Bible is that it also gives us some insight on what was going on before the Earth itself was created. For example, it says that the creator existed before time, and that the very first act of creation was the son of Jehovah God, the creator. Since he was the first created being and the only part of creation which was exclusively created by Jehovah he is called the first born only begotten son. His name was Michael. Everything thereafter was created by Jehovah through Michael as master worker. First the heavens, then the myriads of spirit creatures, then the earth and it's inhabitants, concluding with mankind.

What a remarkable work the Bible is!

The Bible is, in part, an amazing work of literary genius which has taken motifs and stories from other cultures and woven into a unique narrative which reflects the beliefs not only of the authors but also, most likely, the beliefs that authors wished to encourage in their audience/community. Like any other work of scripture...

However, its historical and scientific accuracy is becoming less and less useful and accurate. Also, many of its moral pronouncements are now commonly seen to be in error.
 

sojourner

Annoyingly Progressive Since 2006
A proper study of the Bible quite often leads to atheism. Or else strong cognitive dissonance. The problem for believers is that cog diss is obvious to those that did not "drink the Kool-Aid".
That’s more an issue of predicating your faith on a book, instead of upon your inner experiences.
 
Top