Reasons for believing in the Bible as the literal word of God.

[1213]

Well, the subject is whether the Bible should be taken as the "literal Word of God." No, for the God-believer, the literal Word of God would be law, would it not?

In the Bible literal word of God is everything that God says directly in the Bible.

• Exodus 21:7 clearly allows a man to sell his daughter into slavery. Does this seem like a good way to raise a few bucks to you?

No. I wouldn't sell anyone.

• Since men are allowed no contact with a woman during her period (Lev 15:19-24), should she be allowed to cook his meals, or does he have to do it himself? I mean, obviously they can't eat together, but the cooking part is ambiguous.

Maybe you should read the text first. But, if the woman cooks the meal by sitting on it, I recommend not to eat it.

• Lev. 25:44 allows ownership of slaves but only you got them from other nations. Do you think Americans should be allowed to buy Canadians (or Canadians buy Americans)?

Are they selling. I think all nations should obey that rule and not sell own people. But, if Canadians under Trudeau the Tyrant are so evil that they sell own people, I think it is ok to buy.

• Working on the Sabbath is absolutely forbidden, no ifs and or buts -- it's a commandment. Now, should a nurse be forbidden from changing a patient's dressing, or feeding him?

Bible tells guards did their job even on Shabbat day. People are allowed to do good, even on a Shabbat day.

And he commanded them, saying, This is the thing that you shall do. A third of you shall go in on the sabbath for keepers of the watch of the king's house. A third shall be at the Sur Gate. A third shall be at the gate behind the runners. And you shall keep the watch of the house, alternately. And two parts of you, all who go out on the sabbath, they shall keep the watch of the house of Jehovah about the king. And you shall fully surround the king, each with his weapons in his hand. And he that comes within the ranks shall be put to death. And they shall be with the king as he goes in and comes out. And the rulers of the hundreds did according to all that Jehoiada the priest commanded. And each man took his men, going in on the sabbath, with those going out on the sabbath, and came in to Jehoiada the priest.
2 Kings. 11:5-9

• How come eating shellfish is an abomination, and homosexuality is an abomination

Apparently both defile body.

• Eating shellfish is an Abomination (Lev 11:10), but is it a lesser abomination than homosexuality (Lev 18:22)? If not, why are red states not busy enacting laws against shrimp cocktails?

By what I know, there is no penalty for eating shellfish in the Bible, like there is for homosexual act.

• Lev 21:20 says you can't approach the altar of God if you have a defect in your sight. Does that mean wearing glasses makes you unable to take communion?

Lev. 21:20 is speaking of specific altar that was used to burn for example sin offerings. It is not the same as communion in the Bible. And obviously, if you don't see well, it would be better not to go near a fireplace so that you would not burn yourself. Also, if you are not a priest by the law of Moses, you wouldn't be allowed to do that anyway.

• Deut 23:1 says that anyone who has had a testicular injury, or had his penis cut off (maybe due to cancer?) shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD. Is it really fair to somebody who has already suffered so much to excommunicate him, too?

I think God is fair in everything He does.

• Do you obey Lev 19:27, and tell your barber not to trim your hair around your temples? Why not?

You shall not round the corner of your head, nor mar the corner of your beard.
Lev 19:27

What do you think "corner of head" is?

• Lev 11:6-8 warns that touching the skin of a dead pig makes one unclean. When was the last time you caught or threw a football?

Do you really think that a football is the same as a dead pig?

• The Bible tells you that you must not lant two different crops in the same field, nor wear clothes made of two different kinds of thread (cotton/polyester blend). Do you do these things?

Where Bible uses the word polyester? What is your point, to show I have not been perfect? If so, I can admit that I have not been perfect, are you happy now?

But, I think the rules in the Bible are good.

• And finally, let us not forget that the Bible says that people like me (homosexuals) must be put to death. How do you plan to carry out the execution?

I am not a judge set by God, therefore I have no right to judge anyone. Also, because I think I am a disciple of Jesus, I remain in his words. And Jesus said:

Do not judge, that you may not be judged; for with whatever judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with whatever measure you measure, it will be measured again to you.
Matt. 7:1-2

Interesting detail is that Jews also thought they have no right to judge:

Then Pilate said to them, You take him and judge him according to your own Law. Then the Jews said to him, It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death,
Joh. 18:31

If they didn't have that right, why would I have?

 

[1213]

You are also claiming that the Bible is not historical.

Why do you think so?

Yo may not believe that God is a liar, but you regularly claim that he is one.

I have never claimed so. Please stop lying.

 

[Subduction Zone]

Why do you think so?

Because you deny history.

I have never claimed so. Please stop lying.

You have, you just do not realize it. You lack the education. What you do not understand is that for various myths, such as the Noah's Ark myth to be true, God would have to be a liar. You claim that those myths are true. Therefore you are claiming that God is a liar.

 

[Subduction Zone]

You still don't seem to understand that all this doesn't necessarily point to aliens - just that such things are still unexplainable - and that the governments have good motives to keep this area shrouded in mystery or as to suspicions.

The GOFAST UFO was an example of that. Just releasing the image told other countries that our jets had the ability to pick out an object only two or three feet across that was flying much much slower than the jet and keep it centered in a screen. That could have huge implications for missiles shot at the plane. They are not far at all from being able to target missiles and shooting them down mid air. A truly remarkable ability and something that one really does not want one's foes to know about.

There is nothing suspicious about the Air Force or Navy not wanting others to know that this ability exists, which is why it would have been classified. It had nothing to do about invasions by alien visitors riding a duck.

 

[Mock Turtle]

The GOFAST UFO was an example of that. Just releasing the image told other countries that our jets had the ability to pick out an object only two or three feet across that was flying much much slower than the jet and keep it centered in a screen. That could have huge implications for missiles shot at the plane. They are not far at all from being able to target missiles and shooting them down mid air. A truly remarkable ability and something that one really does not want one's foes to know about.

There is nothing suspicious about the Air Force or Navy not wanting others to know that this ability exists, which is why it would have been classified. It had nothing to do about invasions by alien visitors riding a duck.

Well I will start to believe in aliens when they are seen more than once on doorbell cameras.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

The problem with that definition is it treats the Bible as a single book with a single author.

How about a collaborative anthology of history, mythology, wisdom literature, moral teachings, poetry, and fiction?

I've nit come across anyone who believes the Bible has one author. This includes hardcore fundamentalists.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

Semi historical novel / magic realism
is very much it, and, don't forget, as
" gods word" it has but one author.

You'll have to provide evidence that anyone believes the Bible had one author.

 

[Audie]

You'll have to provide evidence that anyone believes the Bible had one author.

So God is not the author of his own word no matter
who writes it down?

 

[Shadow Wolf]

So God is not the author of his own word no matter
who writes it down?

No, their god didn't write it. Even Fundamentalists will acknowledge Moses, Daniel, Matthew, Paul and many more as the authors with the Holy Spirit acting as an influence on them.

 

[TLK Valentine]

Semi historical novel / magic realism
is very much it, and, don't forget, as
" gods word" it has but one author.

I'm not forgetting -- I'm denying.

I don't consider the Bible to be "God's word," so I see no reason to begin with that assumption.

 

[Audie]

No, their god didn't write it. Even Fundamentalists will acknowledge Moses, Daniel, Matthew, Paul and many more as the authors with the Holy Spirit acting as an influence on them.

If you dont like the word author then the source,
inspiration.
" God" being a fiction itself it gets a ltitle weitd

 

[URAVIP2ME]

So God is not the author of his own word no matter who writes it down?

A Boss's secretary writes down the Boss's words.
The Boss is considered as the author and Not his secretary.
Thus, the Bible writers are God's secretary making God the Author of His Bible.

 

[Exaltist Ethan]

So, do I have it right? There is no good reason to believe the Bible is the inerrant word of God.

Yes and no. If you are coming from this as an outsider, let's say your parents are not Christians, you weren't raised in a parochial school and otherwise you weren't conditioned to believe in these things. Then there is no reason to believe in any of this. However, let's say your family and friends are Christian. Let's say you are trying to get a theology degree at a prestigious divinity school. Let's say you attend Sunday service with the same people you knew for several years. Let's say you are a pastor or minister for a Christian church. If you don't fit into any of these boxes as an outsider, it can appear as if there might be no reason to believe certain things, but once you are on the inside for whatever reason that may be, it becomes obvious at that point why people believe the myth.

The short answer to this is, many people believe in many different claims that different religions make because other people happened to believe the same thing. Other people you may or may not have contact with or care about. For myself, I developed my beliefs before I knew what they were called, but the thing is, ultimately I believe what I believe because of input by various sources of the Internet. When I decided to drop the idea of individual religions being either completely right or completely wrong what I realized is all people possess an amount of passive and active divinity in them, and then at that point I did my search and found others who essentially believe the same thing.

But I do not believe in Earthseed because Octavia E Butler told me to believe it, I believe in it because I took a portion of everybody else's beliefs and made them my own. What I do instead of trying to prove anyone right or wrong, I try to understand the relationships people have and why that is important to me. And from this I developed a set of beliefs that are uniquely me, yet, I found and used words that I stole from other people in order to explain my positions better. I'm not really trying to prove that I'm right but rather I'm trying to prove to others what is important to me, and why those things are important. For some people, holding a steadfast belief in Jesus builds and strengthens the relationships they have for other Christians. I did the same thing but applied it for those who study religion on the Internet. I found God and became religious because of this, but at the same time I didn't become a Christian. I don't need to become one because I found something that works better for me instead.

But for those whose school, church, hospital and other institutions are run by their religion, it can be difficult to leave a faith when your whole community is set up believing in it. The same thing applies with me and the Internet. I honestly don't think I would be where I am today without it.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

If you dont like the word author then the source,
inspiration.
" God" being a fiction itself it gets a ltitle weitd

It's not weird. They believe the Bible had multiple authors. That was never challenged or debated.
And an inspiration, it's like someone like Alice Cooper inspiring the trends of generations of musicians even if they aren't doing exactly what Alice does.

 

[Audie]

It's not weird. They believe the Bible had multiple authors. That was never challenged or debated.
And an inspiration, it's like someone like Alice Cooper inspiring the trends of generations of musicians even if they aren't doing exactly what Alice does.

We are not communicating

 

[Audie]

A Boss's secretary writes down the Boss's words.
The Boss is considered as the author and Not his secretary.
Thus, the Bible writers are God's secretary making God the Author of His Bible.

That is how I understand the christian belief
about their Bible.

Sooo... if a cornerstone event in Genesis is fiction,
who authored it ?

 

[TLK Valentine]

A Boss's secretary writes down the Boss's words.
The Boss is considered as the author and Not his secretary.
Thus, the Bible writers are God's secretary making God the Author of His Bible.

But anyone who actually reads the Bible can see the authors are using their own words - clearly they're not all taking dictation from the same source, so your argument falls flat.

 

[Audie]

But anyone who actually reads the Bible can see the authors are using their own words - clearly they're not all taking dictation from the same source, so your argument falls flat.

Nonsense

 

[1213]

Because you deny history.

No, I just don't accept everything people claim about history automatically.

... for various myths, such as the Noah's Ark myth to be true, God would have to be a liar. ..

That is not true.

 

[TLK Valentine]

Nonsense

Much as I appreciate this in-depth rebuttal, the facts speak for themselves.

Anyone with even a modicum of knowledge of literature can recognize works by two different authors by their writing styles - their vocabulary and word choice, their use of imagery and figurative language, etc... An allegedly eternal and unchanging God would be consistent in his dictation style, and "secretaries" copying His words would subsequently be consistent in their writing styles.
They are not consistent.

Furthermore, in the Gospels, we now have four accounts of the same incidents - now, while it would be plausible for the same source to have these "secretaries" emphasize different events for different reasons, they would at the very least get their facts straight. And these are not trivial facts - although if God is in fact speaking, nothing is "trivial" - these are crucial facts about crucial people and events.
They do not get these facts straight.

"Nonsense," indeed.