Why do you believe in the Bible?

SearchingForGod · Apr 27, 2017

To anyone who has read the Old or New Testament, I'm just curious as to why you believe in what you've read. I'm not asking to attack, I'm genuinely curious. Is it because the book tells you to believe in its words? Is it because of the way you interpret its sayings? Or might it just be that it's what you grew up with and that's just what makes sense to you? I'm not judging in any way, I'm just curious.

Unveiled Artist · Apr 27, 2017

When I was a practicing Catholic, I lived the bible. That's how I believed in it. Then I read the full bible and realized the Church is based on a foundation I did not believe in. Not false, just the foundation didn't match with how I viewed reality. But all in all, if I had that foundational belief, I like the fact that Catholics (and most liturgical Churches) live the Bible in their worship. It gives the words more umph when you are a part of the scripture you read. Also, it makes it makes god more real than I would have thought just picking up the bible and reading it cold.

Daisies4me · Apr 28, 2017

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For me, personally, what I believe now is far from what I 'grew up with'. FAR from it. Life experiences at times cause one to ponder over things. I always had an innate consciousness of a Supreme Being. Or, God. At times, things made me wonder, especially when people who claimed to be so righteous on the outside, proved to be detestable in their actions underneath the surface. I came to abhor hypocrisy and the false pretenses, and did not agree with even those who believed that in fighting in wars had God's backing, and that what they were doing was God's will, or somehow pleasing to God.
Some religious folks find nothing wrong with killing others in another nation, simply because the rulers tell them to. (don't know what I did to make red underline, and cannot figure out how to remove it) Just for one example of my differences with religious doctrines along the way.

My experience has been one of letting the Bible prove to me it's truth. My studies in the Bible and history have led me to believe many things that many people will fight a person over. weird, right? many lands put people in prison for refusing to recant their faith, or even execute them. Children have been take away from parents who refuse to force their kids to salute the rulers of a national group, when they have already pledged their allegiance to the Kingdom of God, and find it to be against their consciences to give God's allegiance to human political rulers, and not a thing to even consider, and refuse to take up arms against people in other national groups simply because of where they were born, or what color they are, or what language they speak. Many have been executed for that, too. The laws of the land I will obey, as long as they do not contradict God's law, that tells me that I am to treat others as I wish to be treated, and to love my enemies, and pray for them. IMO, the universal Almighty God is not partial, and does not favor any national political rulership over another. In fact, He allows them to exist for a period of time, and for a reason, but they will not stand forever. Daniel 2:44 is a good scripture to base that statement on. Just for those who may be ready to tar&feather me. lol, (it has happened to some like me, in the not so distant past, right here in this country)

Not a popular stance, is it? But researching the Bible prophecies, and tracing historical evidences now available, seeing the reality of fulfilled prophecies in the Bible are evident. Also, the power of prayer, and over time, being able to look back and take note of the times that prayers were answered. Not necessarily in the way I had expected, but the end result shows me that God heard and acted on the things that I asked him to, as long as it was in harmony with His will, and he saw fit to allow my prayers to be fulfilled.

In order to know that, one must search out the scriptures, and also research history and historical finds that prove Bible statements to be accurate.

I have also witnessed the outcome when I willfully went against what I should have done, and strayed from the instructions given In the scriptures. God does not prevent free will individuals from doing things they want to do. And He also does not prevent the person from having to face the consequences for the wrong choices that they act upon.
We can be forgiven, if we sincerely repent, but the consequences we must bear.

I don't know if my experiences in a very long life are of any value to you, and surely we will disagree on many things, but I hope that somehow, it may lend some insight for you, on the potential of searching out the God of the Bible and His Wisdom, from one who was at one time swearing off of religion, due to the actions of many who claimed to be adherants of the Bible. Thanks to God, who sent that pretty lady to my door one sunny day, with a book in her hand, to leave with me to read. I read it from cover to cover, and immediately knew it was true. It was called 'the truth that leads to eternal life'. It really said things that I had thought about and questioned in my life . Funny how God searches out those who are looking for reason and explanations about things in life.
May you have peace

CogentPhilosopher · Apr 28, 2017

Its interesting, I was a Christian until I read the Bible in full when I was around 14 or 15. After I read the bible I did not reject it as not being true, I just thought that it would make more sense if Lucifer was good and the bible was written by an evil god.

Why did I believe it at that time and not now? I am not entirely sure but I have some ideas;
1) I knew little to nothing about other religions.
2) I knew little to nothing about science or history.
3) I had been raised being told it was true for at least 14 years.
4) Everyone I had talked to about it believed in it.
5) I had no exposure to other opinions. (I grew up in rural south U.S.A with only dial-up at home)
6) I did not know anything about how logic worked.
7) I used emotions more than my mind.

Daisies4me · Apr 28, 2017

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nicely put. I think that applies to many people. Very reasonable experience. Thank you for sharing.

wizanda · Apr 28, 2017

The Biblical prophets interlink across time proving Yeshua; then what has been prophesied against the world, has also happened...

Therefore it would be illogical not to accept something we can all see, with enough wisdom to understand it.

So for instance, in all 3 Synoptic Gospels Yeshua warns that those who come after claiming to be him, using the term "I Am" shall deceive the whole world (Luke 21:8)...

The fake Gospel of John repeatedly uses "I Am", claiming to be by him, when he doesn't speak that way...

Thus the whole world has already been deceived as stated.

Aiviu · Apr 28, 2017

The books are written to find the path to live in God's Will, to find God and to be within heaven. The books are not the image of belief. They dont tell more truth than i am capable to believe in God. Eventually truth is God alone. If i read it, i can reflect whether i had lived the path with the right belief to God or not. How i had lived clearly tells me who i am, right?

rusra02 · Apr 28, 2017

I find in the Bible unmistakable marks of divine origin. For one thing, the Bible is a book of prophecy. And those prophecies come true. This alone is sufficient to convince me the Bible is from God.
It was written by about 40 different men, of vastly divergent backgrounds, yet presents a united and coherent picture of God's dealings with mankind. Though completed some 2,000 years ago, the Bible remains the one book available to virtually everyone on the planet in their native tongue.
I find the Bible to be reliable history. Time and time again, critics of the Bible have been silenced as archeology has confirmed more of the Holy Scriptures.
I believe the teachings of Jesus Christ far exceed in wisdom and practical value any other religious teaching. The millions who really live by his teachings find they really work.
These are but a few reasons I am convinced Jehovah is the Bible's real author, and that "All Scripture is inspired of God and beneficial for teaching, for reproving, for setting things straight, for disciplining in righteousness, so that the man of God may be fully competent, completely equipped for every good work." (2 Timothy 3:16,17)

Jayhawker Soule · Apr 28, 2017

"Believe in" is too broad; "rely upon" and "inspired by" are better.

arthra · Apr 29, 2017

I've been exposed to the Bible over much of my life.. from early years as a child and later as an adult and in my later years... For me the Bible is a compendium of revelations over the millennia of time. It has a chronological and historical orientation. The Bible has also been a major influence in our civilization art and literature. Interpretations of the Bible of course vary.. for me there are spiritual and allegorical meanings as well as the historical perspective I mention above.

syo · Jul 7, 2017

there is wisdom in the Bible that helps us live a virtuous life.

The magical volleyball · Jul 7, 2017

I would like to know the cost/benefit analysis people use when deciding to become Christian

Hermit · Nov 18, 2019

To me the Bible is a potential source of wisdom, or understanding of the divine, but it is not the only source or well to drink from. It is better to not limit myself to one book or the knowledge of one faith as by comparing stories and ideas of various groups what is obscure may become clear.

Saint Frankenstein · Nov 18, 2019

I don't believe in the Bible, I believe in God and the Incarnation of the Son as Jesus Christ. The Bible is for inspiration and an aid to understanding, in my view.

IndigoChild5559 · Nov 27, 2019

I'm sure that when you say the Bible you mean the one that Christians use, with books fr.om Genesis to Revelation. I have to say yes and no.

I accept the Tanakh, what Christians presumptuously call the Old Testament (there is nothing old or replaced about it). It is the sacred texts of my people. It contains our books of Law, the writings of our Prophets, and many other Writings. Some of these books contain histories and songs and myths and legends and poetry and plays and all sorts of genres. Even in those genres that are not historical, I accept that they teach me eternal truths. I am not concerned so much as to whether they have errors or not. To me these books help define us as a People. They tell us who we are, where we came from, and where we are going, and... who our God is.

As to the Christian Scriptures, what is commonly called the New Testament, it is merely an intellectual curiosity to me. It has the same kind of place in my life as the Quran or Book of Mormon or the Vedas. I have studied it in order to understand the religion that is predominant. But I know it to contain a great many errors, especially in its downplaying the importance of obedience to God and its skewed presentation of the Tanakh.

j1i · Dec 9, 2019

Basically we have a data source that we inherited from generation to generation
And since the data is sometimes forgotten, changed, or counterfeited, heavenly legislations are attenuated or updated for humans because they fail to apply the most complex instructions in life and are sent through new prophets and messengers, which are new, diluted instructions

It is difficult for a person to believe this, but this is what we knew from our ancestors and the first source we say (Adam) is because he told us that God will send prophets and laws to work on.

And that is every individual who is raised in a society that acquires this knowledge and works in it

I will enter into seriousness in this dialogue

If we bring in newborns, and they live in an environment without giving them any data or information about the gods

You will find them believe in one Creator who created them all

This is a fact that no scientist would dare search

chris baron · Jan 16, 2020

you can understand the present by reading the bible. the pagan cult of the canaanites and all the other idolatrous nations dominates our society today. they gay pride, the transgenderism, the witchcraft/feminism etc. all these things that we see in our degenerating society are described in the bible. every day adds another page to the biblical narrative.

Twilight Hue · Jan 16, 2020

When I used to believe it was due to a bill of goods people sold me.

Arguments like it it's the most widely read book in the world, and because so many people believed in it it must therefore be true. That it permanently transforms lives once the holy Spirit dwells in people. Stuff like that.

Indoctrination when I was a kid. My parents made me go to Sunday school every weekend.

Another thing was my youth life was crappy. I found Church and God to be an oasis. The Bible was poetic enough that it made an interesting read and God mentally became alive and well because of the friendships I had while discussing the Bible. My literary adventures became incredibly immersive as I hung out at the Christian coffee house and found by associating the Bible with the real world, it validated itself at the time that gave me a rose-colored perspective that skewed reality as I lived in that stained glass world.

wellwisher · Jan 17, 2020

The reason I like the bible is it was written long ago, yet it still shows how human nature has not changed in thousands of years. It speaks about our natural human nature, in real life situations, which are still appropriate today. All good classical literature, becomes timeless, because it speaks †o things inside all of us, that do not change with time.

For example, Jesus speaks about the hypocrisy of the leadership in the Church/Temple of his day. Those leaders liked to be seen praying in public, yet they do not put their money where their mouth is, in practice. It reminds of the Democrats leaders of today, where sentiment and concern are plentiful, but results, beyond the drama, is lacking. By learning from the past, one can know the present, since some things do not change.

Another example is how the Progressives call the Evangelicals hypocrites for liking President Trump, since he had a shady past. The answer for why this is so, is the story of Mary Magdalen. She was accused of adultery, and was about to the stoned by the Pharisees, who were inciting the mob against her.

Jesus sees what is going on and said he who is without sin, cast the first stone. The hypocrites, who like to be seen praying and publicly pretending to be pious, had to pull back, since any further action would show that they were not what they appeared to be. Evangelicals understand the lesson and forgive their fellow sinner, since he has turned over a new leaf and now he fights with them.

Mary Magellan was an interesting character. She was not a prostitute, per se, but a Temple Priestess. A Temple Priestess were typically an educated young woman who was skilled with many talents including knowledge of the Scriptures. A modern analogy would be a Japanese Geisha Girl, but religious and connected to the Temple. She was a woman of beauty, talent and education devoted to God.

Part of her job was funding raising, which for some of the priestess could mean "entertaining" rich benefactors, such as upper level Pharisees. She did this quid pro quo to fund raise for the Temple. When Jesus said, he who was without sin cast the first stone, he was actually being very specific, since he knew the traditions, as did everyone else. This possible exposure pissed off the corrupt hypocrites, who then vowed to get even.

Mary Magellan was allowed to visit the grave of Jesus, along with mother Mary. This was not traditional. However, her former role of Priestess, not only gave her a religious prestige, but also had earned her powerful friends.

Harel13 · Jan 17, 2020

I'd be happy to see a source for this.

Why do you believe in the Bible?

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