The Bible,a best seller, but is it true?
By sharone74
@sharone74 (4837)
United States
June 1, 2009 7:50am CST
I find a lot of the content of the bible sounds like mythology and ancient tales that were passed down from generation to generation. I don't believe that all of it is true, I also don't believe it is all false, because the myths and legends had to have had some basis in fact at some point. However as they say the truth resonates within each of us, I don't think that one has to be religious to be spiritual or active in any one faith in order to get into heaven if there is such a place where we go when we pass from here. I think that living a moral life, trying to love one another and not hate at all, and get through this life without hurting other people that this may just be good enough. God reads the heart so it is said. While the word of God and the practice of religion were intended to join us all together as one huge brotherhood and fellowship in the name of God, as far as I can tell, that in the sea of blood that has been shed in religious confrontations, by religious orders, and zealots, that intent has been swept so far away that humanity could not reach back to a place where such a world could be realized.
The Bible is used by most God worshipping sects and by the greater number of religions as a reference work. They say that the greatest best selling book of all time The Bible (in all of its versions and languages)was written by men of faith and that every word in it is the Gospel truth. I submit that even men of faith can be misguided and even men of faith are guilty of the sin of pride. If being among the writers of the Holy Bible carried with it status and the cache of being closer to God than your fellow man, I would make the assumption that there were some few non God guided writers who submitted work of questionable origins.
What do you believe, and what do you think (if the two are different)?
2 people like this
9 responses
@Freemind2pointo (12)
• Canada
1 Jun 09
I personally find the bible to be a good book, full of many significant situations that allow people to adapt and to become as well adjusted to life as possible. This also comes from the basics of "Do unto others as you would have done unto yourself", along with the ten commands and such. I personally think that as a teaching tool the bible is a great book, and although it may conflict with some of my beliefs, for I am an agnostic, I do not write out the bible as a book of myth. With that being said however, I also do not think that all of the bible is true,and that much of it is open to interpretation.
As for the comment about best seller, that is something that truly should not have anything to do with the bible. I am sure that there are many places where the bible is free, as it should be. It also stands to reason though that churches may require funding, and "donating" to purchase a bible seems like a commendable reason for helping out the church.
@Aragon5000 (28)
• Netherlands
2 Jun 09
The Bible is what you make of it. It can be anything you want it to be. A piece of paper, book of instructions, fairy tales, spiritual book. That is why it is the most popular book of all time. To me it is a spiritual book that comes alive.
Bless
@Freemind2pointo (12)
• Canada
2 Jun 09
Thank you very much for responding with constructive beleives and values on the subject, instead of dogma. I believe that you have a solid point. The bible is a very good book, and should be taken for whatever someone makes of it, provided its uses remain wholesome, and are not made to cause war.
@Aragon5000 (28)
• Netherlands
2 Jun 09
No it should never be used for wars,NEVER! If anything at all people should pick the love of Christ in teh bible and use as example for their daily life. Always loving one another and ready to forgive no matter what. That is the good news in the bible and people should concentrate on that.
Bless u Freemind2pointo
@mathss1 (1181)
• United States
2 Jun 09
The Bible is unquestionably the world's all-time bestseller with an estimated 2 billion copies in print. The Bible was completed in its entirety nearly 2,000 years ago and stands today as the best-preserved literary work of all antiquity, with over 24,000 ancient New Testament manuscripts discovered so far (compare this with the second best-preserved literary work of all antiquity, Homer's Iliad, with only 643 preserved manuscripts discovered thus far). The printing press wasn't invented until the 1450's, but we have hand-written copies of the Old Testament dating back to the 200's BC. Remarkably, these ancient manuscripts are nearly identical to the Bible we read today.
http://www.allabouttruth.org/bible-truth.htm
@sharone74 (4837)
• United States
6 Jun 09
When you are seeking to copy and share what you believe is the Holy word of God, I am sure that changes and typos were not welcome, and furthermore that the scribes who were entrusted with this sacred duty of preserving the written word of God , in a world that didn't have the tools to study such inexplicable things as catastrophic floods, entire cities being swallowed up by caracks in the earth that upon swallowing people houses and everything above ground and then just close back up over it all , and cities and nations being beset by widespread plagues, and meteor showers. (which made embracing a belief that God was behind all of these things and that these events were judgements upon the whole of the affected areas and peoples muc heasier to swallor and thus much more palatable.) However the modern scientist with his cameras, and computers, and specialized microscopes, telescopes, and other equipment have provided us with many logical explanations for things that have their basis in naturally occuring phenomena which used to be unexplained, unexpalinable, and awe inspiring events that people reasoned were beyond the meer power of man.
@Adoniah (7513)
• United States
1 Jun 09
The Tanach or the Hebrew Bible is a history of a people grappling with the idea of Monotheism. It is the story of a people struggling, of their successes and their failures with this new concept. It is also full of poetry and words of wisdom. It contains laws and common sense ideas. It has many areas of extreme harshness that are not followed today as they are seen as holdovers from the pagan times.
You can believe it is the inspired word of G'd or not. No matter what you believe it is still the greatest Book ever written.
Shalom~Adoniah
@sharone74 (4837)
• United States
6 Jun 09
I have absolutely no problem with the book itself nor the stories that it contains. In fact I agree with almost every point that you made. However you didn't answer the question. Do you believe that it is the "gospel-truth". Yes the book has some beautiful theology and certainly many of the messages that are contained in the religous text on how we should love our neighbor and try to uplift the poor and the suffering are good ideas for interpersonal interraction and as for a way to live, I can't see any real problem with most of it. Except for the call to throw reason and intellect over the rail and follow the path blindly. I don't believe in religious zealotry when it is carried to the point of trying to force another to accept the "truth" as you see it.
@6precious102 (4043)
• United States
2 Jun 09
There are things in the Bible that do seem fantastic, but they can neither be proved nor disproved. So, what you have to do is check out the things that can be proven. If the things that can be proven prove to be correct, wouldn't it stand to reason that the rest is also?
@TheGreatWhiteBuffalo (4822)
• United States
2 Jun 09
What I believe is that there is a GOD a higher power a source of all spirits that know the truth.
What I think is what you wrote that the hand of man has passed over the pages of a book that is supposed to be true and it is not.
We were brainwashed to think of the Bible as the inerrant true work of GOD. Written by men promoting a patriarchal structure for worship.
I could go on for days and weeks on this subject of which so much has already been written.
@justinus (1104)
• Karawaci, Indonesia
2 Jun 09
I trust to Bilbe and it is true. But please dont take them only word by word, I mean its message is good and true means no other rule in this earth really against the Bible content, to love God, to others as we love our self. We will be trapped into debate when we catch it by words only, I hope so, and thank you for interesting topic
@lululastrange (339)
• United States
2 Jun 09
The bible is a book of social and political guidelines that should be followed by what ancient politicians thought were good dutiful citizens.
There are many good things in the bible, but just like anything you should only take it with a grain of sand.
Or should I say a mustard seed?
