Is there proof that the bible is real?

Question

I've been questioning this for a long time... im the type of person who needs proof of something to believe it. i really dont know whether to believe in god or not. i mean, how do we know that the bible is not just a made up pack of lies?

Answer 1

The entire bible? No. In fact, there is proof that parts of the bible are inaccurate (like Genesis), and there is proof that parts of the bible really happened (we know many hisotrical leaders and occurances actually happened).

- We've found Herod's palace, and it implies he was as carefree as the bible portrays him as. One point for bible

- We've found egyptian records that range from acheivements to embarassments. They were quite meticulous at their historical records...yet no mention of Moses, losing their slaves, losing their first borns, plagues, etc. One point against.

- We've found evidence of a mass flood, one point for

- It would be impossible for all species alive today to fit on the boat, not to mention carry enough food, deal with waste, etc. One point against.

So you see, the bible is much like Greek or Egyptian mythology. It is what was thought to have been known at the time...some of it was correct, some based on false rumor.

Answer 2

John's gospel is great for help here. In particular, at the end of the gospel he says a few times that he was actually there and knows that everything he wrote happened, and the very reason he wrote it down was so that the readers could believe.

God wants us to have faith. I've been a Christian for a while and know all the "proofs" that He's there, both from personal experience and otherwise, yet I find I still need to have some faith. I have found that when you take a step of faith, God reassures you that He's there in some way. The tricky part is being able to have faith in the first place.

If you want proof from the BIble I'd check out the last two verses in Isaiah 52 and all of Isaiah 53. This is stuff that was written over 700 years before Jesus came. It's amazing. And there's a bunch more fulfilled prophecies in the Old Testament about Jesus...

But perhaps the only proof that you'll ever really feel satisfied by is your own personal experience. I could tell you about mine and how I've prayed and had my prayers answered and so on, but it wouldn't be the same. Seek and you will find. That's Jesus' promise.

I'll pray for you.




Edit:
As for n2rj's response, I think that's about the most illogical answer I have seen on Yahoo Answers yet. I've never heard anyone, even people who didn't believe in the Bible, ever theorize something like that. The Bible is the single most popular book in history and we have far more ancient copies of it than any other book ever. I watch the history channel too and I've seen historians on there date all four gospels as being written before 100 A.D.

Answer 3

The Bible as literal history:

As a general rule of thumb, if a historical event is described in the Bible, there is archaeological evidence to support the claim.

The big exception to this is Exodus. There are no Egyptian records of Israelites being slaves, and leaving in a large number, all at once. Likewise, there is no debris in the Sinai dessert to indicate that a 600 000 men, plus women, children, and animals wandered there for forty years. One theory holds that that archaeological evidence has not been found, simply because the archaeologists have been looking in the wrong place, and Saudi Arabia won't let them look in the right place. This theory has two major problems: Bad geography in the Bible, and no explanation for the lack of Egyptian records.

Is the Bible theologically sound?

How one answers this, depends upon ones religious beliefs.

Breaking down the canon of various religions.
* The Gospels, Psalms, and Torah are canonical for Islam.
* Orthodox Christianity holds the books of the Old Testament, new Testament, and roughly 15 other books to be canonical.
* Catholic Christianity holds the Old Testament, the New Testament, and roughly 6 other books to be canonical. [Bel, Susanna, and The Song of the Three Young Men can be counted as individual books, or as a part of Daniel -- hence "roughly".]
* Protestant Christianity holds to the Old Testament and New Testament.
* The Tanach is the Sacred Text of Judaism. This corresponds to the Christian Old Testament.
* The Torah is held to be canonical by the Samaritans.
* At this juncture, I will ignore several other religions that claim the Bible, in whole or in part as canonical. They all include the Torah as part of their canonical texts.

Depending upon whether one considers Catholic Christianity, Orthodox Christianity, and Protestant Christianity to be one religion or three religions, that means that the Torah is canonical by either Four religions, or Six religions.

The only other text which is sacred to more than one religion is the Bhagavad Gita. Depending upon how one counts, it is sacred to either two or three religions. [Is Hinduism one religion, or a blanket phrase to describe four different religions?] It also is a sacred text in some strains of Buddhism.

If one adopts the principle that "the majority is never wrong", then the Torah is theologically true. Any text which is to be considered to be included in the Canon, must conform to the teachings of the Torah.

At this point one can use the teachings of Roman Catholicism, to refute the additional material in the Orthodox Christian canon. One then uses the teachings of Protestant Christianity, to refute the additional material in the Catholic canon. One then uses the teachings of Judaism, to refute the New Testament. One then uses the teachings of the Samaritans, to refute the additional material used by Judaism.

To refute Islam, one can either use the teachings of Judaism, or the teachings of Protestant Christianity. Judaism, because the Q'ran teaches that one must also worship a Goddess. Christianity, because the Q'ran teaches that Jesus was not resurrected. (Since the Gospels are canonical to Islam, that means that it teaches both that Jesus was resurrected, and that he was not resurrected. Hence, it demonstrates itself to be a false religion. A further demonstration that Islam is a false religion, is that it denounces worship of anybody, or anything other than Allah, and then turns around and permits Goddess worship.)

Maybe you'd prefer to go the route of _The Bhagavad Gita_.
If so, it might be wise to remember that Krishnamurti claimed to have never read the Bhagavad Gita.

Belief in God.

This is as much as matter of definition, as anything else. The Daoist neither knows, nor cares, if there is a God. What he does see, is this thing called "Dao" that exists everywhere. It is, for the Daoist, omnipresent, omniscient, and omnipotent. Sound familiar? That is the general definition of God, for Christianity. But don't tell Christians that they are pantheists. Literally viewed, that is an accurate description of their God.

You want Proof?

The more correct question is "What do I accept as proof?" ["I" being the person who asked the original question.]

Unless (or until, for those of a Pentecostal persuasion) one is touched by God, one can not have proof of the existence, or might of God. Until that point, one merely looks at a thunderstorm, and marvel at is beauty. After that point, one can feel it as "God at Play", and proof that there is a God.

But then the Muslim can look at the same thunderstorm, and see in it proof that Allah created the world. The Daoist looks at the same thunderstorm, and feels the Dao pulsing around the multiverse.

I should be writing this in my blog, instead of here.

Answer 4

It's always good to get proof for something before you believe in it, but remember that God is a person far more complex than we are. We are one of the parts in his creation of the vast universe. His works and intentions therefore are far too intricate for us to completely understand.

A priest once said, "For the past fifty years, I have devoted my life into studying the works of the Lord. Fifty years later, I have found two things: There is a God, and I am not Him."

Oh, and regarding the Da Vinci Code stuff, the Church may hide stuff from us, but that doesn't matter. the Church is still our community, and together, we are still the Children of the Lord. Whether or not there is a descendant of Jesus, they are no different than us. We are all called to do our job on this world, and do it well.

Answer 5

Hi Young lady. My name is Roy Williams . I am a child of God and so are you. It's not good to always want to see things before you believe it. That doesn't build up faith. If you need faith then here is something that will help you to get to know the Lord better. Turn the pages of your Bible to Jeremiah 33rd chapter 3 verse . You will read where God said that if we call (pray) to Him that He will answer us and show us great and mighty things that we do not know. This will be a very good time for you to ask God to help you to have Faith in Him. Try it and pay attention to the inner voice of God because He will speak to you through you spirit. The exciting part is that you will know it's God speaking to you. God bless you and may you always remember that He is your father and will never leave you all alone.

Answer 6

No. There is no proof. To take it one step further look at how many variations of the same book there are. The bible, while often being claimed as the word of god, was wrote by man.

If there was proof that the bible is real, that it's contents were to be fact, then the book would be history and christianity would be called science.

Answer 7

Blurs is right- its all faith.. i think there is proof because the apostles first wrote it then it got published and carried over the genrations... just faith believe in it and pray no matter what and you will live a happy life...the day you stop praying is the day you die ( not physically, but spiritually) my religion teacher taught me this- he is amazing so just keep praying and you will stay safe and live a happy life- dont question your faith just believe- ill tell you a story:
there was this guy trying to figure out the holy trinity, he was walking along the beach as he saw an angel disguesed as a boy- he was filling up a hole with water from the sea. the guy asked the boy " wat are you doing?" and the angel replied " im going to remove all the water from the sea into this hole with my bucket" then the guy replied " that is impossible" then the angel replied "it is more possible to do this then to figure out the holy trinity" and vanished.
so overall just believe and increase your faith and you will live a happy eternal life in heaven.

Answer 8

I've been reading the responses. I guess I should expect both seriousness and silliness, as well as a wide range of approaches to "faith."

But according to Romans 10:17, faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.

1) Faith comes by hearing.

You can't come to believe in that which you have not heard.

I suggest you read for yourself, and decide for yourself.

As Jesus challenged the multitudes, "And why do you not even on your own initiative judge what is right?" (Luke12:57) So I challenge you.

For the Word of God is living and active...Heb 4:12

It will come alive for you as well, but only if you read it.

None of your questions will ever be answered if all you do is ask others, while leaving the Good Book resting on a shelf.

Are you truly searching for proof?

Let the Bible speak for itself, and if it is the Word of God, then let God Himself speak to you through His written words.

Answer 9

The Bible is real, it exists, and has existed for a long time. It contains the testimony and witness of various people, their faith, their experience of God, and what they believe to be true about God, faith, the Church, Jesus Christ and his teachings. I look at the Bible as a wise old friend, who can help me in my faith. I don't try to see it as an ultimate authority, or as a science or history book.

Answer 10

Proof is all around you. God made many promises in the Bible and we have seen them come true throughout history. Unfortunately for you though, God says that it is impossible to please Him without faith. If you are going to insist on proof about every little thing without exercising any faith, you will not spend a pleasant eternity.

Answer 11

It's like the story of the three little pigs. No pigs built houses, no wolf blew them down. But the truth is you should build your house with solid material. The story tells you that.

So I don't throw out the story of the three little pigs because it's not real. The truth is still there.

If you find some ounce of spiritual truth in the stories, use it. Believe in the truth, not in whether the stories are historically facts.