The Bible; How do I know it's true, is it a CONSPIRACY???

Question

First off I'm in no way an atheist, just a skeptic. And in no way very religious just spiritual. I believe in karma, a greater Being, and good morals. But I believe only what I've felt thru experience n therefore don't trust what every1 else has to say about the general idea of Christ/God. I know that History is incorrect and has many flaws, so what keeps the Bible from being wrong, or not even wrong but just a bunch of bull to keep faith in somethin? If man man wrote the Bible (COrrect me if Im wrong) than how do I know they haven't changed the stories that have happened. Or How do I know the original story hasn't been lost through the years? And therefore why should I put any merit into the Bible? N can I just live my life doing what I feel is moraly Right and Just, yet still be considered a candidate for a good after life or am I destined to Eternal Damnation for not trusting in written word? I'm not sayin the whole thing is wrong, just untrustworthy, What do you guys have to say?

Answer 1

I am also a skeptical person. I have problems with basing any faith on the Bible because growing up in a Christian home I was exposed to it and actually read it. I had lots of problems with some of the stuff in it and many of the explanations or "apologetics" really added up for me. In the end religion is a matter of faith. No one can prove they have the definitive "truth". I personally believe if I live a decent life and do my best to be a good person a just God would not burn me in hell. I really can't imagine a being who would be that powerful they could create a universe but so petty they would be secretive and obtuse about their existence and then punish you for not choosing the right church. Too wierd. There are many people though who will tell me I am going to burn in hell. That is fine by me so long as I am not forced to live by their rules, we live in a free society where people should be allowed to make up their own minds and follow their own hearts.

Some books that I have read that really made absolute belief in the Bible impossible for me that you might want to check out.


Who Wrote the Bible? by Richard E. Friedman

The Jesus Puzzle: Did Christianity Begin with a Mythical Christ? Challenging the Existence of an Historical Jesus by Earl Doherty

Misquoting Jesus : The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why (Hardcover) by Bart Ehrman

This is not to say that I don't find some useful and good things to take out of the Bible. Just I don't base my whole personal belief system on it. Like when the new testament (which is supposed to be so much nicer as the new convenent between people and God) says that women should not be allowed to speak in church and if they go to church without their head covered they should have their hair shaved off, etc...

Good luck with your spiritual seeking. Peace.

Answer 2

Well yes, the bible is a joke. There are books just about its contradictions and inconsistencies. No the message was not lost in translation, if god wanted us to hear his message, he would not let that happen. You can't go to hell if you don't believe in it. To me it does not exist. If the bible had been the word of god, and it was rewritten many times, the message would have been lost. When you tell your friend you went out with a girl, he tells someone else that you kissed here, then that guy says you screwed her, then he says you were at the playboy mansion with 30 girls, and on down the line. Yes if it had been the word of god, it would have been lost. If you have your system to morally guide you that is OK. Just don't turn to Christianity. All are born with the knowing of what is right, even animals. That is enough for me. As an atheist, I think that you may one day see that you don't need anything, but your senses. You are half there.

Answer 3

That is a complex question, and one I'm sure noone can really answer for you. There is plenty of proof that the Bible is very real... science and history have both proven it. But you also have to believe that though it was written by men, it was inspired of God. That takes a little faith, but the best argument I have is that the book has survived aaall these thousands of years virtually unchanged. Yes, there were mistranslations in the KJV, but those wrongs are being righted. Not only that, but the separate books themselves were written by so many different people and yet the overall harmony of the entire collection is quite evident!
All these are true but, as I said, your question is one that really only you can answer. Learn everything you can and then ask yourself whether or not you can put any credibility to the Bible's claims! That's the only way to do it hon. :)

Answer 4

I'll use my same ole tired example lol .... the chair you are sitting in.

When you first got your chair, how did you know it'd hold you up when you sat down? Seriously, did you believe the manual, coz those people have an obvious agenda, if they put "this chair falls over when you sit in it" they would need a new job eventually, because no one would buy it. Or maybe you asked your friends, and they all have the same kind of chair. But are your friends really all that trustworthy?

Rather, my hunch is that you just sort of sat down and tested your weight. After a little while, you decided the chair wasn't going to fall over and you relaxed completely in it.

Same as the Bible, we can tell you all day how it's the actual Words of God, the real deal, straight from His heart and is the Truth and the Life and the Way with all capital letters, but until you sit down and try it for yourself, you'll never know.

Answer 5

One major rule of advertising is this: The more popular something is, the more people will trust it. It's called "Branding." But this is exploitation of a human vulnerability. So many people believe the bible because, well, because so many already believe it. One could argue that it's popular because god made it so, but that idea is flawed because the Muslims claim the same about their Qu'ran. Personally I have found that the bible contradicts the reality which I perceive around me, so I have basically scrapped that book and use only parts of it as reference. If god ever wrote a book, it would knock your socks off would it not? Bible is nice but it's clearly only the work of holy men (some not-so-holy). My bible is not a book (I don't lock the divine up in books), my bible is the whole universe and beyond.

Answer 6

Ask yourself some of the following questions:

- Why would Christianity be *the* correct religion, but not Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Shintoism.....?

- In what year took the Bible it´s current form? Who made the decision what to include, what not? Why do Orthodox Catholics, Roman Catholics and Protestants not use the same Bible, with the same books?

- What parts of the Bible have their equivalents or counterparts in the Holy Books of other religions? Why those? Why not other parts? Who copied from whom?

- Why are there factual differences in the four Gospels? What other inconsistencies are there? Why are Genesis 1 and 2 already inconsistent?

Good luck!

Answer 7

The bible is probably the most tested historical document ever. Many have tried to prove it wrong, only to have those trying be convinced of the truth. Christ said blessed be those who have never seen me. We do not have the luxury the the disciples did, but there are too many facts and testimonies, even from those who hated Christ, that He is the Son of God.

If you live like there is no God, you better be right, eternity is a long time to be wrong.

Answer 8

Well, we all have our own faiths and beliefs that keep us going. If you want to believe in a book and base your faith around that, more power to ya! If you want to base it in karma or even many gods, that's cool too. I think that religion is what you make it. Sure some dude wrote a book that everybody believes in and to some of us, it makes no sense, but to others, that's what keeps them going, gives them hope. I don't do the whole bible thing, but I have great morals and believe that I will 'graduate' to a wonderful afterlife. I mean, there are many different religions that other cultures and societies have. They aren't all going to hell, right? I don't think you need a book that a human wrote to make you one with 'god', do what feels right to YOU.

Answer 9

Well, if you deserve Eternal Damnation for that... Then I am ready to go with ya. I had the same questions, yes you should never just follow someone else. It is human to question, no matter what anyone says. God would want you to use that free will it gave you to think, not to blindly flock with people when you have doubts.

Answer 10

If you study the bible you come to know that it is scientifically wrong and full of wrong prophecies. so how can this be a word of God. Only Islam is the complete religion. The Qur'an is proven to be the word of God, scientifically. It told things 1400 years ago which the world has now come to know. go to this website and download the debate by dr. zakir naik http://www.aswatalislam.net/DisplayFilesP.aspx?TitleID=2054