What's easier? Believing the literal words of the Bible, or not believing the literal words of the Bible?

Question

I think it's easier not to believe for these reasons:
You have logic and science to contradict a lot of it. And you use science and logic in every aspect of your life, but religion. And it was written by men who believed the earth was flat and dragons were real. But it's hard to actually believe and have faith and disregard science and logic. My wife believes big time. I believe in God, but not a lot of the Bible. Men wrote that. Say that it's God's word all you want. Men still wrote it. Anyway....that's my take on it. What's yours? And what's easier?

Answer 1

Unless you have read the actual original writings you are reading interpretations. The information that is passed off as the words of "God" were men's words interpreted and translated by other men.

The only people that could read and write in the time of Moses and Jesus were scribes, clergy and royalty. These people, being human, were less than objective, had preconceived prejudices and agendas.

If a diety was worth it's salt, it would do a much better job of communicating important policies. It would know it's creation
well enough to entrust it with only what it could accurately grasp and pass along (do you give important messages to infants?).

There have been numerous versions of the bible (do you think King James had truth or his best interests in mind?).

Why would a diety impart such alleged important information at such an inopportune juncture of humanities devolopment (you would think it might have an ideal of the outcome).

I like the flat world bit (Gallileo was imprisoned by God's & the Bibles keepers for informing them that the earth was a sphere).

The immaculate/divine conception would be called rape if it happened today. Then God would be a derelict dad for not paying child support.

If Jesus were to show up in the USA looking like he did the first time with no visa or green card, he would probably be deported or sent to Gitmo.

The bible puts women as afterthoughts, spare ribs, inferior and subservient to men (that is just ignorant).

Good chance the bible is fiction reading (not reference).

Reading the same book over and over is rather
limiting ones ability to reason.

Try reading someother books.

Religion in general has caused more harm than good.

Those people in the middle east (the holy land) are residing in hell on earth (would you want to live there?).

Better to be illiterate than to read and believe the bible.

Answer 2

Actually, in reference to your comment about the world being flat, the Bible is the ONLY written document before the time of Columbus that stated that the world was indeed a sphere. Read the book of Isaiah.

Also, if you apply the time dilation effect of Einstein's Theory of Relativity to the Big Bang, then the whole thing really did happen in only 6 days. Go figure, huh?

Before the invention of the telescope, scientists had quite a competition to count the number of stars in the sky, which was universally agreed to be a finite number, with all estimates somewhere in the lower 1000's. The Bible on the other hand has always stated that the number of stars in the sky are so numerous that they aren't countable. And we now know that each one of the many galaxies out there contain at least 20 trillion stars. Each. And we still don't know precisely how many galaxies there are, but you can't count them on your fingers and toes.

Answer 3

I disagree... I find it easier to take it at it's word than to say it's a metaphor because for one thing, logic varies from person to person, what you find logical might not be logical to the next person. Also, if you don't take it literally then there is no point in taking it at all. Which is what non believers do. I find more logic in the Bible than in a lot of science, you do not. So you say "I believe in God but not a lot of the Bible" would it be logical to even believe ANY of the Bible? Why would what you believe in the Bible be any more true than the rest? Why is it false if you find it hard to believe? Should we then go to YOU for what is believable in the Bible? Or is truth subject to the person testing it? See? I dont see much logic here :)

Answer 4

Hey, you don't have to use logic or science or contradict it.

There is a rather substantial part of the Bible that is metaphor, allegory, and parable. Even Jesus taught in parables. But many folks who take everything literally can't comprehend these sorts of devices.

I encounter this every term when I teach Plato's "Allegory of the Cave". There are some folks who take it literally, when it is an allegory.

I don't mean to disagree with you, but I don't think that it's an "either/or" proposition - reason or faith. I've posted on this several times. But many people in both camps argue that it is one or the other.

And as you note, God didn't write the Bible. Men who believed that they were inspired by God and men who were alleged to be inspired by God may have. (That doesn't even take into account which books were canonized and which were discarded.)

Answer 5

The best paraphrased line that I can remember is "Study to show yourself approved". In answer to your question, it is easier to not believe the literal words of the Bible. I believe that my relationship with God has to be that I can question whatever I have read the the interpretation that is called the Bible. I have to find my own understanding and work with it. This helps me to be a better person.

Answer 6

Believing the literal words of the Bible

Answer 7

Not believing is easier. But that doesn't make it right or good, let alone best. What's easier - sleeping in or getting up and going to work every day? What’s easier - sitting around eating junk food all the time, or eating healthy & exercising? What's easier - washing your clothes and putting them away or re-wearing them until the either stink so bad you can't even stand yourself or they fall off of you? What’s easier – washing your dishes or leaving them piled up with crust all over them until you are overrun with roaches & rats? One more time – what’s easier – leaving your trash pile up like Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout (kudos if you’re old enough to know who that is) or to take it out to the trash dumpster? As you can see, there are a number of things that are easy but not what the right, good or best thing to do.

Answer 8

it's easier because you've had secular science crammed down your throat since birth. but, just as there are entire industries devoted to christian music as opposed to secular music, there is an entire christian community devoted to science. and their research is astounding! and even helps prove the literal words of the bible! Dr. Kent Hovind is an excellent teacher on creation science. Yes, it may take abit of work to get around the ideas you grew up with, but once you do a bit of research from anotehr point of view, you can see where christians logic and science really lines up with the way the world looks.

Answer 9

I do not know which is easier but for me believing in the Bible is best, but I do not take it all literally much is written in parables and symbolic language, some is History.

Answer 10

The Bible was never meant to be taken literally. If you actually do take the Bible stories literally, you must really have an imaginative mind.