How can the bible be taken literally?

Question

If the books of the bible were voted on by the a group of bishops , some were included some were rejected, how can this be the voice of god if man decided?
If god worked through the bishops to select which books of the bible why did he not work through all the bishops and not just some?
if he did work through some of the bishops why did he select a bishop to vote for a "true" book in one vote then get him to vote and lose in the next vote on a book?
Did god lose a vote ( and thereby there is a false book in the bible) or was the bishop then abandoned by god to make a mistake in the next vote?

The point is we know how the books were selected, by vote by bishops, how does a literalist explain why certain books were chosen and not others, if the bishops did not get all the books correct

"there are no false books in the bible"
how do you know teh bishops got it right? and why didnt certain bishops get it right on ever book?

Peter was dead by at least 300 years by time they voted on the books in the bible

Answer 1

Its very easy to take it literally, if you're an F'ing moron, which there are tons of on this planet. Some say they do, but I expect many only say they do to fit in with their families and communities.

Answer 2

God gave authority to Heaven to the disciples, A Pope,Peter was chosen to be in charge.
The bible was just a package of notes written from memory by people, The pope and Bishops decide which most express what Jesus wanted.. Any one can write a book for the bible, even you. The trick is getting the approval of The church to recommend it. Different Churches believe and publish different versions of the Bible. Hope they are all OK with God. I personally am Catholic.

Answer 3

Right -- they voted based on the most popular interpretation of Jesus' message. If Jesus came today and preached unconditional love, no sin, no hell, etc., fundamentalists would be VERY angry and change it. He got this dynamic across via the 'good' son in the prodigal son parable (the good son is angry when the father's nature of unconditional love doesn't punish the sinner and doesn't give special reward to the 'obedient', 'faithful', 'good' son). I've talked to people about unconditional love and they do NOT want it -- the immature level of spirituality results in questions like 'then why do good if I'm getting the same reward as the sinners?'. Completely don't get the whole nature of god and, therefore, the message is ALWAYS changed to make people's egos feel good.

Answer 4

How can the bible be taken literally? - I would suggest:
By concentrating on what Jesus said, only.
The OT is, I'm told, the frame work needed to explain how Jesus came to be with us. (Humans did not understand what GOD wanted, even given those powerful prophets.)
The NT is the WORD OF GOD (JESUS) in action, concentrate on following what Jesus instructed us all to do.
Today few, luckily, fear being killed because they are followers of Jesus, so the NT reminds us all of hard times. Keeping the message, from Jesus, pure is quite a story, and feat. Humans will be humans, and as such the rules and trappings of religions, and nations set up by humans can get anyone upset. Through the history of man, as a cycle there are high points and low points, I again suggest focus on Jesus and your family, help your community when ever you can, stretch out the high points as long as you can.

Answer 5

Books of the Bible weren't randomly accepted and rejected. Many so-called gospels were written centuries after the life of Christ. They show obvious gnostic influences and can't be deemed trustworthy. The New Testament books that are considered cannon were written by first hand witnesses and were read by others who had first hand experience.
The "rejected" books are equivalent of me sitting down and writing about the assasination of Abraham Lincoln today and I say that he gave John Wilks Booth the gun and asked to be shot. Am I more trustworthy than the original texts? Or would you trust the words of people who were there?

Answer 6

I believe that God and inspire a man even a group of men. I believe that happened so I believe we have the Bible God wanted us to have... Not only that but a lot of the "Other" books under consideration were in conflict with the books already excepted as scripture....Jim

Answer 7

Forget the bishops, God has chosen the books He wants in the bible. Its should be taken literally, except for the parables Jesus taught, which were identified.

Answer 8

The bible does not stand as proof for the unbeliever. It is not a scientific work. It cannot prove God because God and the bible depend on each other. So, if God doesn't exist, then the bible is untrue. Conversely, if the bible is untrue, then God is a liar and therefore has no credibility.

For the believer, we know the bible to be true, because we know the author. When you get to know God, you recognize his work. You recognize the principles he built the universe on. Likewise, when you read the bible, you get to know who God is.

So, if you choose not to believe in God, then you will not, cannot, accept the bible to be true.

Answer 9

If I thought the Bible was only "a bunch of myths and legends," then I wouldn't want to base my life on it, either. But that's not what it is—not at all.

This is why I invite you to discover the Bible for yourself, and not simply go on what you've heard others say about it. You see, the Bible tells us about real events and real people—people who faced the same challenges we do, and had the same hopes and dreams we have. But many of them had another dimension to their lives also: a spiritual dimension. The reason wasn't just because they believed in God, but because they knew God in a personal way. We can, too.

Most of all, the Bible tells us about Jesus Christ. It tells us who He was and what He did; most of all it tells us He was God in human flesh, sent from heaven to save us from sin and death and judgment. Do you honestly want to know what God is like? Look at Jesus Christ, for in Him "all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form" (Colossians 2:9). He proved it by doing something no one else has ever done: He rose from the dead.

Don't let pride, or fear, or anything else keep you from the Bible, and from the One who is its center: Jesus Christ. When you honestly examine it, you'll discover the greatest truth anyone can ever know: God loves you, and He will change your life as you open your heart to Christ.

Answer 10

Good question and superficial thinking.

A lot of thought and discussion went into the selections. Some was cultural based on the times and may not be relevant today, though most is.

Answer 11

I don't believe that the Bishops have any authority on what God wants. They are just men like you, and me.