here's what i've picked.....perplexes me?

Question

as a devout christian, i know that there r many positive things in the bible, meant for a better life. but, it's true that there are negative aspects of any item also. 2 of the bible which i was thnking abt are:
1) most of the women in the bible are portrayed as merely MACHINES which give babies, or harlots or sinful, nothing else. they're just there to make up that BEGOT space in the bible
2) the statement that JESUS DIED FOR OUR SINS is exaggerated. there is no practical effect of this in the world. the world is morally corrupt as ever
what's the meaning behind just saying tht accept jesus for ur salvation for an eternal life......when life on earth is so bad???

I want sensible answers for believers mostly, not atheists.

hey i'm getting very good answers. itz become real tough for me to pick out one. all have something worth thinking abt

Answer 1

About question 1:
The women were portrayed poorly because the socio-politcal situation dictated it. Women meant less back in those days. Women weren't even important enough to be mentioned in ancient texts. This doesn't mean that women were socially abused. It was merely the ways of the times.

About question 2:
"For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God". Sound familiar? That's what you said. "... the world is morally corrupt." due to sin, man is doomed to eternal damnation - eternal separation from God. In order to be saved - to be absolved from our sins - there must be a sacrifice. Blood must be shed. That sacrifice was Jesus. He died once AND for ALL.

But you are still wondering why life on earth is crappy.

The Bible and God's teachings could be spread and heard by all but not everyone subscribes to it. It's like telling a kid not to play with fire. Man still gets burned for his stubbornness.

Answer 2

I am a follower of the Tao, this is not an atheist, nor an agnostic. That makes me a believer, just not a believer in the Christian doctrine.

The Christian bible was put together leaving out many "gospels" written about the life of Jesus by a group that eventually became the Catholic church. It was done so in a time when women were little more than property so it is not surprising that the portrayal of women is so limited.

Perhaps if you knew the difference between morals and ethics you would not be so upset by the "morally corrupt" world.

Morals are between you and your God, ethics are the social interaction between mortals. It is the worlds ethics that are sorely lacking, not necessarily their morals.

Since it is very good business to conquer and to war upon others, it is unlikely that there will be world peace anytime in the near future.(this has been true since before the crusades.. plundering conquering, demanding tribute from those you protect is the path to wealth.) The basics have not changed, they have just moved up into a new and hi tech mode. (Americans pay taxes which go to wage war on others to stimulate the economy.)

The current administration has broken over 800 of our own laws, and feels justified in continuing to break laws. The bible set down laws of behavior, which have been continually broken throughout history.

If you want relevance in your religion, then perhaps a study of other religions might put things in perspective. You very well might remain a Christian, and the bible is not a bad book, but must be looked at with knowledge of the time it was written, and the mis-translations from the Hebrew and Greek. (an example is the word virgin, which originally meant a woman who had not borne a child.. you see what I mean?)

In any case, I hope you find a way to make peace with your religion, as it can be a great comfort in times of trial.

Answer 3

Well when you ask a question like this dont expect a SENSIBLE Answer cause the definition of Sensible is your own, whats sensible to me can be a nonsense to you, so always have an open mind and always be ready to accept any point of view.

So here i go......I am a Christian....but I dont read the Bible....I dont go to Church.....You know why ???

Because our history basically and may be actually an illusion. Lets start with your 1st Point - WOMEN.

All throught out our history when kings ruled the world what did the world was like - killings , conquest , killings thats about it...

The current system of society that exists today started maybe some 200 or 300 yrs back....

I am a guy but i dont mind excepting that its the Women who are the smarter lot when you actually see. Men in majority are ruled by either their egos or mothers or dreams, but Women go by instincts they are the key input to any decision making.

If you look closely our history will tell you the same story...now its very demeaning for a man or a king to accept or consider a women to be a smarter lot then men during those times....all the historical war that happened in the past somewhere a women was involved...politacally....she was the one who told all these hero caracters the difference between life and killings...

So women were all hated...and remember the bible was not written by any god or ever Jesus...it was written by some human who were later promoted or designated as Saints its all corrupted...i really need not get into all the details of it...

If you really explore the history of the bible there are too many shocking instances...maybe we can go on on this topic....

Jesus never died for anyones sins....he was killed ...

You know what i can go on forever on this so my opinion would be to stop going by the Bible...and explore its history first you will be shocked and surprised.....

Answer 4

I understand your point and you are correct but it was men that did that not God. There are women that played important roles in the bible such as Esther, Ruth, Naomi, Sarah, Rebekah, Leah, Rachel, Mary the mother of Christ, Mary Madalene and many more I can't think of at this time. Did you know that at the time of Judges, when there was no king to rule israel, the nation was lead by special people called "Judges" and Samson was one, but did you know that a woman named "Deborah" was a Judge over the entire nation israel? well it's true.
I understand that sometimes it is hard to understand the bible but there are so many things that is not yet understood by even the Ministers of God. They are only men and they don't have all the answers but if you study hard and allow the spirit to bring to you the spiritual knowledge of God, I am certain that you will begin to understand more and more of the bible.
Christ came to save us from the devil's hold.... the devil once held the keys of death that when a person died, they were actually held to the grave until Christ came to take away that keys and release all of God's people that was held by the devil.... all the way back to Adam and Eve..... the salvation is in the fact that we can now go directly to God and Christ in paradise.

Life on earth will never get better untill Christ returns. It is the devil that governs the earth and we are here to battle the devil... so there can be no peace because mankind is too caught up in the world and this world is being influenced big time by the devil.

Don't give up.... get knowledge and understanding. Christ be with us who believe.

Answer 5

My kids asked me one day...If there is only one God, then why do we say: the father the son and holy spirit? Where's the word God and why are there 3? I myself could not answer that using common sense, knowing there is only One God. Jesus was a special prophet I tell them now. Only God has the power to forgive our sins. God made everything for a reason and life is not easy....there are trials and tribulations and each can only try to do his best for himself, for those in need and show thanks to God by prayer and leading a good life.
Try picking up an english Qur'an...its quite beautiful, easy to understand, common sense and it answers every question that the Bible had me confused me about.
The Bible and Christianity has changed over hundreds of years to accomodate new rules or take out old ones. As in your very example of Mary Magdalene. The Qur'an offers that all of the prophets past taught ways to live and their teachings are true, however, some of the original teachings had been altered...and that has lead to so many people moving away from religion. It also states in the Qur'an that there are some who follow Christianity and Judaism properly. You just have to hope you can see through the misunderstandings and follow your heart! The Qur'an has remained true from its beginning.

Answer 6

It's obvious that you have not spent much time actually studying the scriptures. If you had, you would not be saying what you're saying. The bible is full of righteous women. Jesus died for our sins, to meet the demands of justice. We could not achieve salvation and eternal life without this selfless act. Yes, the earth is a sin filled place. We are all sinners. If He had not met the demands for justice, we would all fall short of eternal life with our Father in Heaven. Jesus paid that price for us. Not to change the world but to save us sinners who believe in Him and do all we can to live like Him.

Answer 7

Esther and Ruth are from the Old Testament, and they go against the grain. Life was very different for women back in biblical days, and the sacred authors were men, so this may have tainted the view of women somewhat.
If you, here in 2006, are a devout Christian, along with millions of others, then Jesus obviously did something right! And He died 2006 years ago...

Answer 8

1.) I personally agree. Many people are not considered worthy within the works of the bible. In fact the bible repeatedly says people like me should be murdered.

2.) If Jesus died for my sins he made a mistake. I take full responsibility for my being. Yes I have done many bad things, I have done many good things. However, to this day nobody has been killed in my name. I hope things stay that way.

I do not pretend to love the bible but I do acknowledge its word. It does have clear messages that are worthy of listening to. I choose to devote my time to the study of the truth, wherever it may be. I am an Occultist.

Hails to my truth,
Silence

Answer 9

Jesus died for our sins, but we must accept him.

And women are 'lower' but not by much, Eve sinned first. But that doesn't mean women should be treared worse. Womens place is in the home, raising children. Women shouldn't be running a church. Women should work, but not if they have childred under 5 (or even 10 for some Christian women).

Yes there are harlots, but the word harlot used alot in the Bible is in reference to unfaithful people. Women have the ability to be as close to God as any man.

Look at how Jesus treated mary. He didn't have women as his 12, but he did have women disciples. Woman can work in the church and can work for God. BUT they cannot run it.

Answer 10

On number one, check out Esther and Ruth. Also, keep in mind that, against popular belief, Mary Magdalene was not a prostitute; the Catholic Church has publically stated that this was a misinterpretation.