I was raised Christian and always read the Bible and believed it. Well, mostly because I believe in evolution and don't think homosexuality is a sin that sort of thing. But mostly I was a devout Christian.
But I just realized today that the Bible is a two thousand year old translation of an extinct language and we don't have any original copies. I still believe in Jesus and in God but am I supposed to believe that nobody messed with original copies? No 12th century scribes put in their own little stories or cut something out? I haven't gotten any straight answers from anyone at church or Boy Scouts. Nobody around me seems to have thought of this before. I mean, faced with all that how am I supposed to read the Scriptures and accept them as the word of Jesus? I only want to do right by God in my life, and not believing in the Bible is a sin, isn't it?
This is really confusing me right now. What can I do?
2006-09-11 06:10:24 · 29 answers · asked by micky_baxter 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
I feel I should clarify that I have my own views on the subject.
Like it says that God created everything in six days and rested on the seventh. Well I think that first off one of God's days could have been -and probably was- millions and millions and billions and trillions of years. He created life but He didn't put it here in the form that it is today. Adam and Eve were either the final result of his experiment with humans or really early humans that we have records of today. The flaw with the Bible in this case is that it was recorded a long time after the fact, after Adam and Eve weren't around any more for people to see what was going on with them, so when people wanted to draw pictures they drew what they knew.
I also don't believe homosexuality is a sin because if two men or two women love each other purely, that's fine by me and a hell of a lot better than straight people who screw their lives up.
2006-09-11 06:21:23 · update #1
Wait, maybe if I put this in caps people will see this.
I BELIEVE THAT GOD CREATED THE HEAVENS AND THE EARTH. I BELIEVE ALL OF THAT. I ALSO BELIEVE THAT MAN MUST LOOK AT THE EVIDENCE OF GOD'S GREATNESS, WHICH CAN BE FOUND IN THE ASTOUNDING DIVERSITY OF ANIMALS THAT OUR CURRENT SPECIES EVOLVED FROM. IT'S A LOT MORE IMPRESSIVE TO MAKE ANIMALS THAT CAN ADAPT THAN ANIMALS THAT HAVE ALWAYS BEEN THE SAME.
2006-09-11 06:24:20 · update #2
I know that some denominations teach that the Bible is infallible and literal, but God gave us free will and it had been written down by man, and retranslated by man, who is by nature fallible. I believe in the bible and the messages and stories it carries, but do believe it's possible that some things might have been slightly skewed.... It doesn't make you a bad Christian, questioning is not a sin, but a way to make your Faith stronger.
On another note, I find it interesting that some people I know, who fully believe in the literalness of the Bible, are VERY against the idea of retranslating from the original text... I would think if anything it would be the most accurate translation and should be something to support...
2006-09-11 06:20:00 · answer #1 · answered by snake_girl85 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
When the scriptures were copied so long ago, they used many people to copy the scriptures. I think it was at least 12 people copied the same thing, such as the book of Genesis.
Yes, someone may have made a mistake, but it is highly unlikely that all 12 would make the same mistake, they were trained to be transcribers. So any mistake could be compared with the others, to find the mistakes and correct them before the copy was circulated.
Also please note, the Dead Sea Scrolls have so much information, including almost the entire content of the Book of Issiah, I believe; and it is word for word what we have today.
If you would like more information on this topic visit the site "Bible Answer Man" at www.wquip.org. He has shows you can listen to, or articles that you can read on this subject.
2006-09-11 06:20:09 · answer #2 · answered by Susan K 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Do what is right in your mind. As long as you do not hurt others by word or deed, you are alright. Live and let live. There is nothing called a good Christian or a good Muslim or a good Hindu or a good whatever. Be a good human being. That is the essence of every religion.
The Bible and many other holy books have been written thousands of years ago. Many ideas, words, meanings, idealogies have gotten lost in the translation from one language to another and even within the same language. Only a fool can be blind to that and accept it as true. If a person from the early 20th century is able to visit us now, he or she will be totally dumbfounded even if we both speak English. The meanings have changed. Imagine something from 2000 years ago!!!
2006-09-11 06:26:56 · answer #3 · answered by worldneverchanges 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you believe in evolution and queers you need to first get your mind straight. This can only be done by studying the Bible. If you will truly study you will find your answers.
2 Timothy 2:15
Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of TRUTH.
Romans 1:25-27
Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshiped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever.
For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:
And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was meet.
2006-09-11 06:24:21 · answer #4 · answered by Rhonda 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is pretty hard to accept Jesus, and refuse to believe his spoken word. I see that there is a chance that scribes inserted their own story. But you have to remember, the canon was formed, and they had a certain criteria to write what is know as the Bible today.
Yes, we have original copies, because we have the dead sea scrolls and such.
One criteria that was needed was that the Bible had to support itself, that it was contradictory of itself. This is one case why Catholics have extra books than Protestants. They're not wrong, they just inserted books that wasn't mentioned in other books.
As far as accepting Evolution and homosexuality, I'd have to say, that it makes it pretty hard to be a Christian. Right there you're saying that God didn't make earth.
2006-09-11 06:17:48 · answer #5 · answered by ayb_is_mine 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
God will make sure that you know when your doing right and wrong. Follow your heart and do what you know to be the right thing regardless of the rest of the sheep. Your soul is on the line here. I will not put myself in the position of having to explain why I lived a life of judgment and hatred instead of spreading love and peace. I believe that evolution proves God. We just have not gotten the time scale right quite yet. I know that God loves us all. I refuse to believe that God made some different just so they had to live alone and die with out true love. It is insane to think God wants us to be alone/mean. "be ye kind, one to another"
2006-09-11 06:29:14 · answer #6 · answered by scornedgypsy 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You're not the only person to have thought of this before. You are still a good Christian because you want to do right by God in your life. God the Father wants you to study out these things and study the truth for yourself.
A good 180 years ago, and little boy, probably about your age, had thoughts very similar to yours. He was reading in James, chapter 1 verse 5, I think, and decided to follow the admonition and pray for himself to find out the truth. That boy was Joseph Smith. God the Father and Jesus Christ visited him, and he became a great prophet and re-established the truth of the gospel on the earth.
Later in his short life, Joseph Smith wrote the Articles of Faith, the 8th of which states, "We believe the Bible to be the word of God, as far as it is translated correctly. We also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God."
If I were you, I'd check it out. You can look up a lot of information on lds.org and of course you can always write me with more questions.
2006-09-11 06:20:04 · answer #7 · answered by MornGloryHM 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Don't be confused of the bible. Does the bible seem to have mistakes in it? Don't you see all books in the bible are similar to one another? The bible is the best way God speaks to us. Do you think God would let someone add something just to make the bible a better book, then if that's true God isn't just. For me, it seems like it's God himself who came on earth to write the bible. God knows the bible would be read by all believers, and he knows that we would count on every word that's in it. You need to know that God is just, and he has control of humans. It hurts me when a believer doubts of the bible, it's like doubting of the power of God. Please make yourself a favor not to doubt of the bible.
2006-09-11 06:23:08 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Could you possibly be believing too much in man lies. "Original copies"? This book has been handed down generation to generation. It is the word of God and He would not allow it to be corrupted. Pray for the clarity and guidance. In this day and age it is easy to be confused. Everything that has come out about "original copies" or "other gospels" is old news. It hasn't been covered up, it's been rediscovered by those wishing to cause confusion.
2006-09-11 06:21:28 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Consider the Bible a collection of stories and quotes that can be used as a guide to a personal philosophy. Consider them to be sometimes helpful ways of thinking about certain types of problems and issues, and don't take them literally. If there is a God, he is a benevolent creator and understands the doubts created by the people who wrote the Bible. Just try to be a generally good person and be true to yourself and everything else will happen as it will.
Sin is a creation of man, and it changes by the decade. Don't be a slave to a book, just be.
2006-09-11 06:16:04 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋