Depending on how you read it, Is it possible to make the bible say just about anything?

Answer 1

No. The bible has to harmonize from Genesis to Revelation. You can't choose just one verse out of the bible and say, well it means this or that. You have to look what it says before and after that certain verse. It should HARMONIZE.

Answer 2

Dear Random Person,

It is true that the Bible can often be taken out of context. That is why it is to be studied. I think that is one purpose of the church gathering together. Most people who do not frequent a church are kind of under this misnomer that Church-goers simply accept everything they are taught. This is true in some cases- but not in all cases.

The Bible gives much warning about those who teach false doctrines and the harsh judgment they will receive from God for misleading others.

I can tell you as a pastor at a small Chinese Church- i got smart kids and they can discern between what is right and wrong and so please don't question the validity of the Bible based on the fact that it can be manipulated and twisted. Very few things in this world cannot be. The Bible has suffered more scrutiny than any other book - and yet has shown itself to be the most historically, arachaeologically, and truthful book.

Hope that helps,

Nickster

Answer 3

I dont think so. Just about anything???? na-AhH. you have to consider the Bible as a whole, what is said in other chapter, books or verses in the bible. can you make the bible say "random person will ask "Depending on how you read it, Is it possible to make the bible say just about anything?" "

but people do have different interpretations of the Bible & most use verses to support their own point of view. Even if that's not what it says...so people have different ideas depending on their experiences, background, needs, agendas, etc.

Answer 4

Its possible to make the newspaper say anything you want, or the Constitution, or stereo instructions. That is why documents have to be read in their proper context. Lots of crazy Christian teachers on TV come up with some wacky ideas because they do not understand fundamental Bible study methods, which are no different from the ones you use everyday reading the newspaper. What matters is the author's original intended meaning. Not what it means to me.

Answer 5

“The doctrine of the double motion of the earth about its axis and about the sun is false, and entirely contrary to Holy Scripture.” So stated the Congregation of the Index of the Roman Catholic Church in a decree in 1616.1 Does the Bible really disagree with scientific facts? Or has it been misrepresented?
IN THE winter of 1609/10, Galileo Galilei turned his newly developed telescope toward the heavens and discovered four moons circling the planet Jupiter. What he saw shattered the prevailing notion that all heavenly bodies must orbit the earth. Earlier, in 1543, the Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus had theorized that the planets revolve around the sun. Galileo verified that this was scientific truth.
To Catholic theologians, however, this was heresy. The church had long held that the earth was the center of the universe.2 This view was based on a literal interpretation of scriptures that pictured the earth as being fixed “on its foundations, unshakable for ever and ever.” (Psalm 104:5, The Jerusalem Bible) Summoned to Rome, Galileo appeared before the Inquisition. Subjected to rigorous examination, he was forced to recant his findings, and he spent the rest of his life under house arrest.
In 1992, some 350 years after Galileo’s death, the Catholic Church finally acknowledged that he was right after all.3 But if Galileo was right, then was the Bible wrong?
Finding the True Sense of Biblical Passages
Galileo believed the Bible to be true. When his scientific discoveries contradicted the prevailing interpretation of certain Bible verses, he reasoned that theologians were missing the true sense of the passages. After all, “two truths can never contradict one another,” he wrote.4 He suggested that the precise terms of science do not contradict the everyday words of the Bible. But theologians would not let themselves be persuaded. They insisted that all Biblical statements about the earth are to be taken literally. As a result, not only did they reject Galileo’s discoveries but they also missed the true sense of such Scriptural expressions.
Really, common sense should tell us that when the Bible refers to “the four corners of the earth,” it does not mean that the Bible writers understood the earth to be literally square. (Revelation 7:1) The Bible is written in the language of ordinary people, often using vivid figures of speech. So when it speaks of the earth as having “four corners,” a durable “foundation,” “pedestals,” and a “cornerstone,” the Bible is not offering a scientific description of the earth; obviously it is speaking metaphorically, as we often do in daily speech.-Isaiah 51:13; Job 38:6.
In his book Galileo Galilei, biographer L. Geymonat noted: “Narrow-minded theologians who wanted to limit science on the basis of biblical reasoning would do nothing but cast discredit upon the Bible itself.”5 That they did. Actually, it was the theologians’ interpretation of the Bible-not the Bible itself-that put unreasonable constraints on science.
Similarly, religious fundamentalists today distort the Bible when they insist that the earth was created in six 24-hour days. (Genesis 1:3-31) Such a view agrees neither with science nor with the Bible. In the Bible, as in everyday speech, the word “day” is a flexible term, expressing units of time of varying lengths. At Genesis 2:4, all six creative days are referred to as one all-embracing “day.” The Hebrew word translated “day” in the Bible can simply mean “a long time.”6 So, there is no Biblical reason to insist that the days of creation were 24 hours each. By teaching otherwise, fundamentalists misrepresent the Bible.-See also 2 Peter 3:8.
Throughout history, theologians have often distorted the Bible. Consider some other ways in which the religions of Christendom have misrepresented what the Bible says.
Misrepresented by Religion
The actions of those who say they follow the Bible often besmear the reputation of the book they claim to revere. So-called Christians have shed one another’s blood in the name of God. Yet, the Bible admonishes followers of Christ to “love one another.”-John 13:34, 35; Matthew 26:52.
Some clergymen fleece their flocks, wheedling hard-earned money from them-a far cry from the Scriptural instruction: “You received free, give free.”-Matthew 10:8; 1 Peter 5:2, 3.
Clearly, the Bible cannot be judged according to the words and actions of those who simply quote it or claim to live by it. An open-minded person may therefore want to discover for himself what the Bible is all about and why it is such a remarkable book.

For example, even the most literal-minded astronomers today will speak of the “rising” and “setting” of the sun, stars, and constellations-although, in fact, these only appear to move because of the earth’s rotation.

Answer 6

During the slavery period in the United States, before the Civil War, both sides used the same Bible and the same religion to defend two completely different points of view. And, if you read any of the speeches and arguments from the period - they were both perfectly correct in their use of the good book.

I'm not implying that you can prove anything with the bible but you can ... be very flexible.

A

Answer 7

...Probably. There is an old story about a man who picked up his Bible, opened it, and pointed to this verse:
"And Judas went out, and hung himself."
...Then he found this one; "Go and do likewise."
...Last, he found this one, "What thou doest, do quickly."
...This "hunt and pick" method is skewed, unwise, and can be dangerous.
...The Bible is real "soul food" and critical for every Christian's growth. Read the Bible and understand verses in their context. Dig in the Scripture like you digging for buried treasure. I use a four-translation Bible a lot (KJV, NASB, NIV, and Amplified). Use a good concordance, like Strong's or Young's. Compare Scripture with Scripture. Some passages obviously have spiritual meaning. While some is very hard to understand, a lot of it cannot easily be mistaken, and must be taken literally.
...Isaiah 40:8 says, "The grass withers, the flower fades,
but the word of our God stands forever."
...2 Timothy 3:16-17 says this,
...16 "All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness,
...17 that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work."
*--All Scripture was not written to me, but for me.
*--Everything you need to know, about what you need to know, is in the Bible.
...Keep reading and studying God's word.

Answer 8

In part, yes.
The problem is that people approach the Bible differently than they approach any other book; instead of looking at it as a whole, and paying attention to context, they treat it as a book full of one-liners, like a bunch of fortune cookie fortunes. If one were to approach any book in such a manor, they could get it to say whatever they wanted. When studied as a whole and with attention to context, it's pretty clear on what it says (and what it doesn't say).

Answer 9

There are somethings that you won't be able to make the bible say. For example, there was no jesus .That wouldn't work.
Its pretty clear about what the ten commandments were.
As for Jesus it says Rom 1:4 Jesus was declared to be the son of God with power accordint to the spirit of holiness,by the resurecion from the dead.
On the core basics the bible is pretty clear. It is unfortunate that disagreements over interpretations can cause arguments or hard feelings.

Answer 10

People either misinterpret, twist the words, ignore half of them, or take something out of context. For example, when Christ told Peter that upon "this" His Church would be built, people claim He meant Peter. However, Christ was talking about building his church upon REVELATION (and had just finished teaching Peter about revelation). The scripture is misinterpreted by Catholics to mean Christ would build his church upon Peter, and they claim authority from Peter to this day. But the church that has revelation will be the correct church, not a church built upon Peter. And that is just ONE example of how people make the Bible say anything they want.