Do you study the bibles teachings in a literal sense or explore beyond?...?

Question

...Have you ever wanted to know more of the facts, rather than fables, or do you take the word as truth, from a book that has historically been edited to satisfy those in power?...

Answer 1

It's important to read the texts with an open and informed mind.
Open--understanding that many of the stories told are best viewed as allegory rather than literal history.
Informed--(a) aware of historical context that gave many of the texts meaning to readers of the time that many do not grasp today. (b) aware of the amount of human judgement that goes into the text we now have before us. Not only the judgement calls regarding translation, but the very act of assembling an officially approved canon. Some books are in, some are out, on the basis of human decisions.
I find it best to seek after the moral/philosophical teaching and toss the myth, miracle and magic.
Which is to say, I pretty much stick to reading the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount.

Answer 2

I study literally and metaphorically. There's a lot more to the Bible than what's literally there, and so many people interpret it differently and are often wrong that we can't help but question everything we know. I take the Word as truth, always. What the real truth behind it is, is another story. I try my best to listen to what God has to say above all else by praying and talking with Him, but I believe that He asks us to explore, to question. As long as we are ultimately unwavering in our faith, I don't see anything wrong with questioning everything because it's harder at times to find the right answers amidst all of the wrong ones, due to our human nature.

Answer 3

There are many passages in the Bible that aren't to be taken literally. For example, many texts in Revelation cannot be taken in a literal sense. Revelation 17:1-18 speak of a great harlot that has committed fornication with the kings of the earth. This isn't to be taken in a literal sense at all.

This article is great and will help you. Enjoy! http://www.watchtower.org/library/w/2000/4/1a/article_01.htm

Answer 4

I attack it from all angles.

It's called relatavistic thinking.

Take the 4 horsemen. Some say it was from the past. Some say it's figurative. In 200 years we are going to run out of oil and thus the car may be no more. We might go back to horses, hence the 4 horsemen can also be literal in the future tense.

Answer 5

The Bible is the literal word of God. It is truth. Application of God's truth is the sticky point. Application of truth is what gets most people into trouble because they usually apply it incorrectly. The Bible says that no scripture is of private interpretation----in other words, you cannot take what God has given us an apply it in a way that is convenient for yourself; this is self-righteousness and smacks of cultism. Each scripture in the Bible has only one interpretation, but it can have many applications. Carelessness in application effectively changes the meaning of the verse, which is blaspheming the Holy Spirit. You statements are blasphemy. Repent, please.

Answer 6

It hasn't been edited, it has only been mistranslated. I read the Greek New Testament and it is much more effective than the English translations. I don't look for secret meanings, I just study the Bible in context and that makes it very clear.

Answer 7

How the Word of God came to be written
OLD TESTAMENT
The authors of Hebrew Scriptures are not as identifiable as those of the New Testament. The Books arose in the midst of the law given by Moses and the prophets sent by God to the children of Israel. The first 5 books (The Law) were written by Moses almost entirely. The remainder of the Old Testament is composed of the prophets and writings in the Hebrew canon, whereas the English Bible includes the following categories: historical books, poetic books, and prophetic books. These books include such authors as Samuel, David, Joshua, Solomon, and the Major Prophets such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, and a number of lesser-known figures who wrote smaller books called the Minor Prophets. Each of these authors presents his words as being the Word of God.

NEW TESTAMENT
The New Testament was written by apostles of Jesus Christ and companions of the Apostles, Letters were written to individuals, churches, or larger groups of persons either to conform the truth of Christianity, engender belief in Christ, Correct problems in the local churches, or argue against error. The Book of Revelation also seeks tp present God’s plan for the end of the age.

HOW THE INSPIRED WRITTINGS WERE PASSED DOWN
OLD TESTAMENT
The Old Testament was written between 1440 B.C. and approximately 400 B.C.
The Laws of Moses was maintained in the Hebrew community by the priests of the temple. Later books continued to be deposited with these leaders until the destruction of the temple and then found their way into the teaching community begun by Ezra and continued in the synagogues. Trained scribes copied biblical texts by hand until the modern printing press came into use. The copies of the Masoretes of the ninth century A.D. are very close to the recently discovered Dead Sea scrolls, which originated a thousand years earlier.

NEW TESTAMENT
The New Testament books were copied by local Christian communities and passed from one to another for decades before an entire collection was made. Since the early letters were written on papyrus, they wore out rapidly and required regular copying. In the early fourth century A.D., fifty copies of the entire Old and New Testament Greek Scriptures were made at the order of the first Christian emperor, Constantine. It is likely that the Vaticanus and Sinaticus codex’s, two of the longest early manuscripts to survive, originated from this order.

WHAT IS THE CANON OF SCRIPTURE?
The word canon is a word used to identify the writings of the prophets, the apostles, and their companions, which are inspired by God and authoritative for truth pertaining to doctrine and life. It means “rule” or “standard.” A book is not inspired because it is declared to be canonical but is considered inspired. Therefore, the church discovered the canonicity of the Old Testament books; it did not determine or cause their canonicity.

HOW THE CANON WAS DECIDED
The books accepted by the Jewish community originated over a period of approximately one thousand years. The first question regarding writing’s acceptance was whether the book was written by a prophet of God. Generally the book would have statements of “thus says the Lord,” or “the word of the Lord came.” Second, miraculous signs or accuracy of fulfillment served as confirmation of a prophet’s message. Third, the book had to be internally consistent with the revelation of God found in the teachings of other canonical books, especially what God gave through Moses.
The first question for the church to answer about a books inclusion in the canon accepted by Christians was whether it came through the apostles of the Lord or through persons under the guidance of an apostle, such as Luke. Second, the book had to come with the power of God and be effective for changing lives. Third, it must have been generally accepted by the people of God. This latter test refers first to the ones who received the book and next to the transmission in the church. Determination of the New Testament canon took place over a period of years, reaching its final form at Synod of Carthage in 397.

THE MANUCRIPTS OF THE BIBLE
Old Testament
Fragments of the Hebrew Scriptures number in the Tens of Thousands, the majority dating between the third century B.C. and the fourteenth century A.D. The greatest attestation to the Hebrew Old Testament is the manuscripts found in the Dead Sea Scrolls, which mostly date from the third century B. C. to the first Century A.D.

New Testament
Manuscript evidence for the New Testament is abundant. There are more than five thousand existing copies, many with New Testament books entirely or largely intact.
Also there are several older translations of the New Testament into languages like Syriac, Coptic, and Latin that survive in thousands of manuscripts. No work of antiquity even approaches the New Testament for authenticity.

Answer 8

no I do not take the bible literally.

The bible teaches spiritual truths via allegory (example).

You are correct; the scriptures were edited by the priests, to gain power, then the translators made errors in translation.

Answer 9

You don't know that it has been edited you just like to wish it was to show how smart you are. You don't know anything about the bible except what you have been told. xx

Answer 10

Your question carries no weight because your premis that the Bible has been edited is a lot of "baloney". Where has it been "historically edited"?