No offence to anyone, but how do we know that it wasnt just a book written to controll people and make the beleive what someone would like them to beleive? yes I beleive in god but so much in the bible is fairy-tale like. sorry if my question is offensive in any way.
2007-01-13 23:52:14 · 33 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
what if 200 years from now people think harry potter is real?
2007-01-13 23:57:42 · update #1
so many good veiw points, thank you all
but im more confused now then ever .
2007-01-14 00:41:08 · update #2
To begin with, it is a selection of ancient middle eastern tales and legends. The selection was made by a pagan roman emperor and religious sect leaders who got together to set up an efficient way to allow a few men to dominate many.
One of their doctrine was to pretend that these fairy tales were true and that ignorant people had to believe them.
It's interesting to still see today that some people say that the bible is a guide for them. The bible says that it's OK to have slaves. That it's a good idea to beat your wife. That parents should kill their children by stoning them if they want and thousands of other nice things like that. I would not like to have someone believing in all that in my neighborhood.
Your question is not offensive in any way.
2007-01-13 23:58:55 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 8⤊ 2⤋
The bible is a book - a very influential book.
Yes many scholars beleivers and non-beleivers alike (in the christian god) see the fairy tale / literary/ poetic / symbolic qualities of the stories.
The intentions of the writer's, translaters and interpreters or the factual basis the stories have may be irrelevant
People will always try to share there ideas, the most successful ideas demand it by their nature (lookup 'memes' if your interested)
People will use what they have to do what they will, in past present and future ages the message can be interpretated for stricture or emancipation, perhaps the two cannot be separated...
What is relevant is understanding the
2007-01-14 00:36:33 · answer #2 · answered by am.reading 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The Bible's accuracy and reliability have been proved and verified over and over again by archaeological finds produced by both believing and nonbelieving scholars and scientists. This included verification for numerous customs, places, names, and events mentioned in the Bible.
One among many examples is the fact that for many years the existence of the Hittites (a powerful people who lived during the time of Abraham) was questioned because no archaeological digs had uncovered anything about them. Critics claimed the Hittites were pure myth. But today the critics are silenced. Abundant archaeological evidence for the existence of the Hittites during the time of Abraham has been uncovered.
Bible scholar Donald J. Wiseman notes, "The geography of Bible lands and visible remains of antiquity were gradually recorded until today more than 23,000 sites within this region and dating to Old Testament times, in their broadest sense, have been located." Nelson Glueck, a specialist in ancient literature, did an exhaustive study and concluded: "It can be stated categorically that no archaeological discovery has ever controverted a biblical reference." Well-known scholar William F. Albright, following a comprehensive study, wrote: "Discovery after discovery has established the accuracy of innumerable details, and has brought increased recognition of the value of the Bible as a source of History."
There are more than 24,000 partial and complete manuscript copies of the New Testament. These manuscript copies are very ancient and they are available for inspection NOW. there are also some 86,000 quotations from the early church fathers and several thousand lectionaries (church-service books containing Scripture quotations used in the early centuries of Christianity). In fact, there are enough quotations from the early church fathers that even if we did not have a single copy of the Bible, scholars could still reconstruct all but 11 verses of the entire New Testament from material written within 150 to 200 years from the time of Christ. Bottom line: The New Testament has an overwhelming amount of evidence supporting its reliability.
2007-01-14 09:36:57 · answer #3 · answered by Freedom 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Hello there.
The bible is a book just like any other book. It was written by men. It has been translated and re-translated, by men, more than any single document in the history of the world. How could it bear any similarity to the original?
It is a book. It is no more the word of god than the telephone book is the word of god. At least the phone book will tell you where to order pizza. That is more than I can say for the bible.
People need to grow up and look at the facts. Gods do not write books.
It is a book! Get over it.
Lady Trinity~
2007-01-14 01:12:03 · answer #4 · answered by Lady Trinity 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The Bible is an anthology, a collection of writings by multiple authors. Some of them contradict each other. Before being set down, the stories, songs, poetry and rules were passed down as aural tradition. These stories were peoples attempt to make sense of worldly events they didn't understand and at that time had no way of truly comprehending.
Similar attempts have been made by peoples of different cultures. A testament to the tenacity of belief is the persistence of belief in many of the world's religious stories after science has provided solid evidence of the causes of many of our natural phenomena.
We have no more way to confirm the miraculous tales of the Bible than we do to confirm the adventures of Odysseus, Hercules or Achilles. People believe these stories because it comforts them to do so.
2007-01-14 00:37:14 · answer #5 · answered by Magic One 6 · 2⤊ 1⤋
I think it's a question of faith. But, despite anything that anyone on here tells you -- it's okay to question things.
There are many of us out there who believe the bible to be (and in fact it is) just a compilation of smaller stories or "fables" meant to teach, inspire and make people think. In so many ways, it is like reading a modern day adventure book -- extreme violence, sex, hero figures, demons, etc. It's an amazing piece of literature.
It's good that you question thing though. It means you have a brain and are not just willing to take things as dictated by some guy in a bad suit and cheap shoes preaching about hellfire and brimstone.
I say, bravo to you.
One last thought, some of the answers you received are puritanical in nature. It was like reading a passage from Bradford...
And we wonder why so many people see Americans as repressed?
2007-01-14 00:07:36 · answer #6 · answered by lilly 5 · 5⤊ 0⤋
The Bible is a religious text. It deals with non-verifiable entities. God may or may not exist. The difficulty with the Bible arise out of the fact that ruling parties, such as King Josiah in the 7th Century BCE and Constantine of Rome used the religious texts to advance their imperial and political aims. This is what Jared Diamond refers to as "religion in service to kleptocracy" in his book "Guns, Germs and Steel."
In "The Bible Unearthed" archaeologists Finkelstien and Silberman explore the archaeological record of early Isreal and Judah, and find very little evidence in support of such stories as those of Solomon and David.
The Bible contains a great deal of wisdom, but the idea of its being literal truth is stretching things a bit.
2007-01-14 02:21:22 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Hi, what do you mean by "real". The Bible is a book.. and it is so real that you can buy it in the bookstore. If you are asking about if the Bible was written inspired by God or not...that's just something that can't be proved.
In any case the Bible is composed by many different books written by many different persons each one of them in different time periods. Even for the gospels they are written many years after the death of Jesus. Each gospel in different time period as well...
The Bible is like a collection of different texts. That means that excludes texts related to the same topic as well.
The way The Bible is written is related to the time and people who wrote it. Of course thinking on the audience and their environment.
I find The Bible like an amazing source of inspiration, knowledge, wisdom and mystery. It is wonderful to see how we, the Humans, are trying to understand the world where we live. You can find there the core of our humanity.
It is not a fairy tale... for sure not. It is based on historical events. But for sure written in a way that would magnify the intention of the writer; in a way that will make better impact on the audience.
People is free. And the Bible is not pushing anybody to make or not make something. It holds a wonderful set of universal values that are important to learn about and that is only positive. People can choose in what to believe or not.
No one should take literally the contents of the Bible. That is not the intention. That's why priests and specialists are making interpretations of the contents of the Bible.
Read the Bible and you will find within it many wonderful and interesting things.
I have said that the Bible is based on historical events but it's historical value is not necessary big. Many things are modified by the different perceptions of persons and the translations of the original texts.
2007-01-14 00:13:22 · answer #8 · answered by b4contact 3 · 3⤊ 3⤋
It's a lot of fairy tales and some outright lies. There are some 30 Plus bibles they have been added to and parts deleted so don't bet too much on any of them. I believe there is a supreme force out somewhere and I just try my best to lead a good honest life, helping others where I can.
2007-01-14 00:01:58 · answer #9 · answered by lonetraveler 5 · 6⤊ 0⤋
I could tell you for a fact the bible is fake, Noah's Ark story came from the epic of gilgamesh, most of the locations in the bible didnt exist until after it was published, and what about the Egyptians side of the story? we just get to hear what the Hebrews have to say but not the Egyptians.....
2007-01-14 00:42:36 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋