I just had someone email me unsolicited through Y!A to "inform" me that the Gospel of Mark was written no less than 8 years after Jesus' death.
Now, any reputable Bible scholar will inform you that Mark was the earliest Gospel to be written and that it was written between 60-80 A.D. I, personally, learned this over four years of Bible college, but it is easily verified online. I explained this to my unsolicited emailer, with a snarky note that it is best to check facts BEFORE spamming people.
Often here on Y!A, spelling is atrocious, people refuse to even look up basic evolutionary concepts, others argue with each other about what the Bible "says" without even attempting to check the source.
My question is this: We live in a world where information can be gotten affordably and instantly. Logically, with info so easy to come by we should truly all be Renaissance Men and Women. Why does our society sometimes seem to be one of the most woefully uninformed ones in history?
2007-01-15 10:37:44 · 15 answers · asked by Aeryn Whitley 3 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Doug, you prove my point by not researching before posting. In a society where the life expectancy was in the fourties, there is no way that Mark, were he a contemporary of Jesus, could "complete" anything in 60-80 AD because he would be very firmly dead. Given that Mark is really only a few chapters long, he would also have to be the world's slowest writer.
You simply cannot find a single reputable scholar who claims Mark was a contemporary of Jesus. They believe that Mark was written from older documents (letters, etc.) and from oral legends.
2007-01-15 10:52:33 · update #1
Because the West is largely a Christian society, and somewhere along the line Christians came to the conclusion that the Bible was literal truth. Now, rather than coming to the realization that the Bible was an allegory of fables to guide humans on a spiritual journey as science came in conflict with the stories of the Bible, Christians have dug their heels in and begun to deny science - a terrifying prospect in this day and age.
)O(
2007-01-15 10:48:06 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Perhaps if our educational systems included every subject instead of the canned PC criteria we have now. Like the fact that you can't read Uncle Tom's Cabin or have religious studies which, both, are a part of history. It's doesn't have to be church but why not teach the basic belief systems to encourage not only diversity but to clear up many misconceptions? Then perhaps more of us could make up our own minds with the education to back it up. I believe this is particularly why some people have decided to home school or tutor. I like this question, I think you made a good point, however I think the real answer would be just plain laziness.
2007-01-15 11:01:13 · answer #2 · answered by BrutalBaby 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Rofl. I can't believe it, you have someone say this to you and you STILL don't get the point.
Just because mark is the first gospel (which you are NOT sure of because that was 2000 years ago and no one lives from that time, as well as there are no documents giving the date) does NOT change the fact that it was written YEARS after Jesus' death.
That means it had YEARS to have the story twisted, reinterpreted, and changed. Not to mention, it was written by a human being and human beings memories are notoriously unreliable. We forget things, we lose memories, and we move on so that that things aren't as clear as they were.
Because of that, whatever is in the gospel of mark could VERY easily be wrong.
Honestly, do many Christians actually have such an incredibly low IQ that you can't figure that out?
2007-01-15 10:45:08 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
People are idiots. They focus too much on who's right, who's wrong, who's saved, and who's a servant of the devil. They focus on bashing people who have faith in something greater than them. They don't take the time to really think about what they say, and they don't worry about who they hurt. All that matters is getting their point across. There are websites, like Religious Tolerance.org, that have essays and information presented in an unbiased way that is ready for people to use. However, people don't take the time to look at this. Shame.
2007-01-15 10:44:03 · answer #4 · answered by Wisdom Lies in the Heart 3 · 2⤊ 1⤋
i think of it is due maximum to the credibility of the object you're viewing and if the medical declare is authentic, suggesting that it is glaring international warming it happening. in any different case, people regularly have bias comments on matters that they want to help and might want a undeniable occasion.
2016-12-16 05:32:52 · answer #5 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, here is a possible explanation:
It's wrong to use the internet and computers because the Bible does not mention them.
2007-01-15 10:44:23 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
hehe... maybe 8 was a typo for 80.
Mark was WRITING the gospel while Jesus was ALIVE. It was PUBLISHED/COMPLETED 60-80 years after.
History is in the making.
Offense is satan's bait...lol.
and misinformation is everywhere, especially the internet.
2007-01-15 10:41:33 · answer #7 · answered by Doug 5 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Good question; there is no excuse for lack of knowledge. Personally, I believe that people become so self-important that they believe their opinions to be facts, and don't bother to verify what they say.
2007-01-15 10:43:29 · answer #8 · answered by rita_alabama 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Very good question.
My guess is that people are lazy, and fighting to maintain a belief is more satisfying than admitting you don't have a clue.
2007-01-15 10:45:27 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
Yes.
I think we are in a Counter-Information age.
2007-01-15 10:47:34 · answer #10 · answered by atheist 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋