Have you ever heard that the Bible may not be the word of God?

Question

Much of the bible is borrowed from earlier, ancient religions. Many of the names and incidents are strikingly similar. Easter is of Pagan origin. Christmas was celebrated by older religions long before Christ arrived.It is a fact that not a single original manuscript of any book of the bible exists today. We cannot, therefore, say that, in the present tense, "they are inerrant". Furthermore, by the time the latest book of the bible was written, all of the original manuscripts had long since been worn out and replaced by copies. There were no firsthand copies. They were copies of copies of copies....and on and on. This means that nobody ever saw the entire bible as it was originally written.

Have you ever heard this? What do you think about it? Details please.

Answer 1

Even if I were a theist, it would be terribly obvious that the stories of the Bible are not original. They are taken and adapted from older mythologies, just as those mythologies were taken and adapted from the ones before. A book so clearly--and demonstrably--based upon cultures past cannot in truth be called "inerrant" or "the spoken word of God"...unless God is a plagiarizer.

Answer 2

Now if you look at any website, you will find Christians defending the Bible. their proof is that if you digg in the earth you will find copies of the Bible without any changes >> then the conclusion is that the Bible is true. How can you prove them wrong?

God says in the Quran < the jew changed the words of God right away after learning the truth > just by arrogance , sometimes to gt money from rich people to change some commands of God and so on.
at that time there was no print machine, no paper. in a whole church you can find only one or 2 books. then anything can be possible, specially when the romancatholic church was in control and destroyed all other copies and killed , tortured and burned the people who know the truth.
How can you base your faith on a suspicious religion, book and faith.
just ask the Jews and the Muslims and they will prove you wrong.

Now even if they found copies that contradict their teachings they say that it's not valid or try again to make it fit their teachings.
so how then can they know the truth?
If only they were to compare the copies found to the teaching of Jews and specially muslims, they will find out that God is one and that Jesus is just a prophet of God.

Even the copies about the Bible are different, then how can you say that they are the words of God. the words of God are the original copy >>> where is it ? the words of God never change.
that prove that this Bible is only what people was taught to say, a story that add some pagan teachings to make it acceptable by the people of that time. so it is mixed with truth and falshood.

many will start talking about the , original sin, die on the cross, redemption....that was in any other religious teachings from Adam to Jesus but only in pagans rituals and teachings.

In the Quran jesus is born in the period of that is impossible if we refer to the Bible , the Quran get it right.

Answer 3

The extant copies of Plato are 1200 years after his death, and no one questions their authenticity.

Of New Testament extant manuscripts, the earliest go all the way back to around A.D. 130, though most are probably extant to the 3rd and 4th centuries. In any regard, this is remarkable. There is no other writing of antiquity where the copies are so close to the originals.

So why accept the extant copies of Plato that are 1200 years after his death, but not the bible, which has extant copies of about 50 years?

It is mere decades giving the New Testament an unheard of historical and documentary veracity.

But the Bible without Tradition and the Magisterium is just ink and paper. When Protestants quote 2 Tim 3:16, which they love to do, they always ignore the preceeding verses:

14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned (TRADITION) and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it (MAGISTERIUM) 15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings (SCRIPTURE) which are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

Note that Scripture is not the first thing on his list but the last. And he tells them that the Bible is "profitable" not sufficient to instruct us. It is only when we include Scripture with Tradition and Magisterium that we are "fully equipped."

No one can prove the full doctrine of Scripture (ie., canon, inspiration, inerrancy, authority, etc.) independently of Tradition. Here is one example:

Prove, by the Bible alone, where it says there are to be 27 books in the New Testament.

There is no such verse giving a list. One MUST look outside the bible to prove this, something "Bible alone" Christians cannot do.

Answer 4

Of the hundreds of names in the Bible it is hardly surprising that a few are "similar" to names from other religions (why aren't they the same?). The celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ is not "of pagan origin". Pagans may have had a feastday at the same time of year, but so what? There are many pagan feastdays and only so many days in a year. Likewise CHRISTmas was not celebrated by anyone before the birth of CHRIST. The fact that pagans held winter rituals is completely irrelevant. The fact that the CHRISTian feastday of CHRISTmas is on the same date as a pagan feastday is likewise irrelevant. If God could ensure that the original manuscripts of sacred Scripture contained exactly what He wanted them to contain, in spite of a variety of human writers being involved, how difficult could it be for him to ensure that those appointed to transcribe the texts were likewise faithful to the text?

Answer 5

ashtoreth ie; ishtar or easter as you put it, was celebrated by pagans. Any well studied Christian would know that. So would history specific teachers. Christmas is not mentioned once in the Bible. Proof has it that he was born at a different time than December 25. See my answer to the fourth question on my home page Oh yeah..... The Dead Sea scrolls exist. It took over Four thousand years for the bible, as you see it, to exist. The Massorah, about a couple of thousand years. These are rough figures subject to further investigation.

Answer 6

Yea I've heard it to death Mimi......I'm tired of people talking like that without looking into it themselves. I have studied the question for some years now and I can safely say that the myth of copies of the copies and so on is just that. A myth. People have to think we are complete idiots to follow that without proof.
History,archaeology,records of other cultures and countries of the times, the dating of the letters, the continuity of the books and their ages all show that the book is a powerful word of God. There is just too much evidence against the sophists and the agnostics. The atheists don't give a care about that nor do their peers so I just let them be and go on with my studies.
The study of God's word and the study of the historicity of the Bible.
I now know too much to be paying any attention to this propaganda anymore.

Answer 7

Let me point out that I am agnostic. And your speaking a little of of ignorance.

The reason that easter and christmas fall on the same date of pagan holidays is because Constantine (a roman emperor) decided that the church ans state should be a close as possible..he wanted to be a popular well like emperor and conformed to both religions. This happened in Nicea at the second known general councils of the church in the year 325. (its now iznik, turkey, 70 miles from Constantinople of the Asiatic shore of the Bosporus) There were 318 bishops and various notables.

and the writings of the bible were not originally in book form but on scrolls. and yes i understand your point about books missing etc etc. there were quite a few more books that were made to be in the bible that the councils refused because they didnt fit their four qualifications for books that were god-breathed.

and thats about that.

Answer 8

Bible is Bu Bel...

and they are always be made for the Children of God... and those mentioned in your additional details is a practice and not a belief... but maybe related to All Soul's Day...

Every headings of the Bible came from ancient manuscript separately and it was Emperor Constantinople who bounded them as one. But on Jesus, he had chosen 4 scriptures out of 21 originals.

Answer 9

Yes, while you were still wet behind the ears.

Rightly the Bible did come in later to correct the religious errors of the descendants of Cane and present His true nature. Aside from that, God is eternal and time proves the mortality of sinfull man and supports neither your point or mine.

It should be obvious that God predates ancient religions and Scripture notes that the Lamb was slain from the Foundation of the World -- which was known in the stars before any religions were formed by men.

But is time really involved? "When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt....that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son."

The Word was with God before it came to that prophet; who existed many years before the event noted by Matthew: And was thus speaking, even then, a word from the same spirit that would speak in the flesh after him; having existed from the beginning, before anything that men could claim.

Answer 10

As far as the andient religions and christmas and easter and all of that tired and ignorant rehash of well documented false statements...not true....... as to The
Bible of The True Christian Faith... the "facts" you state are esentialy correct..but.. that is not a case against The Word and Will of God...which is still to be found by those of The Faith who are open to the leading of The Holy Spirit... The esentials of The True Faith are with the individuals not restricted to The Bible...The Bible only confirms to the Faithful seekers what God has already given them directly... The Bible is not the focus of The Faith of The True Christian... That Faith is in the absolute fact of God's existance... I accept any honest email question concerning the basics of The True Christian Faith...... have I ever heard what you state.... any one who has been on this forum for more than two hours has read it all many times...you state nothing original....