How do we know that the Bible wasn't just stories?

Question

I believe in God with my Mind, Body, Strength and Spirit. BELIEVE ME. I was just curious. It's been puzzling me for a LONG TIME. I'm only ten.

For those who thinks I'm a good writer, check this out:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070401171515AADn0WQ&pa=FYd1D2bwHTHwI79iE.gyQO1Wux8UHv0oczOd9bkeP9JR0g--&paid=asked&msgr_status=

Answer 1

Because a LOT of the stories from the Bible actually have historical proof to back them up.
You have excellent spelling and grammar for a ten year old. Your parents must be very proud of how smart you are.

Answer 2

History, Archaeology, science and psycholgy have all shown the Bible to be reliable when people look at it with an open mind. You will have people tell you alot of garbage in the future don't buy into it like I did until I started looking into it out of curiousity. My faith did an about face with some research and you can believe the Bible is reliable and SHOULD be a basis for everyones life. Even many Christians don't use it as such though.

History and archaeology
The bible has been studied and shown to be very accurate. Here is a link where the editor is an agnostic.
http://www.bib-arch.org/

science
Even the DNA backs up the story of Noah showing that there was one common male ancestor at a much earlier age than the female. The sons three wives give us the much older date for the common female ancestor.
"There is no incompatibility between science and religion... Science shows that God exists." - Prof. D. Barton, Nobel Prize Chemistry

"The principle of [divine] purpose ... stares the biologist in the face wherever he looks ... . The probability for such an event as the origin of DNA molecules to have occurred by sheer chance is just too small to be seriously considered ... ."Ernst Boris Chain - Nobel Prize in medicine


Good Luck and God Bless
Todd

Answer 3

I'm thankful for your interest in the truth of the Bible. For those who would say the Bible is not the Word of God, or that the Bible contains numerous errors I would say this: Paul could say in 2nd Timothy 3:16, "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God." That's the Greek word, "theopneustos" meaning "God-Breathed." Every single word was given from God to 40 different men, and 2nd Peter 1:21 adds: "for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God." Now that was the Old Testament. The New Testament wasn't in existence when Paul used these verses. He was telling the churches in his letters what had happened in the past, but in John 16:12-13, Jesus talked about the coming of the New Testament. He says, "I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. But when He, the Spirit of Truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come."
That's the New Testamant. And we can say with John 17:17, "Your Word is Truth." Today, we have 66 books written by 40 different individuals on 3 continents covering a period of 1,500 years and there's not one mistake, regardless of what some of the critics say. They haven't studied God's Word enough to know the truth. Among the writers we had kings, poets, philosophers, prophets, scholars and fisherman. And I want you to know we have all of the Word of God today. Someone says, "Yes, but we don't have the original manuscripts" Who said so?
We have copies totalling 24,800. Now, how do we know that they're right? Well, if you take 20 items and you compare them and 19 state one thing and one doesn't, then the one is in error. We've got 24,800 manuscripts that exist today to compare one against another and we have another 80,000 quotations from the church fathers, enough to put the entire Bible together with the exception of 11 verses. Take the 80,000 quotations from the church fathers and the 24,800 manuscripts for a total of 104,800 and you have all of God's Word dozens and hundreds of times. This is so because God's Word is literally flawless. After computers have compared millions, or even billions, of letters in analyzing the 104,800 manuscripts the texts are basically flawless. So, don't listen to the critics. The Bible is the Word of God without error!

Answer 4

Well, it is stories out together, but the questiopn is how do we know the stories are true (Except for the book of Job, which is an illustration and not a true story)? I think historical records and info from archiological digs etc. tend to substantiate the truth at least for the basis of the bible stories. Plus, some books written in two far removed places, in differewnt languages, that have the same info would tend to serve to help prove the fact v fiction issue

Answer 5

Queen: Here's a real answer for you:

Most everyone will agree that many of the bible's stories are true. We've found some of the cities mentioned in the bible. Some of the characters are written in history.

BUT

We have no idea who wrote many of the stories, and we don't know where they came from. The stories were collected and men decided what was to go into the bible.

SO

Its a question of faith. The bottom line is it was men who wrote and assembled the stories in the bible. The question is, "Did God tell them what to write?"

And that's a question that no one can answer for you. Some people say "no", some say "yes", and some don't quite care...they find it a good book anyways.

Answer 6

The Bible is filled with stories and unless the context of the passage makes it clear like in a parable the stories are historically accurate and have a purpose in God's communication with us.

1 Corinthians 10:1 I want you to know, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, 2 and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3 and all ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ.

5 Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness. 6 Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. 7 Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, "The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play." 8 We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. 9 We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, 10 nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. 11 Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come.

Answer 7

there is loads of independant archeological evidence that supports a lot of the stories found in the bible with more emerging all the time

so if those stories are true and proven factually then why not the rest?

you type very well for a 10 year old and the website below may be of interst for you in verifying things about the creation vs evolution debate raging over the first few chapters in genesis

Answer 8

Hello;

I am amazed that a young girl like you asks such an interesting question. The answer is the Bible is TRUE. All of the people named, the places listed and the events that happened have already been proved to have existed.

Keep being curious, you will learn much.

Answer 9

Well Queen God bless you for your faith and inquizitiveness. The Bible is the inspired word of God written by men who were divinely inspired. The best advice I can give you is to pray about it and ask your minister to help you research the history of the Bible. But it is largely faith that will help you to know that the Bible isn't just stories written by a bunch of different men. Please Pray that god will give you the faith that you need. Read 2 Timothy 3: 16 -17 And please talk to your minister about your questions. God Bless!

Answer 10

I believe that the bible is full of stories that have their basis in truth. I think that they were collected over a couple of centuries to be used to teach the beliefs of christianity.