What credibility does the bible or any religous book have.?

Question

I dont know much the history of religion so i want to know what proof we have for believing in stories like those in the bible.

Answer 1

NONE!

Answer 2

There is no proof. Scientifically everything points against the Bible being accurate, from geology to evolutionary biology. You have to decide if you want to look at hard facts because if you do most likely they will lead you away from the Bible. If you read stories from the New Testament they are 100% inaccurate as far as history, example they say there was a census when Jesus was born but that was not even around that time period. But religion isn't about facts it is about faith.

Answer 3

Since many of the events written in the bible did occur 800 - 900 years previously, the bible does contain some recorded historical events. But many of the events in the bible, like the walls of Jericho falling down, were due to earthquakes and other natural phenomena - not to some spiteful god punishing sinners. To answer your question, the focus of the bible was not to record historical events objectively, rather it was meant to serve as a 'holy book' to proselytise others - thus very little in this book is credible in an historical sense.

Answer 4

The Bible makes all kinds of references to historical
events that are documented elsewhere. Certainly
the Pharaohs of Egypt exist, for instance.

People keep digging them up!

However, it also makes references to all kinds of things
that are logically inconsistent. In short, like most stories,
the writers used what they knew and expanded on it.

That is not to say that there isn't value in reading the
Bible, but its ability to predict past events (that is,
tell us about events we didn't know about but find
new information as time goes on) is extremely limited,
and its ability to predict future events is nil.

However, as a spiritual guide, and a line of reasoning
for guiding ones personal conduct, etc, it is a great
place to start.

As piece of history, it is no more credible
than, say, Homer's Iliad. A good deal more moral,
perhaps, but no more credible.

And if you want more to back that up, consider the
number of gospels that the church decided to not
include in the Bible as we see it today. Many of
these tells stories that directly conflict with other
gospels.

For instance, some of the gospels that were thrown
out claimed that Jesus was not divine (thrown out)
and others claimed that he was (most kept). Did you
know there was a Gospel according to Judas?
They found one a few years ago, though many
question its authenticity.

Clearly, it needed an editor ... and that's exactly
what they did (about 300 years AD). The church
in Rome held a huge meeting and lots of people
decided what elements of the religion they would
keep and what ones would fall by the way-side.

The history of the Bible (vs. the stories in the Bible)
is extremely eye-opening about religion in general.

As a piece of writing, the Bible is wonderful.
As a collection of documents descended from some
of the greatest religious thinkers of our history, it
can't be beat.

As a written history of events, it isn't practical
because you can't tell what is actual, what is
allegory and what is just plain fiction.

Answer 5

Your question is about credibility, not truth. Any of the great religions' text are exactly as credible as people allow them to be. These stories all have a grain of truth to them. Was there a Great Flood? Absolutely. Did it cover the entire world, and kill everything but a few people and animals on a great big boat? Probably not. But bear in mind that most of these stories were passed down orally, rather than written down. There is a great deal of stories repeating themselves throughout texts not connected with one another. The Great Flood is a classic example. Sumerian texts refer to it, as well as Hebrew texts. Something happened, but was it on as grand of a scale as the writers would have us believe? That is up to you. Many people will argue that the Bible (Torah, Koran) is God's Word, and that God directed men to write it, and therefore it is infallible. But I would argue that man became imperfect after "The Fall" from Eden? And wasn't Christ the only perfect Man after that time? Therefore why would someone writing down a, millenia old story, that had been passed down orally through the generations, be able to, or want to, accurately depict events from ages past. If it suits one's interest to make it the entire world rather than just the Nile Delta in an unusually high water year, that is what will be put to "print". Is there truth in the Great Texts? Of course. It is mixed with beauty, myth, adventure, violence, and of course law. An individual should read these books in whatever fashion they want. Archeologists and historians use them as tools all of the time. Obviously religious teachers use them as a guide for leading a more spiritual life. The United States of America's founding father's created a nation based on aspects of the Bible, without creating a theocracy. Unfortunately there are extremists in the world that carry out hateful crimes in the name of these books. I will not single any one religion out, as all of the Great Religions have skeleton's in their closets, but of course one of them is rising above the others at this time in history. I encourage everyone to read the Bible, Torah, Koran, Bagivad Gita, and any other of the great texts. Take from them what you need, but do not lose sight of the world around you. Remember, an auto mechanic is credible when he/she tells you that you need your oil changed, but is it the truth? Maybe, maybe not.

Answer 6

No, I saved maximum of my stuff. I did provide away a pair of Bibles, yet i've got nonetheless have approximately 8 or 9 which contains the Pentetuech and the Tanakh. I saved my Mcdowells besides (even nevertheless i presumed he replaced into full of **** even while i replaced right into a Christian). I nonetheless learn the religions linked to the Bible (aside from Islam... my interest does not run there). yet something of my books are historical past and Archeology books.

Answer 7

The main value of religious texts is in making people put aside reason and their common sense to allow them to commit acts of evil that they otherwise would not.

It is impossible to persuade any large group of people to cooperate in acts of gross inhumanity without a promise of divine sanction.

As historical documents, texts like the Bible are one source among many, but they must be judged against the criteria we would use for any source- were they written by people close to the events? Were they written to persude the reader, or as an abjective record? What information did the writers have access to? Were they free to be honest? and so on.

Most ancient texts are very weak as sources and hence ancient history is more of a mystery than modern.

Answer 8

The Bible and other religious books area History of what God and people appointed by God did.It also relates to certain future events leading to the second coming of Christ.There are ancient Dead Sea scrolls which testify to the Bibles credibility.In short the Bible is the Word of God.

Answer 9

it's one of the best primary sources for the times of the secculcids and some later some earlier.

i.e. the war between judas and the antiocis. there's an actual war going on back then. some people's names. etc.

Answer 10

Me too. And I don't expect to get any.

Answer 11

Lectio Divina (pronounced "Lec-tsee-oh Di-vee-nah") means "Divine Reading" and refers specifically to a method of Scripture reading practiced by monastics since the beginning of the Church.

The early centrality of reading of Sacred Scripture, and then meditating and praying over its meaning, is evident in the 48th chapter of the Rule of St. Benedict (A.D. 480-453), a book written by the Great Saint to guide monastic life.

But it was an 11th c. Carthusian prior named Guigo 1 who formalized Lectio Divina, describing the method in a letter written to a fellow religious. This letter, which has become known as Scala Paradisi -- the Stairway to Heaven -- describes a 4-runged ladder to Heaven, each rung being one of the four steps in his method of Bible reading. Those steps, and Guigo's brief descriptions of them, are:


lectio (reading): "looking on Holy Scripture with all one's will and wit"

meditatio (meditation): "a studious insearching with the mind to know what was before concealed through desiring proper skill"

oratio (prayer): "a devout desiring of the heart to get what is good and avoid what is evil"

contemplatio (contemplation): "the lifting up of the heart to God tasting somewhat of the heavenly sweetness and savour"

Through the practice of Lectio Divina by monastics in group settings, three other steps are sometimes added to the four above such that the steps become:


statio (position)

lectio (reading)

meditatio (meditation)

oratio (prayer)

contemplatio (contemplation)

collatio (discussion)

actio (action)


The Steps in Detail
Statio
First, we arrange a place so it is restful, warm, and non-distracting. This may involve the lighting of candles, the burning of incense, the shutting of doors and drawing of curtains -- whatever makes one feel calm and at peace. Then we assume a bodily posture that is conducive to prayer and reading. We breathe slowly, focusing on the Holy Name of Jesus and nothing else, until we are relaxed and able to focus our attention solely on Scripture. If our minds wander, we gently bring our attention back to the Holy Name of Our Lord, breathing in and out rhythmically. Note that, unlike in Eastern prayer which seeks to empty oneself to be open to some great "Nothing", we are ever mindful of the One Almighty Triune and Transcendent God, and are trying to calm ourselves so that what He might reveal to us through His Word may more easily be perceived.

It is good if the place chosen for Lectio Divina is a comfortable area chosen just for this and other prayerful activities. The presence of relevant icons and other visual aids to meditation can be of great benefit. Now pray a prayer to the Holy Ghost, such as this one:

A Prayer Before the Reading of Any Part of the Holy Scripture

Come Holy Ghost, fill the hearts and minds of the faithful servants, and inflame them with the fire of Thy divine love.

Let us pray: O God, who by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, didst instruct the hearts of thy faithful servants; grant us in the same Spirit, to discern what is right, and enjoy His comfort forever, through our Lord Jesus Christ, Who liveth and reigneth, one God, with Thee and the same Spirit, world without end. Amen.


Lectio
When we are relaxed and in a contemplative mode, we trace the Sign of the Cross on the book of Scripture, kiss the Cross we traced, and then open it to read. Some may want to focus on Scripture from that day's Propers. Others may want to read the Bible straight through, starting with Genesis. Others may want to focus only on the New Testament or the Psalms. We aren't trying to "accomplish a goal" of reading X amount; we read what is easily digested at that time. Whichever selection we choose, we read it with our minds, slowly, gently, coming to an understanding of the words themselves.

Having a solid orthodox Catholic commentary (pre-Vatican II commentary with Imprimatur or the rare, well-chosen post-Vatican II commentary), a nice Concordance, etc., in order to get a good grasp of the meaning of the actual words -- their historical cultural context, their etymologies, the Fathers' thoughts on the relevant Scripture, etc. -- is imperative. We should always approach Scripture with the mind of the Church, in the spirit of the Ethopian eunuch who asked Philip to guide him:

Acts 8:30-31
And Philip running thither, heard him reading the prophet Isaias. And he said: Thinkest thou that thou understandest what thou readest? Who said: And how can I, unless some man shew me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him.

We should always keep in mind Peter's admonition that "no prophecy of scripture is made by private interpretation" (2 Peter 1:20) and that Scripture can be difficult to understand, something "which the unlearned and unstable wrest...to their own destruction" (2 Peter 3:16).

If you come to a verse you don't understand, or that you understand in a way that is contrary to Catholic teaching, seek traditional Catholic commentary on it. Any apparent contradiction between Scripture and Catholic teaching is just that: apparent, and not real. As an example, even a simple verse such as one that refers to Mary's "firstborn" will be misunderstood if one is ignorant of Jewish law, as are many Protestants who believe that reference to a "firstborn" means there must be a "secondborn," and who then go on to deny Mary's virginity. Seek a Catholic commentary which would refer you, in this case, to the Old Testament law of the "firstborn" and will teach you what that word really means (see Exodus 13:2, Exodus 13:14-15, Numbers 18:15 and research the term "pidyon ha-ben").

At any rate, in Lectio, we are reading for the literal sense of the words, trying to understand the reality the writer of the text intended to convey.


Meditatio
Now we meditate on what we have read, perhaps even reading it again, visualizing it and listening for the aspect of it that reveals the Divine Mysteries. We want the deeper, spiritual meanings of the words now, and read for its anagogocal (or "eschatalogical") sense and its typical (or "allegorical") sense -- i.e., we consider types and anti-types, shadows and symbolism in order to understand the deeper reality the Holy Ghost intends to convey by arranging nature and history as He did, thereby inspiring the writer of the text to write as he did.


Oratio
We ask God to for the grace to be changed by what we have read, to come more fully into being what He wants us to be, and to help us apply the tropological (or "moral") sense of the Scripture to our lives.


Contemplatio
We rest in gratitude for God and His Word.


Collatio
If we are engaging in Lectio Divina with others, we discuss what we've learned.


Actio
We live what we have learned.