add and subtracting from the bible?

Question

why do some people add and subtract from the bible? what you see is what you get, i just hear some people say "oh i believe in jesus christ and heaven but i dont believe in hell", how can you not believe in hell when the bible states that there is? another thing doesnt the bible state that committing suicide in a sin, but yet i hear people say that "not if you have mental disorders, or if you are emotionally distraught? i dont see that written in the bible anywhere, if you committ suicide thats a sin, you cant repent for that. im an agnostic, but im just confused on how people envison God the way they want him to be and not for who he really is written in the bible

Answer 1

That's silly. The Bible is what it is. No one can change it. You can't choose to believe and quote certain parts, and ignore and deny the rest. Either it is or it isn't. Either you do or you don't. That's the way I see it. Take it or leave it. :). God sees each individual circumstance. He knows whether the person who committed suicide was of sound mind or not. It is up to His judgment. The Bible says that God will show mercy upon whom He will. (Not made up).

Answer 2

About add/subtracting, if you are talking about the different versions, it is because the original letters were written in other languages. Each time a group of people translate it, they translate it to the best of their knowledge. When it comes down to it, it's best to read different versions to get the entire text and meaning.
Also on translating and coping... before computers... before printing presses, scholars had to copy the word of god by hand. Now people make mistakes, i.e. spelling or grammar error, so the next person that copies it would then correct the grammar. Other scholars would add a commit or thought to the side has they copy the word, and then the next person wouldn't know if it was part of the word or not. That is why most bibles today go back as far as possible using the oldest letters when translating the bible.
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About the suicide, the bible doesn't say anything about suicide, but I think killing yourself would be considered murder and the bible does cover that. I would agree with you, if you "murder" yourself, it doesn't matter what state of mind you are in, Murder is Murder, and you are right, you can't repent from that.
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About people envision God the way they want him to be is quite sad. That is why I read up and study out his word almost on a daily bases. But I can't do it on my own either; I have people involved in my life that I talk to, get advice, and ask questions.

Answer 3

Because its simply impossible for anyone to follow and practice the bible in its entirety. Can't be done. So you choose the parts that sound good to you and pay less attention to the ones that aren't so pleasing. Its done every day. That's why its so ridiculous for anyone to claim they have the one true way to "god".

Also, how can anyone really look down on the "followers" for picking and choosing when the bible is simply man's compilation of early writings about god? For every book that was included in the bible, there are at least 10 or 15 written in the same time period that were left out. Most of the writings of the early christians that recorded the teachings of the apostles (and quite possibly both Marys) after the death of Jesus were banned and considered heresies by the church. Yet they include the works of Paul and the Revelation of John -- both only had interaction with Jesus through "visions".

Look how many denominations of christianity there are. There are always disagreements over the little things -- whether or not its okay to speak tongues, whether or not you can lose your salvation, whether hell is a place of fiery torment or simply the grave and being without the presence of god. Like I said before, that's why its ridiculous for anyone to claim that they have all the answers.

Answer 4

The truth is that no one should ever add or take away from any of it but as you can read for yourself in what is called the foreward message or "preface" of most copies or translations, some have incorporated their own ideas of the translation of a certain word such as just the one you mention here "hell". It was put there to scare people into submitting to the Roman Catholic Church or else... As the original Hebrew text had "Sheol" and the Greek had "Hades", wherever you see "hell" and the meaning of these two words, if you look in a dictionary or ask those who speak Hebrew or Greek, is the common grave of mankind or the grave... Why else would it be written that JESUS whent to hell for three days? It's just not true that he had to go preach there for nothing... He simply went to his grave or memorial tomb, when he died until his resurrection, as we all will. Unless of course we go through Armageddon... which according to the world's scientists and the book and movie from Al Gore, "An Inconvenient Truth" should not be any more than ten years from now, if that! As to what most are saying about it... that it has always been anticipated and never came and never will, the Bible is clear that they would do just that and take no note of the signs, which are beginning to be absolutely crystal clear! Thankyou! And let us all do our homework as we obey the admonishment to make sure of all things! in the book of Thessalonians... And to keep our senses and keep awake for if we do, we won't be caught with our pants down, when that Day does arrive! But let it find us anticipating it instead of fearing it... As God's people know that it will simply mean their deliverance from a world until then ruled by His Archenemy Satan the Devil and Father of the lie!

Answer 5

The Bible of The True Christian Faith dose not prove God... God proves The Bible to those open to His Leading, through The Holy Spirit. Only those open to the leading of The Holy Spirit will find what God has for them in The Bible.

There is no inerrant text of The Bible existant today... The original, God inspired, text, given to the original scribes, were lost long ago... and Mankind has been mucking about with the copies ever since... Only God can lead any honest seeker in finding what is there of God's True Word and Will.

Answer 6

Actually they envision everything the way they interpret it in the Bible. That is the sad folly of Protestantism. Each denomination, each local church, each individual person is supposed to read the Bible and decide what it says for themselves. The amazing thing is that they still insist this is the right system after seeing the doctrinal chaos it has caused. Thousands of unauthorized manmade sects, none agreeing with the others on any point of Christian belief, yet each claiming that their particular beliefs come "right out of the Bible". What ever happened to the stated will of God, "that they all may be one"? Except of course in the one true Church founded by Jesus Christ. In His own Church the teaching is true, constant and complete throughout the world and across twenty centuries. Just as Jesus said it would be. The promises He made to His own Church are as true today as they were 2,000 years ago ... "the Holy Spirit will guide you to all truth"; "whatsoever you bind upon earth is bound in heaven"; "he who hears you hears Me".

Answer 7

The quote to not upload or subtract from the bible replaced into stolen from the Jewish Torah, what Christians call the previous testomony. in basic terms yet another quote the Church stole from the Jewish bible. a minimum of they did not twist this one into some pagan which ability like they have carried out with something of it. Then the Church further to God's be conscious by way of sticking the recent testomony onto the Jewish bible, and then circled and warned that God mentioned to not upload to His be conscious! the full "New" testomony is an addition to God's be conscious, and it is all some pagan virgin bloody human sacrifice like the classic Aztecs, an abomination, not a "of completion" of the Jewish bible.

Answer 8

there were origionall 29 books of the 'bible' in the first century AD. The Church 'subtracted' all but 4 of them, then proceeded to add the rest in the New Testiment centuries after the life of Christ. The original scriptures have been found and recently translated and published as the Lost Scriptures.

If you are a liberal Christian, you believe that Jesus's words trump all other passages.

Remember, the bible is NOT the story of God's evolution in dealing with humanity, but the story of Humanities struggle to understand God.

Seems to me the conservative religous group is the one most guilty of adding and subtracting.

Answer 9

Because the people who decided which books to put in the bible and which to reject could not tell God inspired scripture from satan inspired writings. That is why they included revelations but rejected The Apocryphon of John. Both were written by the same Apostle John who received his information directly from Jesus in a vision. The christian church did not like it when Jesus accused Moses god of being satan. Everyone who believes Moses version of creation is calling Jesus a liar. Seek, ask, knock and you shall find.

Answer 10

Because people want to believe what ever is easier for them to live, then actually believing the truth and trying hard to live it. By the way the bible doesn't say that suicide is wrong, only Jesus Christ can truly judge us, so for anyone to say someone that committed suicide is going to hell is braking the commandment not to judge anyone.